5 Things You Need to Know Before Betting on Horse Racing

| 09.03.16 | 0 Comments

If you plan on betting on horse racing don’t expect your horse to come out the gate like a whippet and finish first because its name is ‘Lucky Winner’. You need to know your basics before you can pick a winner. Horse racing is the most popular form of betting and there’s a lot of factors to consider.

Here are our five horse betting tips for beginners:

1. Know the Horse Race – There are two types of horse race, the first is Flat racing – the name speaks for itself – this is a standard race with no obstacles. The second is National Hunt racing, this type of race includes obstacles such as hurdles and steeplechases.

2. Know Your Bets – Along with the standard ‘to win’ bet, there is the very popular ‘each way’ bet, which is like placing two bets, one for the winner and one for the horse to ‘place’ in second, third, fourth or even fifth in some races. There are many markets to bet on, so do your research!

3. Know the Race Classification – All races have a classification, this determines the prestige, purse (prize pool) and the standard of horses. Flat racing uses Group 1 and National Hunt racing uses Grade 1, these are the top classifications with it descending in order of quality.

4. Knowing the Handicap – The Jockey Club sets the weight each horse must carry, a better horse will carry a heavier weight, so slower horses can compete against it.

5. Knowing everything else – If you’re going to pick a consistent winner, then you need to know the form, pedigree, trainer, jockey, ground, weather conditions, handicap, odds movement and more. It will take time, but you could make a tidy profit!

Put your horse racing knowledge to the test by placing a bet with one of the recommended sportsbooks in our Top 5 Horse Racing Betting Sites ranking.