AN INTRODUCTION TO HORSE RACE BETTING
What you need to know to get started using an online racebook

by george corde
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INTRODUCTION

Horse racing and horse race betting is a pastime which is popular throughout the world, sanctioned by governments, and enjoyed by the rich and the lowly alike. Horse breeding and racing is huge business, and horse race betting is also a very big money earner for those involved. Horse racing has a very long history which begins which chariot racing in Roman times. The latest episode of horse racing history is the introduction of online horse race betting - the online racebook - which has made horserace betting more accessible and more popular than ever.

Horse race betting can be as simple or as complex a game as you wish to make it. The most basic types of betting involve a minimum $2 wager, and three possible wager types: win (horse comes first), place (horse comes second), show (horse comes third). If you make a show bet and the horse comes second or first, this is also a winning bet.

A minute or so after the end of the horse race - giving race officials time for any possible inquiry and horse disqualification - the tote board will show the results of the race and the value of winnings for win, place and show relative to the minimum $2 wager. Because of the possibility of an inquiry, the horse race bettor should refer to the tote board for the race results rather than the order in which the horses crossed the finishing line.

Beyond the three basic types of race bets, horse race betting and the system of payment calculation can get quite complex and beyond the scope of this page. The horse race bettor can gamble on first and second, first second and third, combinations of winning horses in multiple races, he can even bet on whether the winning horse will be an even or odd number. There are also spread betting companies which take bets and publish an index of winners. In general, the more complex the bet, the higher the winnings potential but the less likely the win.

There are a number of different horse breeds. The most common form of horse racing and the one most people are familiar with is the thoroughbred horse race. Thoroughbred horses are ridden by a jockey. Standardbred horses - also known as harness racing - are not ridden but are instead driven from behind by a driver in a bike or sulky, which is a light cart with bicycle wheels. The driver carries a long, light whip which is chiefly used to signal the horse by tapping and to make noise by striking the sulky shaft. The harness horses are usually raced over a distance of one mile and the race is fast and exciting. Standardbred horses are strong and prior to the use the automobile were the breed of horses most used for transportation. The American Quarter Horse is a breed of horse originally bred specifically to race the quarter mile. It is today equally well known for its performance in rodeos and horse shows.

No introduction to horse racing is complete without a mention of the two most important sires. Messenger was brought to America in 1788 and then purchased by Henry Astor. Hambletonian was Messenger's great-grand-son who sired 1,300 foals that dominated harness racing after the Civil War.

A horse's gait refers to the way in which the horse moves forward. A trotter moves its legs diagonally, right front and left hind, then left front and right hind striking the ground simutaneously. A pacer moves its legs laterally, right front and right hind, then left front and left hind striking the ground simultaneously. Although trotting is a natural gait for a horse at low speed, it is very difficult for a horse to do fast for long periods. What usually happens is that the horse "breaks" into a gallop. This is not allowed in horse racing and when the horse breaks it must be pulled over and the correct gait will begin again. Because trotting is difficult, 80-90% of north american horse racing involves pacers. Trotters and pacers are never raced against each other.

A handicap race is one in which the runners have been 'handicapped' according to their performance in other races . In theory then, all horses have a chance of being competitive in a race which has been correctly handicapped. A Stakes race is one in which the competitors belong to the same gender, age and class.

The UK has the Grand National, Australia has the Melbourne Cup, Canada has the North America Cup, and the USA has the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. The Kentucky Derby is generally considered to be the most important race of the American racing year. The Kentucky Derby is followed by the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, in Baltimore, and then the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York. These three races make up the Triple Crown.

Handicapping is the term used for the process of choosing a horse. This is usually done by following the horse's recent history and in a handicap race this is done for you. Handicapping is a difficult skill and may take a lifetime of experience and of course a great degree of luck is also involved. Here are some quick tips from Nick Mordin’s book about horse race handicapping, Winning Without Thinking:

• Horses do not improve with first time blinkers.
• 3-year-olds do not do better against older horses late in the season.
• Horses carrying more weight win more frequently.
• Fillies need more pedigree stamina than colts to win at any distance in the top class.
• Horses that weigh more do better and colts, weighing about 100 pounds more, usually dominate fillies, especially in longer races.
• Horses defeated as favorites in top races and then stepped up in class in their next race do well.
• Wide margin (five or more lengths) maiden winners win frequently the next time out.
• Female jockeys win more than males and are usually under bet.
• Well-bred horses win less often than poorly bred ones in low class races.
• French and German horses win more than expected in England and the US.
• The breeding emphasis on speed has led to lower racing times in longer races over time; longer distance runners are slowing down by 0.13 of a second per year while sprinters are going 0.03 seconds per year faster.
• Higher-class races have closer finishes.
• Fillies are pushed harder earlier in their careers and as very few colts become stallions they race longer than most mares.

ONLINE RACEBOOKS There are plenty of online racebooks to choose from if you are ready to start betting on horse racing and wish to do do online. We recommend Bestline Racebook for the best design and easy of use. Click here for Bestline Racebook.