TOP HORSE RACING COMPETITIONS
There are many different types of horse races, known as meetings. There are several very popular horse racing competitions across the world, which prompt huge numbers to attend in person, follow live and place bets.
Arguably the most famous is the Cheltenham Festival, the pinnacle of jumps racing, which is spread across four days in March at Cheltenham Racecourse in England. There are 28 races at the festival, seven per day, with the best hurdlers and chasers facing off to win valuable Grade One prizes. Some of the most prestigious races at the festival include the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, and the Gold Cup.
The Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase races are the two champion two-mile contests, where the top horses from both divisions come to try and prove they are the best in the division for those particular years – we have seen great horses come back year on year and prove their greatness in these races.
The showpiece of the week is undoubtedly the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the race has been won for the last two years by Galopin des Champs, who will bid to make it a third successive victory in 2025. This is run over the longer trip of three miles and two furlongs over fences, which is a far greater jumping and staying test for the participants of the race.
The Aintree Grand National Festival is the other leading jumps racing festival in the UK, held in Liverpool each spring. UK Flat racing is most notable for the five Classics, held across the British summer:
- 2,000 Guineas (Newmarket)
- 1,000 Guineas (Newmarket)
- The Oaks (Epsom)
- The Derby (Epsom)
- St Leger (Doncaster)
Globally, key Flat races include the Melbourne Cup (Australia) and the three races that form the US Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes) as well as the Breeders’ Cup.
MOST POPULAR HORSE RACING BETTING MARKETS
A large part of why betting on horse racing is so enjoyable is its simplicity. Although it is easy for a novice punter to place a bet, any wager should be subject to the same amount of rigor and research as betting on other sports.
The majority of horse racing bets are either ‘win bets’ or ‘place bets’. A win bet is where you place a bet on the horse you think will come first, whereas a place bet is a slightly safer proposition where you pick the horse that you think will come within the top two, three or four places, based on how many runners there are in the race.
These bets can be paired together to make what is known as an ‘each-way’ bet; another popular market used when betting on horse racing. This is a safer bet, as you have the insurance for your win bet where if it places, you will likely get your stake back or potentially make a profit depending on the odds of the place bet.
These types of bets, whether win, place or each-way, can be combined into longer odds multi-bets, this needs more selections to land for the bet to win but the potential returns increase. These types of bets are popular, especially for race-going fans who may look to have some multi-bets across the card that they are attending to watch.
HORSE RACING BETTING TIPS
Well-researched horse racing betting tips are paramount if you want to make a profit from your horse racing betting selections. It can be beneficial to consult a reliable and trusted horse racing form judge or tipster to mark your card if you want smart bets on the racing, but you must make sure they are trustworthy and have made a considered effort to find a valuable selection.
For a range of horse racing betting tips on the biggest races on the calendar and predictions, you can check out the MadMarketMystic Mac tipster on our Telegram channel here.
HORSE RACING BETTING STRATEGIES
There are many popular strategies used when betting on horse racing, to try and obtain a profit from your bets. One of these strategies is known as dutching. Dutching is where more than one selection is placed on an event, so in this instance, it would be picking more than one horse to win the race.
The benefit of this strategy is that you have a greater chance of a selection winning. However, if not executed properly then often you will be losing more per race due to the increased frequency of bets, so it is important to ensure that you are researching your selections as usual, especially if you are having multiple bets in one race.
Another strategy that can prove profitable is lay betting. This is where you are backing a particular horse to lose a race, i.e. ‘laying’ the horse. Often, this type of betting will allow the punter to get the entire field onside as they will make a profit if that horse loses unless they have laid more than one horse in the race. This can be particularly effective if you don’t fancy a short-priced favorite in a race as you can get the field onside at a nice price, however, if your laid horse does win, then your bet loses.
LIVE HORSE RACING BETTING
Most of the excitement of horse racing comes during the race itself, where the jockeys fight for position and ultimately the winning horse rises above the field to pass the post first. In such a dynamic, unpredictable sport, horse racing lends itself well to in-play betting, where odds can change quickly depending on how the race is unfolding.
HOW TO BET ON HORSE RACING AT MADMARKET
There are many great sites to use to bet on horse racing, none more so than ProBet42. The site offers competitive pricing and place terms on horse racing, while giving punters a vast range of meetings and markets across not just horse racing, but all sports.
If you would like to place a bet and find the best odds, then look no further than the Edge platform on the MadMarket sports betting brokerage. The site includes over 10 different bookmakers and exchanges to give you more options to place your bet at the best possible price, including ‘back’ and ‘lay options.
