Bookmakers in the present era are most associated with football and a few other popular sports, but their origin lies in horse racing. British gentlemen during the early 20th century would head to racetracks where jockeys would ride their horses to the end. As the popularity of ball sports grew, horse racing became less prominent, but there is a loyal fan base for the sport as a form of traditional entertainment. And there is no longer any need to go to the racecourse to place bets—leading horse racing betting sites offer remote betting facilities.
Types of Horse Racing Bets
Racing horse betting has its own set of betting configuration too. No 1X2, total, and handicaps are ever going to feature here. They use their own sport-specific betting terminology and wagering types. The most popular wager types include:
- Win: A bet on the winner of a race. The punter predicts which horse is going to win. You may also bet against a horse that has a strong likelihood of winning. Although the horse comes second, your wager wins—but odds on outcomes such as those tend to be smaller.
- Place: An easier version of the Win bet. You still bet on a favorite horse, but it just has to place in the top finish—most often the top two if there are eight horses, or the top four if there are over 14 starters.
- Double: You wager on the winners of two separate races. It's similar to a parlay in most sports.
- Double Double: The bettor must select the winners of four races—a more sophisticated parlay.
- Exacta: Besides selecting the winner of the race, you must also select the second-place horse in the same position.
Horse racing betting is not so hard to do once you know the rules and terminology.
Horse Racing Betting Strategies
Even seasoned bet Wr make decisions on what approach to take when they bet on horse races.
Strategy #1: Betting on Recent Winners
This involves searching for recent race records to identify top performing horses. If an active winner has taken a break and is racing on a steady basis for the season, the bettor would lay a Win or Place bet depending on the amount of risk they want to take.
Strategy #2: Jockey-Horse Partnerships
The horse-jockey pair normally makes all the difference. The tactic is to seek a horse that finished second or third in its previous race, and that still retains the same jockey. A matched horse-jockey team enhances the chances of winning. When a favorite horse is assigned a new jockey, its chances of winning might drop due to the absence of rapport.
Strategy #3: Betting on the Underdog
This is betting on a horse with a good record but poor recent form. Bookies and punters tend to underplay the horse after a run of consecutive losses, and this creates value bets. Bookies are not necessarily statisticians nor jockey proficiency experts, and here is room for smart punters.
How to Bet on Horse Racing
Internet horse racing betting has a few quirks that gamblers have to deal with in order to survive.
What to Watch Out For:
- Horse's Age: The younger the horse, the better it will run in sprints. Experience is more important in longer races.
- Rest Between Racial Events: One has to know how much rest the horse had prior to the race. A month of rest is optimum for a sprinter, but longer resting periods pay dearly in longer races.
- Weight of Jockey: Ideal weight for the jockey is approximately 60 kg. Novices have exceptions.
- Weather Conditions: Being races conducted on open courses, weather conditions could be influential towards the outcome. Dark horses are likely to turn up from the blues, hence most punters abstain from bets in cases of predicted adverse change of weather.
Helpful Tips
Following useful tips are about horse racing betting:
- Standard betting systems don't apply here: Trendy systems such as the Martingale system can empty your wallet in no time.
- Don't bet on every race: Read the statistics carefully. Be logical and have a plan.
- Don't bet emotionally: Don't place bets out of love for a horse or jockey. Let logic and research direct your bets.
