What Markets Are Available for Horse Racing?
Forecast
A forecast is a prediction of the order in which horses in a race will finish. There are two types of forecast bets namely, straight forecast and reverse forecast.
- Straight Forecast – This market allows you to predict the first two horses to win the top two slots in the exact order. It is a double bet and for you to win the events have to occur in accordance with your prediction. If for example in your forecast you select horse X to come first and horse Y to finish second, they have to finish in the respective order. If either of the two requirements is not met, then you lose the bet.
- Reverse Forecast – With the reverse forecast you predict two horses in a race will finish in the top two slots in any order. If for example, you predict that horse X will finish first and horse Y will finish second place, even if horse Y finishes first and horse X takes the second place, your bet still wins. Both horses have to be in the top two finishing places though. Wagering is also different in this type of forecast since the bets are treated separately. If you wager £5 on a horse, the total stake will be £10. The odds are also lower than in straight forecasts since the risk is reduced.
Insurance
Insurance bets are a good alternative to the place only bets since your chances of losing are reduced. In the event that your horse fails to win the race but takes the second or third place, you get your stake back. The number of places that one can insure depends on the runners in the given race.
If you wager on insure 2 Places, your horse must finish first for you to win. If it finishes second, your stake is returned, but if it finishes third, you lose. If you insure 3 Places, it means that your horse has to win the race for you to win, but if it finishes second or third you will get your full stake back. If it finishes fourth or in other places you lose the bet. The odds are also reduced in this market. For example, a bookie might offer odds of 2/1 for a win and 13/8 for insure 2 Places and 5/4 for insure 3 Places. It is a good market in a competitive race, however.
There is also another market within the insurance bets called the Faller Insurance. Betting in this market gives you the chance to have your stake returned in case your horse falls during the race. If only the jockey falls off however, you lose the bet. The odds are also lower in the market compared to betting in the win market.
Jockey
In the Jockey market you make predictions of which jockey will either ride a winning horse, a placed horse and how they will perform in a given meeting. The outcome does not depend on a single race but the overall performance of the jockey in all the races during the racing event. Points are awarded to the jockey for finishing in the first three positions. Finishing first earns them 25 points; second place earns 10 points while finishing third earns the jockey 5 points. In the event that a jockey fails to ride a horse but their horse still runs the race, the jockey is also considered a runner.
If for example jockey A is expected to take part in six races during an event, you can predict that he will score around 50 points by the end of the meeting and so you bet £5 for 49-55 points. After the six races your jockey accumulates a total of 60 points. Your prediction is 5 points higher than 55 points so you win 5 times your stake of £5, making your win £25. If the jockey garners a total of 42 points, the score is 7 points lower than your minimum prediction, so you will lose 7 times your stake of £5, making your total loss £35. With Jockey index, it is as if you are buying the points.
In the event that a jockey rides another horse that he was not scheduled to ride, that ride does not count. You can also go for Cross-Jockey specials where you bet on two jockeys.
Trainer
The trainer index allows you to predict how a trainer’s runners will perform in a meeting after all the races have been run. A trainer could have more than one ride in a race. The points are awarded to the horses depending on their finishing places. The winner gets 25 points while 10 points and 5 points are awarded for 2nd and third places respectively. The prediction is spread out for example 45-49 points. If a trainer has 6 rides in a race and you predict that they will score around 45 points, you can pick the 45-49 points spread and wager £ for every point. If they score 55 points, it means that you will win 6 times your stake of £3 making your total win £18. If the performance of the trainer’s runners is below 45 points and they score 40 points, it means that you will lose 5 times your stake of £3, making your total loss £15.
At What Bookie Can the Best Odds for Horse Racing Be Found?
betfair
The bookie gives a detailed coverage of horse races in the UK and Ireland. They not only offer great enhanced odds in the form of their Price Rush feature but they also have a Best Odds Guaranteed promotion which is offered on all UK and Irish horse race winner markets as well as offering live streaming on all UK and Irish horse racing – T&C’s Apply
Ladbrokes
The bookmaker has great betting offers with the best odds guaranteed. The site pays the starting price and boosts it as well. Other features of their odds offers include boosting the prices of the favourite runners prior to the start of selected races or boosting odds at chosen race courses.
Betway
The bookmaker is among the leading bookmakers with the best odds for horse racing. Their average odds level is 87.30% in reference to their flat races and national jumps. Their Best Odds Guaranteed and Best Odds Guaranteed Plus features also ensure that punters are paid out higher amounts for their winning bets.
Who Is the Best Bookmaker for Horse Racing and Why?
Betway
Betway is the leading sportsbook online when it comes to punting for horses. On registering with the bookmaker and creating an account with them, one gets a matched bonus of 100% for a deposit of up to £50 and your money is returned as free bets in case your horse comes second in an ITV live race.
The bookmaker also provides punters with very resourceful information that helps them to decide on which is the best horse to bet on. These resources include a HorseFinder sidebar, a wide range of filters totalling to 15, their Timeform review system and their own blog which features top analysts of horse racing. They also have great odds particularly on Epsom Derby and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The site offers live streaming for some races and with a stake of £2 for a single bet or £1 for each way in a given race you can watch it live. The only inconvenience is that the live videos are subject to time delays of between 2 to 5 seconds. In spite of this, their downloadable mobile app that is supported by both IOS and Android is a great feature and it supports in-play betting. Their updates are also real time and their statistics are detailed. The welcome offer on horse betting also applies to the mobile app users.
Their markets are also varied and you can insure your stake with their insurer bets. Other markets include the forecasts, reverse forecasts, tricasts, wins, ante-posts amongst others. When making deposits, their processing is efficient and the minimum deposit required for you to start betting is £10. They do not have any limitations on withdrawals and they do not charge any fees for transactions. The site also accepts a wide range of payment and withdrawal methods, which is another great advantage over its competitors.
In regard to user interface, the sportsbook is easy to navigate and their customer support is always available on the line or on live chats for 24 hours all year round.
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What Do I Need to Know Before Placing a Horse Racing Bet?
Special Offers
It is advisable to keep checking with your bookie for race meetings, for example, Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG), faller special betting offers, free bets, cash-backs and enhanced odds. Major racing events such as Cheltenham, for example, will often come with many bonuses and promotions.
Research
Before backing a horse it is important to find out about its trainer and jockey as well. This information should be provided by your bookmaker in the statistics. There are also websites such as HorseRaceBase that can help you with your study and research on horse racing. Other resources are periodicals such as Racing Ahead which are published monthly and it could provide you with the necessary insight on how to back winning horses.
Strategy / System
While it is recommended to use strategies or systems to guide you in formulating winning formulas, they are not a guarantee that you will achieve big wins every time you use them. Some of the most reliable systems in horse racing betting include a good knowledge of the odds, the Dutching System, the Statistical Lay and Backing the Beaten Favourite method.