One of the unique aspects about watching the Super Bowl is that commercial breaks aren’t a good time to use the bathroom or get another drink; instead, companies around world use the game — annually the most-watching sporting event around the globe — to showcase their most creative and entertaining ad spots.
In fact, depending on how the game is going, or who’s playing the halftime show, sometimes the commercials are the highlight of Super Bowl Sunday.
One of the companies most famous for its Super Bowl ads is Budweiser, and any time you talk about Budweiser commercials, you’ve got to mention those big, beautiful horses, the Clydesdales.
Budweiser Clydesdale props
Bet DSI features two prop bets having to do with Budweiser and the Clydesdales:
How many Clydesdales will be shown in Budweiser commercial?
Over 8.5 (-115)
Under 8.5 (-115)
Will there be an animal besides a horse in the Budweiser Clydesdale commercial?
Yes (-130)
No (+100)
Related: Super Bowl Betting | Super Bowl Props
History of Budweiser and the Clydesdales
Clydesdales are regal-looking horses most notable for the copious hair that covers their hooves. But despite their dressy appearance, they’re also hard-working farm horses capable of pulling a large load.
They first became associated with Budweiser in 1933, when August Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch presented a set of two hitches with six Clydesdales each in celebration of the end of Prohibition.
Besides countless commercials and print advertisements, the Clydesdales have taken part in two presidential inaugurations (Harry Truman in 1949 and Bill Clinton in 1993) and have become the most recognized symbol of the Budweiser brand.
The Clydesdales are also a rare mascot that has a mascot of their own: A dalmation, which has routinely appeared with the horses since 1950.
Recent Clydesdale Super Bowl commercials
GetMoreSports analyzed 19 Super Bowl commercials featuring Clydesdales from the past 23 years and came up with the following data: There are an average of 8.53 Clydesdales in each commercial, making this year’s line of 8.5 no surprise, and there were other animals featured in 13 of them, or 68.4 percent. In those 19 commercials, the over of 8.5 would have cashed just seven times.
Last year’s Clydesdale commercial didn’t actually run on TV during the game — it was an online-only ad released along with the game and featured one Clydesdale running in various settings with no other animals.
Two years ago, Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial featured no animals at all, so it’s not counted for purposes of this study.
Other featured animals included dogs — especially the Clydesdale mascot dog, the dalmatian — a zebra, a donkey, a pony, racehorses, a cow and a wolf.
Betting prediction for this year’s Clydesdale props
It might feel a bit silly analyzing the number of horses in beer commercials, but most prop bets are a bit silly, and this one at least has some data to analyze. And there could be money to be made.
Our official prediction on the “Number of Clydesdales” prop bet is OVER 8.5. The tricky part here is that one Budweiser cart is typically drawn by exactly 8 Clydesdales, and if that’s all that’s shown, the under wins. However, our study still showed an average of 8.53, even though last year’s commercial only featured one horse and the year before didn’t have a Clydesdale commercial at all. Smart money says Budweiser brings back its iconic show horses in a big way this year.
As for the “Other Animals in Clydesdale Commercial” prop bet, the prediction is YES. Likewise, it’s been four years since Budweiser featured another animal in a Clydesdale commercial with a dog (not a dalmatian) and a wolf. It seems like it’s time to bring back the dalmatian in some capacity.
