Royal Ascot: Easy-to-play Omni/Swinger bet for the Norfolk

It can be tricky to handicap early-season stakes for juveniles like the Norfolk S. (G2) taking place on Thursday at Royal Ascot in England. There are so many promising young horses to choose from!

The Norfolk looks especially tricky since it’s drawn a large field of 11 horses, all vying for a “Win and You’re In” berth to the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) at Keeneland. If you want to try betting the Norfolk, we recommend giving a simple Omni/Swinger wager a try.

What is an Omni/Swinger?

The Omni/Swinger is one of the easiest exotic wagers to hit. It’s a lot like an exacta, in that you must select at least two horses. But whereas an exacta requires you to select the top two finishers in the correct order, the Omni/Swinger simply requires your two horses to finish in the top three—the order is unimportant. You win if they run 1-2, 1-3, or 2-3.

You can also use more than two horses in the Omni/Swinger, further increasing your chances of winning.

How to bet the Omni/Swinger in the Norfolk

Early betting has established #7 The Antarctic as the favorite to win the Norfolk, and it’s easy to understand why. Trainer Aidan O’Brien has won the five-furlong turf dash three times, and The Antarctic is 2-for-2 so far, winning five-furlong sprints at Tipperary and Naas by narrow margins. As a full brother to elite sprinter Battaash, who won the five-furlong King’s Stand S. (G1) at Royal Ascot, The Antarctic is bred to appreciate the Norfolk configuration.

But The Antarctic is far from the only exciting juvenile in the Norfolk field. #10 Walbank is another formidable threat. After finishing second in his debut sprinting five furlongs at Ascot (beaten only by the promising Noble Style), Walbank obliterated a five-furlong dash at York by seven lengths, earning a strong 102 Racing Post Rating five points higher than The Antarctic’s career-best 97.

The Antarctic and Walbank appear to have bright futures, so let’s play them together in the Omni/Swinger and count on both to finish in the top three.

• $20 Omni/Swinger: 7 with 10

Good luck!