Beginners Guide to Horse Racing Betting

Few sports can match the excitement one feels when watching horses gallop at scintillating speeds. Also, few sports have the history that horse racing has. Even the ancient Greeks enjoyed watching jockeys guide their animals to victory! At some point, they realized that these races are much more fun when you place a stake on them. And that’s how horse racing betting was born!

A lot has changed since then. With the rise of online bookmakers, you don’t need to spend the entire day at the tracks. You can pick markets and earn some money from the comfort of your own home. Considering all this, our team of experts wanted to create a beginner’s guide for everyone interested in entering the world of horse racing betting.

What you see in front of you is the result of months of research, countless bets, and tons of betting sites tested. So, your only job is to sit somewhere comfortable, soak all the info in, and prepare to take your first punt. Good luck!

Understanding the Rules

Before you start with horse racing betting, it’s important to know two main factors in play — the horse and the jockey. Unlike greyhound races, in which dogs run on their own, horses must be ridden by jockeys to ensure that they will reach the finish line. This is because dogs are easy to train, whereas horses don’t yield to commands or training lightly. To motivate the horses to run faster, riders use small whips. Some jurisdictions allow unlimited whipping, while some have outright banned it or imposed a limit on the number of whips allowed (UK).

Not every horse is suitable for racing. Usually, only Arabians, Quarters, and Thoroughbreds are the participants. As for jockeys, they have to be relatively small and lightweight people so that horses carry as little weight as possible. They also have to wear helmets and padding, as falling off or getting trampled can have potentially deadly consequences.

The two main rules, ones that are present in all types of races (more on that later), are that all riders must start simultaneously and give it their best effort. Early starts might result in penalties or disqualification.

As for the other rule, it exists to prevent fixing. Horse racing gaming allows bettors to take punts on the market called ‘place’. What it means is that you’re betting on the exact placement of the horse. If the rule mentioned above wouldn’t exist, a rider could purposely slow down and earn people bets in an illegal manner.

There you have it – the basics of horse racing. There are several sub-categories, but the framework is the same. Some jurisdictions add their own specific regulations, so make sure you analyze them before pouncing on a particular market or event.

Basic Terms

Horse racing betting is far from the most difficult endeavour. Despite this, there are many slang terms that might confuse you in the beginning. To avoid this confusion, we rounded up the most frequently used ones and provided explanations. Once you memorize them, doing research at any horse racing bookmaker will be a piece of cake.

• Bit – A steel bar that’s placed in the horse’s mouth and is attached to the bridle. Using it, the jockey can steer the horse or cause him to slow down, especially in corners.
• Bloodstock – While not necessarily integral to the race itself, the bloodstock is still essential. It’s the part of the industry that’s involved in breeding horses. Champions pass their genes onto other champions. It’s not uncommon to see multiple generations of successful racehorses.
• Colt – An uncastrated male horse that still hasn’t reached four years of age. A colt that still races is called an entire, while a retired one is a stallion.
• Stallion – A retired horse, usually with a racing career behind him, that’s used for breeding new racehorses.
• Draw – All horses start in their own respective stalls, one beside the others. The draw is a random pick that assigns stalls to horses. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter whether a horse starts close to the rail or a bit further. For instance, the Kentucky Derby features 20 horses, and they all line up to the rail after a few seconds. There’s no correlation between the stall and the horse’s position at the end of the race.
• Boxed-in – When there are many horses in the same place, it’s impossible to move out of the crowd and make a clear, straight run. So, when a horse is unable to overtake, he’s boxed in.
• Going – A slang term that relates to the conditions on the racetrack itself. If it’s muddy and wet, the going is bad. When there isn’t any rainfall and horses won’t lose speed, the going is good.
• Handicap – Depending on their past performances, horses are given weight to carry. If a horse is blowing everyone out of the water, they will be given the heaviest weight in their next race. This is so that the playing field is even and that the race remains exciting.
• Juvenile – In many jurisdictions, a two-year-old horse the minimum age allowed for a horse to participate in official races.
• Nap – A bet that’s sure to win. When a horse is an overwhelming favourite, bettors usually say, ‘go for it, it’s a nap’.
• On/off the bridle – When a horse is off the bridle, it means it does not have a particularly good race. When it’s on the bridle, things are going well.
• Silks – Since there are many horses on the track during an event, owners all have different colours. They appear on the jockey’s clothing and equipment, as well as the horse’s apparel. That’s how you tell them apart.
• Stay on – This refers to a horse who won the race thanks to an excellent finish, despite being off the bridle until the last few yards.
• Open ditch – In jump racing (we’ll talk about it in a bit), an open ditch is a rail with a rather long ditch right where the takeoff area is.
• Stud – A horse breeding facility. Stallions are kept here while the mares are being brought to conceive a baby horse. Horses younger than 12 months are called foals.

Horse Racing Types

When someone mentions horse racing betting, you probably think of round tracks with a starting point and a finish line. Believe it or not, that’s not the only type of race that you can take punts on. These beautiful beasts can square off in several different sub-sports if you will. Here are the most popular ones.

Flat racing

The most common type, you’ll find it at just about any bookie. There aren’t any obstacles involved, and the track can have a maximum length of up to 2 miles. Grass and synthetic surfaces can be used.

Jump racing

Any event involving obstacles. Small ones are called hurdles, while big ones are called fences. There are also small ponds of water, ditches, and hedges. It’s a test of both endurance and athleticism.

Harness racing

Basically the modern version of chariot racing. Instead of the jockey riding the horse, he is placed in a sulky, a two-wheeled cart. The sulky is connected to the horse’s torso, and he pulls the jockey by galloping.

Endurance racing

Probably the most extreme form of horse racing. Endurance races don’t take place in stadiums or on racetracks. Instead, the horses race in natural environments, on lengths of up to 150 miles. Such events can last for hours and require massive amounts of strategizing. Arabians are the best at endurance races due to their build and stamina.

Where to Find Horse Racing Betting Websites?

An essential part of every bettor’s arsenal is a good app or online bookmaker. With it, you can put all your skills and knowledge to use. However, finding the right fit can often take hours or even days. Well, not anymore. Check out our list of the top-rated bookmakers for horse racing betting. It’s the result of extensive testing and comparisons.

Not only will you find some highly-rated desktop sites, but you’ll also see what’s the best betting app for horse racing. NostraBet knows that gaming on the go is popular, so we decided to lend you a hand. Analyze the list, pick a bookie you like, and start taking punts. Have fun and bet wisely!

How to Bet on Horse Racing

Betting on horse racing is the same as wagering on any other sport. Albeit having specifics, the overall steps are the same, and it all starts by choosing some of the best sites for betting on horse racing. Due to this sport’s popularity in some parts of the world, you can find a lot of bookies that specialize in it.

• After choosing the most suitable betting site for the job, the next step is to sign up. We recommend learning more about any active promo codes from Nostrabet, as they’ll boost your welcome promotion.
• Assuming you’re aware of the welcome bonus, you can make a deposit and get it. If you do not know anything, we suggest learning more about it.
• Now that the funds are in your account, check the pre-match and live betting categories.
• Although most people want to punt on live horse racing matches, bookies also offer pre-match options. Decide what you want to bet, analyze the markets, and choose one or more alternatives.
• The markets will be added to your betslip after choosing them, meaning the next step is to place a bet.

Horse Racing Bet – Real-Life Example

Since we want to give you an example of how we’ve wagered on horse racing, we’ve chosen 22bet. The latter is an international brand that’s famous for providing more options than the rest, so here’s how it worked out:

• We already had an account with the operator, so we signed up. Luckily, we also had $10 in our balance, so there was no need to make a deposit.
• After going to “Sports”, followed by “Horse Racing”, we saw all of the upcoming events. In the end, we chose to bet on Moe Race 7 in Australia.
• There were numerous intriguing markets, but we’ve decided to bet the $10 we had on “Winner No.1 Bunjil “Jake Noonan) to win the race. The odds were 4.00, so predicting this bet would give us $40 in total.

Which Are the Most Popular Tournaments?

Regardless of where you are in the world, chances are there’s a racetrack near you. Still, not every event is the same. Unfortunately, most of them don’t receive enough coverage for you to place stats-based bets and make informed decisions. Stick to the following ones, and you’ll get all the data you need to win.

Short History and Facts

Chariot racing and horse racing have been a part of the Olympic Games since the 7th century BC. However, no one really knows when it officially became a sport. It is believed that it was actually created by cavalry members who were bored on duty and wanted to have some fun. While it was mainly a nobleman’s sport throughout its history, horse racing is now widely available to anyone. Millions of people visit both racetracks and betting sites, all to capitalize on the action.

Here’s some fun information related to this unique sport’s history:

• The horse racing industry as a whole is very beneficial to the British economy. Apparently, around £3.7 billion trickles down and gets used for education, healthcare, etc.
• Did you know that, in 1605, King James I became so addicted to horse racing that he forgot to run the country? The parliament had to remind him to snap out of it.
• The first horseback riding tournaments in Britain were held back in 200 AD. Nomadic peoples in central Asia raced even earlier. There is evidence of races in the Mongolian prairies, some even from the 5th millennium BC.
• Thoroughbred horses in Britain can be traced to 3 sires, all of which were initially bred for war.

Final Thoughts

If you like sports that are both easy and profitable, horse racing betting is tailor-made for you. By investing enough time and conducting enough research, you may be able to get Lady Luck on your site. However, it’s still gambling, and anything can happen. So, just stick to your budget and be careful about taking on overly risky markets.

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