Horse betting can be a lot of fun, but it can also be very confusing and overwhelming. But, in this day and age, there are many different ways to learn more about horse betting before actually placing a bet. People can take advantage of websites like British Racecourses to discover the best racecourses, explore different racing events and learn more about ultimate prizes. For example, you can find extensive information on Queen Mother Champion Chase on britishracecourses.org. You can see stats, top trainers, and jockeys and find some tips on where and how to place a bet. If you’re new to horse betting, or even if you’ve been doing it for a while, this Horse Betting 101 guide will help you make more successful bets. We’ll cover everything from choosing the right horse to bet on, to understanding odds and payouts. So, whether you’re looking to make some extra money or just have some fun at the races, read on for everything you need to know about horse betting.
Study the Horse on the Day
The first thing that you should do once you are at the races before you even place a bet, is to study the horse you are thinking of betting on, as well as the other horses. Why? By studying the horses, you will be able to see how they are doing physically as well as mentally.
For example, it’s important to check the quality of a horse’s coat. If its coat is quite dull, then that’s an indication that it might be unfit. If the horse is sweating profusely, it might be nervous, and if it’s sweating a lot around the kidney area then it might be feeling unwell.
You will also need to observe whether the horse is nervous or not. This can be done by watching how they behave; if the horse is biting, rearing, pacing, walking in circles, or exhibiting a lot of physical activity then it is most likely nervous, anxious, or scared.
Learn the Going
The next thing that you are going to want to do is learn the going. The going is the condition of the track, and it can be described in many different ways. It could be described as hard, firm, soft, yielding, good, bad, and more. These descriptions are important to remember.
The main reason you should learn the various goings is that different horses prefer different surfaces, and will perform differently on separate surfaces. You might have a horse that will do well on one track, but perform poorly on another. Learning which surfaces the horse prefers will help in making better bets.
Research the Jockey and Horse
One of the most important things that you could probably do is to research the jockey, as well as the horse. Most people assume that it isn’t worth researching the jockey since they have very little impact on the outcome of the race, which is partially true. However, knowing which horses a winning jockey prefers, as well as which tracks they win most on, will help you to choose a horse.
There are many things that you should research about a horse, and the more you research, the more variables you can eliminate. For example, you should research which tracks the horse does best on, which races it wins most often, which jockey gets most success when riding it, who the trainer is, and more.
Understand Fitness and Breaks
Another important thing that you will need to do is understand the various fitness levels of a horse, and more importantly, when it matters. Fitness doesn’t necessarily matter with every race, so you should weigh that up when choosing a horse.
More importantly, you need to find out when the last time was that the horse had a break. There is a lot of debate on whether this is important or not, and research shows that it is. It usually takes a horse a few races to get back to its usual form. This means that if the horse has had a length break recently, it’s probably not the best idea to bet on it.
Learn Different Bets
Finally, it’s very important to understand that there isn’t just one type of bet when it comes to horse betting; you should learn the various bets. The reason for this is that it’s not a great idea to always choose the winning bet since this doesn’t always guarantee money.
It’s far better to mix up your bets so that you have a higher chance of winning something back. For example, show bets are very popular since they allow you to win some money even if your horse doesn’t come first.