How much does a Pick 5 ticket cost?
A Pick 5 asks you to pick the winners of five races in a row. Every horse you add to a leg multiplies the ticket, so the price always comes from one formula:
Ticket cost = (horses in leg 1 × leg 2 × leg 3 × leg 4 × leg 5) × base bet
Each combination is one five-horse string, and you pay the base amount once for every combination. Use two horses in leg 1, a single in leg 2, three in leg 3, two in leg 4 and four in leg 5: that's 2 × 1 × 3 × 2 × 4 = 48 combinations. At a 50¢ base the ticket costs $24.00. At $1 it's $48.00, and at $2 it's $96.00.
Why your single is the most expensive leg to hedge
The cost of adding one horse to a leg equals the ticket's current total divided by the number of horses already in that leg.
On the 48-combination ticket above:
- Adding a second horse to the single (leg 2) costs $24.00. The ticket doubles to 96 combinations and $48.00.
- Adding a fifth horse to the four-horse leg costs $6.00. The ticket goes to 60 combinations and $30.00.
It's the same one extra horse, at four times the price.
That's the core trade-off in any horizontal wager. A "saver" in a leg where you're narrow costs far more than another horse in a leg where you're already spread. The calculator shows that number under every leg, along with the saving from taking a horse out, and it labels the cheapest and most expensive legs to add to.
Building a ticket to a budget
Most players are better off starting from the amount they plan to spend and working backward. At a 50¢ base:
- $20 buys 40 combinations, for example 1-2-2-2-5 or 1-1-2-4-5.
- $50 buys 100 combinations, for example 1-2-2-5-5.
- $100 buys 200 combinations, for example 2-2-2-5-5.
Put your number in the "My budget" field. The calculator tells you whether the ticket fits, how far over you are, and which base bet still fits.
What "using everybody" really costs
Use every horse in every leg and the numbers get very large, very quickly. Keeneland's late Pick 5 on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 drew fields of 12, 12, 10, 12 and 12. Taking all of them comes to 207,360 combinations, or $103,680 at 50¢.
That's why almost every real ticket mixes singles and spreads. The skill in a Pick 5 isn't covering everything. It's deciding where your money buys the most coverage.
Track rules that change the math
Pick 5 rules aren't the same everywhere, so check the wagering page for the track you're playing. As of October 2026:
- Minimum base. Keeneland, Churchill Downs and the NYRA tracks all offer a 50¢ Pick 5. Some tracks use different minimums, and some run more than one Pick 5 a day. Keeneland has two, on the first five and final five races. Churchill Downs' cards have run as many as four overlapping Pick 5s.
- Takeout. The Pick 5 takeout is 15% at Keeneland, Churchill Downs and NYRA. That's lower than the 22% Keeneland and Churchill Downs take on most of their other multi-race exotics.
- Scratches. At Keeneland, a late scratch in any leg of the Pick 5 is replaced by the actual betting favorite. Other tracks handle scratches differently.
- Surface changes. At Keeneland, if a leg switches surfaces without being announced before the sequence starts, that leg becomes an "all win" for every ticket.
- Carryovers and mandatory payouts. At Keeneland, if nobody hits all five, the tickets with the most winners share part of that day's pool, and the rest carries over to the next racing day. On the last day of the meet, the entire net pool must be paid out. That's why closing day draws extra attention.
Breeders' Cup 2026
The 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships run Oct. 30–31 at Keeneland: 14 Grade 1 races, with purses and awards totaling more than $34 million. Pre-entered fields are announced Oct. 21. Entries close and post positions are drawn on Oct. 26.
Most Breeders' Cup races allow up to 14 starters; the Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Dirt Mile allow 12. Five full 14-horse fields would make an all-in Pick 5 537,824 combinations, or $268,912 at 50¢. Even 3-3-3-3-3 is 243 combinations and $121.50, so planning matters more than usual that weekend.
Check the official Breeders' Cup wagering menu for the sequences and minimums once it's published, then enter the real field sizes here.
From ticket cost to a built ticket
This calculator tells you what a ticket shape costs. Pick5AI builds the ticket. Choose the race sequence and your budget, lock any horses you want to keep, and the AI fills in the rest of the ticket from past-performance data to fit what you plan to spend. The free plan includes one AI-generated ticket per race day (Eastern time), with no card required.
Pick5AI is not a sportsbook or ADW, and nobody can guarantee winners. We help you build a ticket; you place your bets with your own licensed ADW or at the track. Set a budget and stick to it. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.