How Forecast and Tricast Bets Work in Greyhound Racing

Forecast and tricast bets are the heartbeat of greyhound betting at Oxford. While win bets are the simplest option and place bets offer a safety net, it is the forecast and tricast markets that produce the dividends worth talking about. Getting the first two or three dogs home in the right order — or in any order, with the combination variants — turns a modest stake into a return that a straightforward win bet cannot match.

Oxford dogs forecast tricast results appear alongside every race on the results page, and the dividends can swing wildly depending on the distance, the grade and the competitiveness of the field. Understanding the mechanics of these bet types — what the different variants cost, how the computer-calculated dividends work and when the odds favour the punter — is essential knowledge for anyone who follows Oxford racing beyond the casual level. This guide breaks down both bet types from first principles, with an Oxford-specific focus on how trap bias, distance and field quality affect the typical payouts.

Forecast Bets — Picking the Exact First and Second

A forecast bet requires you to predict the first and second-place finishers in a race. In greyhound racing, where six dogs compete in every race, the number of possible finishing combinations for the first two places is 30 (six options for first multiplied by five remaining options for second). Getting the exact order right is harder than it sounds, but the reward scales accordingly.

The straight forecast is the purest version. You name one dog to finish first and another to finish second, in that exact order. If they finish in the right positions, you collect the dividend. If they finish first and second but in the wrong order, you lose. There is no partial payout for getting the pair right but the sequence wrong.

The reverse forecast covers both permutations. You select two dogs and bet on them finishing first and second in either order. This doubles your stake — you are effectively placing two straight forecasts — but it removes the requirement to predict the exact sequence. If your two dogs fill the first two places in any arrangement, one of your two forecasts pays out. The total return is the dividend from the winning permutation minus the cost of the losing one, which still leaves you ahead in most cases where the dividend is healthy.

The Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) is the standard method for calculating forecast dividends in UK greyhound racing. Rather than offering fixed odds on every possible combination — which would require bookmakers to price 30 separate outcomes per race — the CSF uses a formula based on the SPs of the placed dogs to generate a dividend after the race. The advantage of the CSF is that it removes bookmaker discretion from the payout calculation. The disadvantage is that the dividend can be lower than you might expect when two short-priced favourites fill the forecast, because the formula compresses payouts when the market considers the combination likely.

UK greyhound racing distributes over £15.7 million in total prize money annually, but the real volume of money flows through the betting markets. Forecast bets account for a significant share of that, particularly in the BAGS sector where punters in betting shops tend to favour these combination wagers over simple win bets. The appeal is obvious: the minimum stake is low, the potential return is high, and the six-dog fields make the exercise feel achievable in a way that horse racing forecasts, with larger fields, often do not.

Tricast Bets — First, Second and Third in Exact Order

A tricast takes the forecast principle and extends it to three places: you must predict the first, second and third finishers in the correct order. In a six-dog greyhound race, the number of possible finishing combinations for the top three is 120 (six times five times four). The difficulty is substantially greater than a forecast, and the dividends reflect that — tricast payouts routinely reach double or triple figures from a one-pound stake.

The straight tricast works exactly as you would expect. You name three dogs in their exact finishing order. Get it right and you collect the Computer Tricast (CT) dividend, which is calculated using the same post-race formula as the CSF but applied to three placed dogs instead of two. Get any part of the sequence wrong — the right three dogs in the wrong order, or two right and one wrong — and the bet loses entirely.

The combination tricast is the more popular variant among Oxford punters. You select three dogs and bet on them finishing first, second and third in any order. This covers all six possible arrangements of your three selections, which means your stake is multiplied by six. A £1 combination tricast costs £6. If your three dogs fill the first three places in any sequence, the winning permutation pays the CT dividend, and your net return is that dividend minus the five losing legs.

At Oxford, where trap 5 wins 23.5% of graded races, including trap 5 in a tricast selection makes statistical sense — but it does not guarantee a profitable return. If trap 5 is the obvious favourite and finishes first, the CSF and CT dividends will be compressed because the market already priced that outcome as likely. The real tricast value comes from identifying the second and third places, where the uncertainty is greater and the dividend is more sensitive to unexpected outcomes.

A useful tricast strategy at Oxford is to anchor the first place on the most likely winner — often the dog with the best trap draw and strongest recent form — and then spread the second and third selections across two or three possibilities using combination tricasts. This increases the stake but dramatically increases the coverage. If you believe trap 5 is winning but cannot separate the remaining five dogs for second and third, a combination tricast with trap 5 as a banker and four other dogs for the minor places covers a wide range of outcomes at a manageable cost.

Typical Forecast and Tricast Dividends at Oxford

Dividend ranges at Oxford depend on distance, grade and the competitiveness of the field. Knowing what to expect helps you evaluate whether a particular forecast or tricast bet offers genuine value or whether the likely dividend barely covers the stake.

Over 253 metres, forecast dividends tend to be on the lower side. Sprint races are short, the outcome is heavily influenced by the trap draw, and favourites win more often because there is less time for upsets. A typical CSF on a graded 253-metre race at Oxford falls in the range of £5 to £20, with occasional higher payouts when an outsider breaks sharply and leads throughout. Tricast dividends over the sprint are correspondingly modest — often £20 to £80 — because the compressed nature of the race limits the combinatorial chaos that drives bigger payouts.

The 450-metre standard distance produces the widest range of dividends. Two bends create more opportunities for positional changes, interference and closers overhauling leaders, all of which increase the unpredictability of the finishing order. CSFs on 450-metre Oxford races can range from under £10 for a predictable favourite-and-second finish to well over £100 when two outsiders fill the forecast. Tricast dividends at this distance are the most volatile — a £200-plus CT from a six-dog 450-metre race is not common but not unusual either.

Staying races over 650 metres sit somewhere between the two. The longer distance introduces more variables, which favours larger dividends, but the smaller number of 650-metre races on the Oxford card means the sample of available data is thinner. Hunt Cup-level events, which attract quality stayers from outside the regular grading system, often produce lower dividends because the cream tends to rise over a distance that tests stamina and class. Lower-grade 650-metre races, where the field is more evenly matched, produce the better-paying forecasts and tricasts.

The broader context is worth noting. As GBGB Chairman Sir Philip Davies has emphasised, the funding generated through betting is vital to the sport — supporting trainers, kennel staff, track workers and the integrity of the racing programme. Every forecast and tricast bet placed at Oxford contributes, through the bookmaker levy, to the financial infrastructure that keeps the stadium operational. The dividend you collect is your reward for skill and judgement; the stake you place is part of a system that sustains the sport itself.