I have a good friend: an aging, slow-moving, sour-old horseplayer who frequents OTB parlors and race tracks around the country. While he has a solid love of the sport of harness racing, he thinks all drivers are scoundrels and that every race is fixed. Every r ...
One of the most important friends of a racehorse is a farrier. The word farrier comes from the Latin word farrarius, or worker with iron. A blacksmith is probably the more recognized term for someone who works with metal. The farrier must be very knowledgeable ...
One of the first definitions of a sulky came in the mid-1800’s when the vehicle in question had heavy wooden wheels with broad-tires strong enough to be used over any kind of roads and a straight iron axle to which two elliptical springs were attached. D ...
Hobbles, wore by most of modern-day pacers, were first used in England over 300 years ago to gait saddle horses to the pace. When carriages appears under the late Tudors and early Stuart Kings, the pacing-rigged saddle horses disappeared. In North America non- ...
Standardbred racehorses wear bandages both on and off the race track for a variety of reasons. They are used as a means of support and protection. Many trainers will use brace bandages on their trotter’s hind legs. Brace bandages offer light protection f ...
Just as with people, each Standardbred horse is a unique individual, coming in different sizes, shapes, and colors. And, like people, most all go about their daily functions, either training or racing, wearing some type of footwear. The importance of hoof care ...
Harness racing is a form of horseracing in which the horses race in a specified gait – either the trot or the pace. They also usually pull two – wheeled carts called sulkies, although races to saddle are still occasionally conducted. In most jurisd ...
Regardless of the many wagering opportunities available to today’s gambler, there is still just one place to be if you’re want to make a profit on horse racing. On the course. Even for novices with horses it is difficult not to get into the excitem ...
Horse racing betting presages a long illustrious history. This racing considerably depends upon the country where the races take place. Different countries have their different ways of offering different, distinct styles of racing. There are three different se ...
Step 1 Just as human beings, horses sweat. A small amount of sweat on a coat is a good omen. A slight ring of sweat between a horse’s hind legs show that it is keen. However, a large build up that has gone foamy (“washiness”) is not. Look out ...
The Tote Scoop 6 is the horsey equivalent of the Lottery for the more discerning. Both offer gamblers the potential to win large sums for a very small amount wagered. Over 100,000 players every week are investing in the Tote Scoop6, in the belief that they are ...
Bookies have every side of the industry covered. Professional people are used to scrutinise all parts of the business. They employ statisticians and any number of other experts, who have been researching individual sporting events, every goal scored, every wic ...
Rules. You may not want to admit it, but it is always true in gambling that hard guidelines are a big boon in formulating strategies to defeat bookmakers. There are no quick ways to make cash from betting on horses. The bookies work continuously at prising mon ...
However, owning a horse is becoming a lot more popular with the Joe Paychecks of the world than ever. Horse lovers from all areas of society are involved in what people describe as ‘buying into optimism’, and budding ‘Aga Khans’ can joi ...
Profitable wagering isn’t just about choosing winners; it is also about deciding if it’s worth backing them at the odds you are given. The thing to ask yourself all the time is if you are getting good enough odds to justify parting with your hard e ...
With exchanges popping up all over the place you can place a wager on just about anything – be it a greyhound, horse or team – to lose. All those useless nags you had bet on at Aintree on Saturday could have turned into wonderfully profitable, usel ...
Horse racing has one of the largest global betting markets of any sport. It’s one of the few sports where betting plays a massively predominate role and many followers of the sport do so in order to make a profit. The amount of money exchanged on each range can differ greatly. Some of the smaller races could turn over just L50,000 on the exchanges whereas the larger races such as the Grand National and the English Derby will amass sums of over L4 million. Many bookmakers see fit to use horse racing as one of their main betting platforms and will target races everyday from their high street shops, online and their on track stalls.
Horse racing is a massive pull for the punter as they can apply a vast amount of knowledge to a race in order to find that perfect pick. Features such as form, ground conditions, jockeys and trainers can all be factors as to how the horse could potentially perform. On the flip side it also appeals to the casual punter. Knowing that any horse has a chance in the race provides unpredictability and evens the field out somewhat.
Some of the major horse racing meetings around the world come in the form of Royal Ascot, Cheltenham Festival, Grand National, Epsom Derby, Dubai World Cup and the Kentucky Derby to name but a few. It’s these kinds of meetings that really pull in the punters and offer the best horses in the most competitive races around the world. These meeting will be made up mainly of Group 1 and Group 2 races, meaning that the ‘creme de la creme’ of horses, trainers and jockeys are on show.
Many keen bettors will spend days and weeks preparing for the big meets of the year to sap every possible avenue of value from the race. The occasions are often held in high regard with events such as Royal Ascot having a member of the Royal family present at every day of the meet. The Grand National for example claims viewing figures of over 500 million for one single race with an estimated L300 million matched in bets alone. It’s known as one of the richest horse races in the world.
Live betting is a feature that has been adapted to Horse racing and one that is becoming increasingly popular amongst all bettors. It’s this form of betting that allows punters to use either their knowledge or a little guess work during a race to predict the outcome. Whilst odds fluctuate quickly and the speed of the race is at such a tempo, it can be tricky to get the odds at a premium once the race has started, especially in the shorter distances. The longer races are where the live betting format really comes into its own as you get time to assess how a horse is running and also compare it to the initial pace of the field.
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Compared to most other sports available to bet on, the markets are very limited in horse racing with the major ones being the outright winner and a placed finish (or each way betting). There’s no doubt that when it comes to horse racing betting that you really want to be taking advantage of the betting exchanges to get the inflated odds prices and bypassing the bookmaker’s lines.
A great feature many online bookmakers do offer (and a fantastic reason to sign up with their site) is that of live streaming. There is rarely a race around the country (UK) that isn’t featured and the streaming services are often free. Watching the race will give you a fantastic insight into how a horse is performing and is essential if you want to take advantage of live betting. Be warned though that online streams may encounter a slight delay of a second or two which could potentially be huge in a horse race.
You could literally write thousands of words on betting tips for horse racing. We have condensed some of these tips to bring you the most important ones to apply to your bets.
Research, research, research – We can’t stress enough how important it is to do your research on a horse. Horse racing, more than any other sport, really relies on you basing your decisions on past races. Find out how the horses have got on previously by looking at past results, favoured ground, conditions at the course they will be running at, trainer form, jockey form, how they look in the paddock and listen for any other top pundits touting the horse to do well.
Prepare to lose – Horse racing can be a tough gig to make profitable bets from. There’s no doubt it can be done, but you are likely going to have as many lows as highs, especially when you start out. Don’t get downhearted by poor results and look as to why they lost, before learning from the experience.
You don’t have to wager on each race – There are quality races held 365 days a year around the UK alone, there’s no way you can bet on each race, but feel free to look through a high percentage and ‘virtually’ pick a favourite and see how that horse gets on. Apply everything you would normally if you were placing money on it, but simply make a note. A spreadsheet is a great way to track results and track what information you have learnt from the race.
Bets typically include the outright winner, place, show, and more complex wagers like exactas and trifectas.
Research the form, conditions, and history of the horses, and consider the impact of the track and weather.
Look at the horse’s recent performance, training regime, and any changes in the jockey or equipment.
A skilled jockey can significantly influence a horse's performance, so their experience and track record are important.
Odds reflect how likely it is that a horse will win, which directly affects the payout if the horse wins.
Major events often have more competitive fields, so studying in-depth form and market movements is crucial.
Live betting involves placing bets during the race, with odds changing as the race progresses.
Betting structures and popular bet types can vary, with different emphasis on types of races and betting systems.