The Breeders’ Cup: it’s the culmination of an entire year’s worth of the best horse racing on Earth, when top Thoroughbreds from around the globe congregate at Keeneland Race Course on Nov. 6-7 to the sport’s world championships. The spectacle alone makes the event appointment viewing, but don’t sleep on your chance to bet small and win big at Breeders’ Cup.

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My colleague Dan Tordjman already put together a comprehensive guide on how to bet the Breeders’ Cup, and I’m here to tell you why. Horse racing’s World Championships is traditionally one of horseplayers’ most highly anticipated events, and that’s because the level of equine and human talent competing at the Breeders’ Cup means upsets galore and huge payouts.

Let’s go into the numbers: the average payout for a $2 win wager on a Breeders’ Cup race is $20.06; that’s a 903% return on investment.

Historically, the most profitable race to bet is the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, where a $2 win wager averages a $24.93 payout – and the Breeders’ Cup Classic is just behind, with $24.86 returning to $2 win bettors on average.

Want to get exotic? That’s where huge money lies. Playing bets like a Pick 6, which entails selecting the winners of six consecutive races, yielded $2,687,611.20 for a $2 bet in 2003 and $1,838,305.20 in 2009. That’s real money!

The most important thing to remember about betting the Breeders’ Cup is that it’s important to make a plan. Find the races and horses that you’re confident in, set a budget for yourself, use our handy gambling calculator, and then have fun seeing if your careful work pays off (literally!).