How do Horse Racing Betting Odds Work?

Odds are a mathematical expression of the probability of something happening. If a horse is 10/1, that means if the race were run 11 times, in theory, it would win once. If it’s 2/1, if the race were run three times, it would win once.

How do payouts work? Well, if you have £10 on a horse at 2/1, you get back two times your stake, £20, plus the stake is returned, for a total return of £30.

If you was at a racecourse and you wanted to put some money on your selection, simply walk up to the bookie in question and tell them which horse – and how much you want to stake. The price will be taken automatically.

Your other main option for horse racing betting at the course is to use the Tote, which is a form of pool betting. You can bet at the Tote window on a horse in a race to win or be placed, just like at the bookmakers. But your payout depends on how many other people make the same selection.

Unlike with a bookie, you don’t know exactly what your payout will be until a dividend is declared after the race. These are declared “to a £1 stake”. So, if you wagered £10 on your selection, you multiply the dividend by 10 to calculate what your return is.

Before a race starts, bookmakers set odds for each horse based on various factors like form, past performance, track conditions, and even a jockey or trainers performance in previous races that day. These odds fluctuate based on how much money is being bet on each horse and thefore the bookmakers liabilities.

If you was betting in a bookmakers shop you would physically need to write down the price of the horse on your slip, otherwise the odds given will be taken at the price the horse went off at the time of the race. Due to thebfactors above, this could be shorter odds than were available and it could even go from being a good bet to a bad one due to the loss in value. Which i suppose could sound silly to a beginner, as the better wither wins or doesn’t. Long-term, the price is very important, even in defeat.

Arbitrage betting

Arbitrage betting, often abbreviated as “arbing,” is something that i wouldnt advise but is a form of betting that may appeal to beginners on terms of the lack of risk. Arbitrage betting exploits discrepancies in odds between different betting platforms.

These differences in odds occur because bookmakers often have their own views, biases, or algorithms to predict the likelihood of outcomes, which creates an opportunity allowing gamblers to secure a guaranteed profit regardless of the event’s outcome. For instance, placing one bet on a horse to win with one bookmaker and a bet on them to lose on a betting exchange, can lock in a small, risk-free return.

Bookmakers step in to protect themsleves against arbers who take advantage of horse racing events. They won’t ban you per se, just limit your bet sizes. You’ll still be able to take all your money out at the end (as long as they are a regulated book or trustworthy offshore).

In summary Arbitrage betting seems great at first glance because of the promise of guaranteed profits. However Arbing in horse racings, is the fastest way for your account to become limited to very small stakes that render it useless.

Ante-post betting for Beginners.

Ante-post betting is the process of placing a bet on a market well in advance of an event’s scheduled start time, often meaning you can get much bigger odds about your selection.

Ante-post betting is different in that if your back a horse to win the Supreme Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival six months in advance for example, then you will lose your money if your horse doesn’t run in the Supreme itself come race day.

The reason you have to accept this risk in ante-post betting is because you Can get much better odds on an ante-post market because the bookmaker will offer a wide range of possible selections without knowing which ones will commence the event.

As a beginner there is a way to get the reward of the big price, but combat the risk element of the bet.

One thing i can’t stand, however you’ll absolutely want to be using it as a beginner is Cash-out. Not on a multiple after a few winners, but with Ante-post betting. If your a beginner, you’ll have access to it, and you can take far more chances on horses Ante-post, while being able to dispose of them for little or no punishment.

All you have to do, is to find horses which are popular but unexposed, ie novices or juveniles, back them as early as possible, even join in the mention of those horses, so they get shorter before they’ve ran, and if they dissapoint just take your money back and move on to the next.

It’s no longer betting, it has zero skill, but it is that simple, you’ll discard of the dead wood, and be left with a whole bunch of seemingly very live chances at their peak prices. I dont agree with it, but its unavoidable and the no1 way for beginners to attempt to make money.

You could even cash them out for profit before the race itself has ran, as obviously just because there significantly shorter on the day, doesn’t mean you’re certain to make a profit if you let them all run as they may be false prices due to popularity. While with ante-post betting, if they didn’t run due to injury or a change of target, then obviously you’d lose your money despite once having a seemingly great position on that horse. There is no shame in cashing out and locking in a profit, just do whatever works best for you and your mentality.

There are tons of sources of information freely out there.

Using Trainer Comments & Stable Tours

It is important to listen and take in as much information as possible. As a beginner, much of this info can come from trainers via stable tours and when the trainer is interviewed in the press or on TV.

Future winners can plausibly be highlighted by the trainer in stabletours especially those trainers who are more effusive, the trainer knows most about the plan for their horses (if there is a plan) so are always worth a listen.

Just as important are the quotes trainers give their horses both pre and post race. Future winners can plausibly found.

An article may sporadically appear about a popular horse suddenly targetting a race which may not have been public knowledge prior. Obviously if you dont have much going on to spot that, and your very quick, with a bundle of options of bookmakers then you could be quick off the mark to back that horse with the information you’ve just seen. In a matter of a couple of minutes, you’d have beaten the market. In this case you’d have genuinely beaten it too. Your indicvidual accounts won’t last long doing this, but as a beginner you’ve lots of them.

Having various bookmakers accounts and finding horses that will dramatically shorten.

The likes of unibet were pricing up single races way ahead of everyone else for Royal Ascot, as a beginner you’ll have the option to use such accounts so its extremely easy to be ahead of the market in the likes of the ribblesdale this season with highly rated quoted runners like serenity prayer and catelina del carpio being priced as double figures against extremely unlikely runners like whirl.

The same bookmakers priced up the triumph hurdle very early last season and in terms of hype, one common sense horse that would dramatically shorten was the ultra hyped up 25/1 shot willy de houelle. Trained by willie mullins, In extremely popular colours, after winning a minor race and coming 2nd to the very early leading juvenile in France. If you just wanted to be ahead of the market, then as a beginner you’d have the option to follow the hype.. or even start it yourself via checking the usual trials on the francegalop website, and looking at what’s been exported.

If all you want to do is to beat the market, then it couldn’t be simpler, you could follow the hype and cashout of it dissapoints. Or / And You can find the trainers quotes on runners, remove unlikely runners via the same method and your beating the market.

obviously I can’t put up bets that are priced in such a manner on site, however as a complete beginner there’s no shame in using whats available to you and making a move before the big dogs can eat.

Jockey Bookings

if all you’re looking to do in that particular race is beat the market, then jockey bookings of certain riders will shorten very quickly once seen.

In Amateur races, if Jp mcmanus had multiple entries in a kim muir, then finding out what Derrick O’connor was riding will see the horse cut dramatically. It is possible that he could be jocked up on a horse in its prior race, or you could see an article or a podcast etc…. as soon as that information is out, if your quick, youve beaten the market, if thats what you intend to do.

Aiden o’brien always has plenty of entries for the likes of a Coventry stakes at Royal Ascot. As soon as you see which horse has been chosen by Ryan Moore, then obviously that horse is first choice and will shorten dramatically.

Willie Mullins has a plethora of entries in handicap hurdles at the Cheltenham festival. As soon as paul townend is jocked up on one of them, then people will steam in, so if you can be quick to that and you just want to beat the market, then thats obviously very simple to see and do via tracking the entries and declarations on the BHA website. The likes of Bunting last season was hammered as soon as this came out.

Trends and Key races

if all you want to do is to beat the market, then this is bang up there.

Take notice of horses by the same trainer and connections which have been successful in previous years.

Dan skelton won the coral cup for a couple of seasons straight with Langer dan, and people automatically pile in to the horse that he targets there following this. If you just want to beat the market, then thats very simple to do.

Take note of horses which are taking in the same path to which the winner did in the seasons prior. They will be backed in the market, and you’ll be ahead of that.

In summary, Targetting Antepost betting with all of the above is very simple to do, None of the above is about who you think will win, it’s all about beating the market and looking on paper like you have a solid chance of winning via perceived chance, again which is unsustainable, But you wouldn’t have to worry about that as a beginner, and you may initially do well.

I use none of the above methods, because I can’t, and still do pretty well, but theres no shame in using whats available to you as a beginner. If you used the above, managed to make a few quid in a short period, and then came up stuck. Feel free to ask about future membership here on my site. I most certainly cater to long term bettors and winners and even those with no online accounts. There is absolutely zero obligation to join, and please feel free to just use the free stuff.

How to read a race card

we will be starting off with a simple traditional look at how to read a racecard

A Race card is a piece of information for all fans and punters that provides all the key details you need to know about each horse. It can be a printed card or online card used in horse racing giving information about the days races, principally the horses running in each particular race. Racecards are often given in newspapers. Online format, or you can purchase a race card at the racecourse itself, which is a small booklet issued for use at a race meeting.

A typical racecard lists information not only about the horse’s name, but also its age and the weight it has to carry in the race. The rider and trainer are listed, plus figures indicating the horse’s recent form.

The following are all usually seen as the traditional key components of a racecard…

• Saddle Cloth Number –  The horse’s individual race number. This will be prominently displayed on the horse’s saddle.
• Name – The name of the horse. The horse’s name will often be a creative combination of its parents’ names, or something completely different.
• Age – The age of the horse isn’t always a way of finding a winner, but some punters look closely at the age of former winners to try to predict a trend.
• Weight – The weight each horse has to carry is displayed in stone and pounds (eg 9-9). The weight is decided by the conditions of the race, whether the horse is in a handicap or must carry a penalty.
• Trainer – The trainer of the horse can often be a useful guide, with some trainers having better records with younger horses, horses at different tracks and horses from a certain family. Horses from powerful trainers such as Willie Mullins or John Gosden are likely to be well supported.
• Jockey – A star jockey like Frankie Dettori will always attract attention on the racecard and sometimes it pays to follow a top jockey who has travelled a long way to a meeting just for one ride. Sometimes next to a jockey’s name there is a number in brackets and this is known as a claim, which is a weight allowance given to an inexperienced jockey that is used to reduce their horse’s allotted weight. New jockeys receive a 7lb claim, but as they register more winners it drops to 5lb and then 3lb before they lose that benefit altogether.
• Form figures – The form figures represent a horse’s finishing position in previous races. This can indicate whether a horse is in-form and can be used as a guide to help pick the winner.
• Draw (Flat only) – Knowing what position in the stalls the horse is in is a useful tool. The layout of some tracks favours different positions in the stalls – a key example would be the Kentucky Derby, where the higher the draw number the further you are from the rail. Stall 20 of 20 is commonly known as “out in the car park” and it is often much harder to win that race from a high-numbered draw.
• Breeding – For many, the breeding is an integral part of the racecard as you can, in theory, work out how good a horse might be by looking at the form of its parents and siblings.

C – C stands for Course and will appear next to the name of horses who have achieved a win at the track. Some tracks are quite unusual and knowing your horse is able to handle the track is often a positive sign.

D – D stands for Distance and will appear if a horse has won over the distance of the race under consideration. This is important, because if a horse has won over the trip before it may have an advantage over opponents who lack that proven stamina.

CD –  CD denotes a course-and-distance win, meaning the horse has won over both course and distance at the same time, im some occasions, they may even have won the race in previous years.

BF – stands for Beaten Favourite. If they were favourite for their last race, the expectation might have been for them to win and it may be seen as a sign that they have the ability to do better this time.

• Number next to name –  the number next to a horse’s name shows how many days have passed since the horse’s last run. If the horse has been out for a while it could be lacking race fitness.
• Comment – The comment under each horse, or beside a horse’s name, give a little reasoning behind the horse’s form and its chances. As a beginner it can be useful to read this before betting.
• Betting forecast – The betting forecast is not the exact or current odds of the horse, but a prediction of what the writer interprets they will likely be.

As you can see above, in this case Lecky Watson is no 5.

Wind Procedures

Wind procedures are now also detailed on race cards.

when a horse is having his or her first run since undergoing any form of wind surgery. This will be done by putting the letters ‘WS’ next to his or her name in the same way as ‘V’ is used for visor.

Which type of surgery a horse has had will not be denoted on racecards but trainers will be required at point of declaration to inform the BHA which of five types of surgery is involved.

Although ‘WS’ will appear only on racecards for the horse’s first run post-surgery, a trainer must make the official notification after each new surgery, meaning ‘WS’ could appear against a horse’s name before more than one start, although this will be rare.

the five types of surgery covered by the new rule are…

Tie back (prosthetic laryngoplasty)

Hobday (ventriculectomy/ cordectomy)

Epiglottic surgery

Tie forward (dorsal displacement soft palate surgery)

Soft palate cautery.

Wind procedures CAN see a dramatic improvement, especially after a long break. However I wouldn’t advise backing this blind.

The most common procedure Palatal Cautery which simply involves burning the oral surface of the soft palate aims to produce significant scar tissue and hence a stiffening of the tissue making the billowing sail behaviour less likely. This is currently the most widely adopted technique in the UK and is favoured because it is very easy to perform, carries little risk and the horse can remain in training. It is a pretty crude procedure but it does seem to produce results however they may be short lived (9 to 10 months) and so the surgery often needs to be repeated.

In summary, all of the above are traditionally ways in looking into form, some people choose to use STATS to back up there claims, or even back blind whilst following this. If that’s of interest im sure a quick Google search will help you, but unfortunately that is something I will not be covering in this series.

Making use of betting exchanges.

what is back and lay betting on betting exchanges

If you haven’t used them, Betting exchanges can seem daunting at first, even if you are experienced when it comes to using standard online bookmakers.

When you arrive at your chosen exchange you will see that things are laid out a little differently than you are used to. For a start, there is a back price and a lay price presented for each market, usually denoted by different colours.

These prices can change at any time, and for live or particularly fluid markets those with lots of people betting on them – the odds can increase and decrease every few seconds.


Imo the first thing you need to understand when using a betting exchange is the odds and they will always be presented in decimals. These are easy to follow and if you are used to using fractional odds, it will not take look to get used to the decimal version found at betting exchanges.

However, there is one aspect to lay betting you need to be aware of and that’s a liability. You are essentially taking the role of a bookmaker when you lay a bet. So, if you put a £10 bet on odds of 8.0 and it wins, you win £70.

However, this is reversed when laying a bet and to make £10 you would need to bet £70. You will see an amount of money under each set of odds at betfair exchange and this is the liquidity available for that bet. The more popular the market, the higher the liquidity and you must always check there is enough liquidity or your bet runs the risk of not being matched.

The great thing about lay betting is it can be used to lay off your stake ks you have backed at bigger odds, therefore giving you the option of effectively having a free bet.

To place a lay bet, simply click the lay odds you want to go for (and adjust them if you like) and enter your stake, then the betslip will show you how much your liability is. It’s key to note that when laying a bet your stake is the amount you stand to win, not how much you stand to lose as it would be with a back bet.

Backing should be pretty self evident with it being the same as a traditional bookmakers, only the odds are in decimal form.

What shouldnt you attempt on the exchange as a beginner?

In-Play Racing Trading, There is no point trading in-play since those with faster pictures or at the race course will know more than you, as will those who have a deep knowledge of certain horses run styles. A horse you think looks beaten, may well be a horse that finds from that postion, and likewise a horse that looks good may find nothing in a finish. You will definitely need to do your research ahead of this sort of trading or you’d be in all sorts of trouble.

Betting exchange commission

Traditional bookmakers generate their earnings from the over-round on any given market. Betfair, on the other hand, have very little over round. They produce their profits through a charging commission on any net winnings.

Only winning bets get charged commissions, if you have a loser, you will receive no charge at all 

The default market base for customers in the UK and Ireland is 5%.

Betfair 5%. Commission

Smarkets 2% commission

Betdaq 3% commission

Matchbook 1.5% commission

Liquidity

Liquidity is the sum of money available for you to bet for the chosen event and odds. When placing a wager at a betting exchange, you are betting against another gambler. When two people are betting against each other, the betting exchange will match them.

There must be enough liquidity on the betting exchange for the odds on which you want to bet to be able to put the bet. In other words, there must be enough money available to match the wager you want to place. This could be a back bet or a lay bet.

To find the liquidity for the odds on which you would like to bet, you just need to look directly under the odds. Here you will find a number and this is the total liquidity available. Usually the closer to the event you are, the larger the liquidity will be.

How this applys to you

For an example of using my own bets from my service, the odds often drop instantly as selections go out, we are obviously in long term profit, however you have the option and may want to make use of betting exchanges to lay off your stake on the day, should the odds dramatically decrease. Which would effectively be giving you free bets.

In terms of Cheltenham antepost this is also the case, that you may decide to lay off stake, where antepost bets as we all know can unfortunately be lost due to injury, where you may take this into prior consideration and decide to lay off your stake there also.

All of the above is something to bear in mind, and possibly add to your current betting regime, if you do not currently use the betting exchanges.

Racing terminology A-Z

Abandoned:

A race meeting may be abandoned due to poor weather conditions. All bets on races that get abandoned are refunded.

Accumulator:

A bet on 4 or more selections in separate races. All selections must win to get a return. May also be known as a parlay


Added Weight:

Weight carried by a horse that is over the amount required by the conditions of a race. Typically due to a jockey exceeding the weight limit.

All Age Race:

A race for all horses aged two years and older.

All Out:

When a horse is running at full speed.

All Weather:

An artificial racing surface designed to be suitable for racing in all weather conditions.

Allowance Race:

A race in which the required weights to be carried by the competing horses is determined by factors such as age, gender and previous performances.

Allowance:

Reduction in the required weight to be carried in accordance with the conditions of a race.

Amateur:

A jockey that does not receive fees for riding in races.

Ante-Post Betting:

Betting well in advance of a race. When this is

Apprentice:

A trainee jockey.

At The Post:

Horses are said to be at the post when they arrive at the start.



Banker:

A horse considered by many to be strongly favored to win a race.

Bearing In/Out:

When a horse deviates from a straight course.

Betting Ring:

The area at a racecourse where the on-course bookmakers are situated.

Bit:

A piece of equipment that is fitted into a horse’s mouth and attached to the bridle. Helps a jockey to guide and control a horse.

Bleeder:

A horse that often suffers from broken blood vessels when racing.

Blinkers:

A garment fitted to a horse’s head to reduce vision to the side and focus it to the front. Interestingly blinkers are used the complete opposite way in America, here they are seen to assist a horse when running more prominently to be alert about the race ahead. Where as in america they are used mainly as a learning device for juveniles to relax

Bookmaker:

A person or organization licensed to take bets. Often abbreviated to bookie.

Boxed In:

When a horse gets trapped behind or between other horses.

Breather:

Jockeys may give a horse a breather during a race, allowing it time to fill its lungs.

Breeder:

An individual or organization that breeds racehorses.

Bridle:

A piece of equipment that fits over a horse’s head and is used to control the horse. Holds the bit in the horse’s mouth.

Canadian:

A bet that combines 26 separate wagers on 5 selections. Also known as a Super Yankee.

Chalk Player:

A bettor that backs mostly favorites.

Chalk:

The favorite horse in a race, i.e. the one with the lowest odds.

Chaser:

A horse that runs in steeplechase races.

Claiming Race:

A race in which the competing horses are all for sale.

Classic:

A race of traditional significance.

Clerk Of The Course:

The racecourse official that has overall responsibility for the course.

Clerk Of The Scales:

The racecourse official responsible for weighing jockeys before and after a race.

Closer

A horse that runs well towards the end of a race.

Colt:

An ungelded male horse aged four years or younger.

Combination Bet:

A bet that consists of multiple wagers on multiple selections combined into one.

Combination Tricast:

A bet on which three horses will finish in the top three positions in a race, in any order. Also known as reverse triactor, combination tricast.


Conditions Race:

A type of race in which horses may be allocated extra weight based on factors such as age, gender and previous performances.

Conformation:

The build and physical structure of a horse.

Connections:

The people connected with a horse such as the owner(s) and the trainer.

Course Specialist:

A horse that is proven at a specific racecourse.



Dead Heat:

When two or more horses cannot be separated at the finishing post, resulting in a tie.

Double:

A bet on 2 selections in separate races. Both selections must win to get a return.

Draw:

The starting position of a horse in the stalls for a flat race.

Driving:

Pushing a horse to its maximum limits.

Dual Forecast:

See Exacta.

Each Way Bet:

A win bet and a place bet combined.

Earmuffs:

Equipment that is placed over a horse’s ears to prevent possible distraction from noise.

Entire Horse:

An ungelded horse.

Exacta:

A bet on which two horses will finish in the top two positions in a race, in the correct order. Also known as duel forecast, exactor, perfecta.



Exotics:

A collective term used to describe certain wagers that are more complex than straight bets.

Field:

Collective term for all the horse in a race.

Filly:

A female horse aged four years or younger.

Firm:

A condition of a turf course; indicates there is little to no give in the ground.

Fixed Odds Betting:

Betting with a bookmaker with agreed odds at the time of placing a wager.

Flat Racing:

Racing where there are no obstacles for the horses to negotiate.

Form:

The racing record of a horse.

Front Runner:

A horse who tends to run races from the front, or close to it.

Full Cover Bet:

A bet that combines multiple wagers on multiple selections so that you don’t need all your selections to win to get a return.

Furlong:

A unit of distance equivalent to 220 yards/660 feet/one eighth of a mile.

Gelding:

A male horse that has been neutered.

Going:

The going describes the condition of the surface at a race track.

Goliath:

A bet that combines 247 separate wagers on 8 selections.

Graded Race:

A race of a certain quality. Can be Grade I, II or III with Grade I being the highest quality.

Group Race:

A race of a certain quality. Can be Group 1, 2, or 3, with Group 1 being the highest quality.

Hand:

A unit of measure used to describe the height of a horse. Equal to 4 inches.

Handicap Race:

A race where the horses are allocated a weight to carry as decided by the official Handicappers. The goal is to level the playing field so all the horses have a theoretically equal chance of winning.

Handicap Rating:

A rating assigned to a horse once it has run three times, used to determine what weight it will carry in a handicap race. The better the horse the higher the rating.

Hard:

A condition of a turf course; indicates there is no give in the ground.

Heinz:

A bet that combines 57 separate wagers on 6 selections.

Hurdler:

A horse that races over hurdles.

Jockey:

The rider of a horse in a race.

Jump Racing:

Racing where there are obstacles for the horses to negotiate, such as fences and ditches.

Juvenile:

A two year old horse on the flat. juvenile hurdling is for 3/4 year olds.

Length:

An approximate unit of measure used to describe the distance between horses. For example “he went eight lengths clear in the final straight”. Equal to the average length of a horse.

Level Weights:

When all horses are carrying equal weight.

Listed Race:

A race of slightly lower quality than Group Races and Graded Races.

Lock:

Slang term for a sure winner.

Longshot:

A horse with high odds that is not expected to have much chance in a race.

Lucky 15:

A bet that combines 15 separate wagers on 4 selections.

Lucky 31:

A bet that combines 31 separate wagers on 5 selections.

Lucky 63:

A bet that combines 63 separate wagers on 6 selections.

Maiden Race:

A race for horses (or jockeys in some cases) that have never won a race.

Maiden:

A horse or jockey that has never won a race.

Mare:

A female horse aged five years or older.

Muddy:

A condition of a course; indicates it’s wet but there is little or no standing water.

National Hunt:

The official term for jump racing in the UK and Ireland.

Nod:

The action of a horse lowering its head. Used to describe a very close finish between two horses. For example “he won on the nod”.

Non Runner:

A horse that was expected to run in a race but is withdrawn for some reason.

Nose:

An approximate measure to describe the distance between horses, typically used at the end of a race. For example “he just won it by a nose”. Roughly 5% of one length.

Objection:

A complaint made by one jockey against another, relating to some action in a race.

Odds On:

Odds of less than even money, meaning you can only win less than your initial stake (plus your stake returned).

On The Bridle:

A term to describe a horse that is running comfortably.

On The Nose:

Slang term for betting on a horse to win only.

Paddock:

Area of a racecourse where horses are saddled prior to a race.

Parimutuel Betting:

A form of betting where all stakes are pooled and, after deductions, the pool is split between winning bets. Also known as tote betting.

Parlay:

A bet on 4 or more selections in separate races. All selections must win to get a return. Also known as an accumulator.

Patent:

A bet that combines 7 separate wagers on 3 singles.



Photo Finish:

When two or more horses are so close at the finishing post that a photo is used to determine the winner.

Place Bet :

A bet on a specified horse to finish first second or 3rd in a specified race of atleast 8 runners

Place Bet (Other):

A bet on a specified horse to finish in the places (first 2, 3 or 4 positions, depending on race and number of horses).

Post Time:

Scheduled starting time for a race.

Pulled Up:

When a horse is stopped during a race.

Purse:

The total amount of prize money awarded for a race.



Refuse:

When a horse will not start a race, or will not jump an obstacle.

Reverse Exacta:

A bet on which two horses will finish in the top two positions in a race, in either order. Also known as reverse forecast, reverse perfecta, quinella.

Reverse Forecast:

See Reverse Exacta.




Reverse Trifecta:

A bet on which three horses will finish in the top three positions in a race, in any order. Also known as reverse triactor, combination tricast.

Scratch:

To remove a horse from a race before it starts.

Short Head:

An approximate measure to describe the distance between horses, typically used at the end of a race. For example “she only won by a short head”. Roughly 10% of one length.



Silks:

The jacket and cap worn by jockeys to represent the owner of the horse they are riding.

SP:

See Starting Price.

Sprint:

A short race run at a quick pace. Typically less than one mile.

Stallion:

A male horse used for breeding.

Starting Price:

The final betting odds in place at the time a race starts. Commonly abbreviated to SP.

Stayer:

A horse with good stamina that tends to do well in long races.

Steeplechase:

A type of race in which the horses have to jump over obstacles.

Stud Book:

A registry of Thoroughbred horses. Maintained by the relevant club or association in each region.

Stud:

A male horse used for breeding or a breeding farm/stable.

Super Heinz:

A bet that combines 120 separate wagers on 7 selections.

Super Yankee:

A bet that combines 26 separate wagers on 5 selections. Also known as Canadian.

Thoroughbred:

The breed of horse used for most competitive horse racing.

Tote Betting:

See Parimutuel Betting.

Treble:

a bet on 3 selections in separate races. All 3 selections must win to get a return.

tricast:

A bet on which three horses will finish in the top three positions in a race, in the correct order. Also known as trifector.

Triple Crown: A series of classic or famous races. Different regions have their own Triple Crowns.Trixie:A bet that combines 4 separate wagers on 3 selections.

A straight bet on a specified horse to win a specified race.

Yankee: A bet that combines 11 separate wagers on 4 selections.

Yearling:

A horse aged one year.

Yielding: A condition of a turf course; indicates wet ground with plenty of give.

Maidens

A maiden race is a race for horses that have not previously won. They are held over a variety of distances and conditions with the right to run based on the sex or age of the horse.
Maiden races tend to be contested by horses at the start of their racing career, while Long time maidens often move on to handicaps or nurseries when eligible (depending on their age group).
Every unraced entrant in a maiden is a wild card, making them some of the most unpredictable events in horse racing.
Those who may have had a start or 2 in a maiden may have previously ran in to horses of a high level, so are not to be discounted due to their form figures.

Handicaps

Handicap races are where horses are weighted, in line with ability, attempting to give each respective runner an equal chance of winning the race in hand. Ratings are adjusted in line with future performance.

The idea is that the weight the horse carries affects its ability to run. This means that naturally better quality horses will be weighted to put their ability under the extra weight more in line with horses of less natural ability.
Compared to level weight contests, these contests are not quite as face value as asessing the recent form to be taken as literal.

In handicaps form figures are not to be taken literally as some horses may well be purposely ran over the over the incorrect trip, track, going etc. To conveniently get their handicap rating down, only to be later entered it into a race which is much more favourable to the horse with a lesser burden to carry in terms of weight.

I would imagine that as a beginner, it would be confusing to see why a horse with poor form figures suddenly goes on to win a handicap when others horses with a 1 next to their name or a string of consistent runs, may well finish well beaten. The above may go on to make sense in that regard.

Group races

Divided into three categories – Group 1, 2 and 3. These are the highest quality of races throughout Britain and Europe. You’ll often find the most popular and well-known racehorses in these races. These horses have multiple previous runs and existing form to assess.

Many of them are restricted to certain age groups or to a specific gender (eg fillies only)

Open Group 1 races are a test of class and all the horses run off level weights but allowances are given for three-year-old horses against older horses and for fillies and mares against colts and geldings.

With the higher prize money and prestige of group races, it is extremely likely that all participants are running to merit in these races.

When should I bet?

The first place to start is: Not betting every race. There are many ways to win and 10000 times more ways to lose.

Its easy to want to be involved in the action, if you was at the race course on a day out then I would give you a pass on this one. However if you was sat at home or in a bookmakers watching various races from different meetings then the simple answer is not every race.

Don’t be overwhelmed thinking you need to bet everywhere… There is no way that you can have an edge on very race taking place, nobody has enough time to specialise in absolutely everything. Nobody has the time to go through absolutely every race. If you do, your not going through them in anywhere near the sufficient detail required to make profit long term.

Wagering on horses or even at tracks where you are not intimately familiar is a good way to toss money away. While as a beginner I would immediately avoid maidens and claiming races, until you know more.

Absolutely anyone can bet into or even price up races with horses that have plenty of form to evaluate. In higher class races unless its at the very start or tail end of the season, then you can judge very accurately how a horse is very likely to run.

quite simply as a beginner, imo its common sense to bet in to higher class races, at the very least, you wanting to be betting on races where horses have a minimum of 3 runs so you can evaluate their performance. The form book is a record of the past and properly read is a guide to the future.

you may elect to stick to a certain track, so that you can understand the various factors including the draw, and the ground at that track etc…

you may elect to specialise on a particular division or code. Ie hurdle races over jumps, sprint or long distance races on the flat. As a beginner its likely best to choose whichever of these you find the most interesting.

In summary as the answer to when you should bet. I would say when a horse appears as overpriced within an area you have chosen to specialise in, and thefore you have a decent assessment of the horses chance is relation to their odds.

The winning punters aren’t the best at picking winners, they are the best at picking outcomes that have a greater probability of occurring than the betting odds suggest.

You have to bet on odds that are greater than the implied probability of the outcome occurring. 

Different Types of Bets

The most popular horse-race bet is a simple ‘to win’, whereby you quite simply only win money if your horse wins the race. There are, however, numerous other varieties of bets which increase the risk, while seeking higher rewards.

From what I see, people will think if your a professional, you’ll be backing Win only, with the mantra being go big or go home. However if you’re very good, you can lower the risk and expect to go close often enough to turn a profit from EW bets.

This is when two bets are placed on a horse at once; the first of these bets is a ‘to win’ bet, and the second is ‘to place’.

If your horse doesn’t win the race, but finishes in the placings, you will get nothing for your win bet and lose this part of your stake. However, you have won your place bet and the bettor wins back a fifth of the ‘to win’ odds. you will also get this part of your stake back.

An each-way bet is good value at longer odds, if your choosing the correct horses that finish within the first 3 often enough. In fields of 8 horses or bigger there are usually 3 Places.

For example, amongst other horses that either placed or lost i landed 7 large priced winners at the Cheltenham Festival including 25/1 33/1 and 100/1 winners. If you took all of those winners and placed them 2nd, I’d have still turned over a very healthy profit. While if I was betting win only, it would have returned absolutely nothing. There is absolutely no shame in betting ew.

Betting on Multiple horses or multiple races To place a ‘Multiple’ or an ‘Accumulator’, you must put at least two selections on your betting card and, if all your selections win, you would receive highly increased odds as oppose to backing each selection individually. These are very high reward bets, but are rare to win. For example, if you place five horses on your betting card, you could then place a ‘Five-fold’ bet at excitingly long odds and potentially get back hundreds of thousands more than your original stake. All five horses would have to win for you to win back anything; one loser breaks the whole bet.

The ‘Lucky 15’ bet is probably the most popular multiple bet for beginners. It involves 4 selections, amounting to 15 individual bets across those. This bet type consists of 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold accumulator. In order to gain any return at all, the bettor requires one of the four selections to be settled as a winner.

Lucky 15s are more expensive to place that regular bets. This is because for every bet placed, a new stake is being added. For example, if the punter wishes to place a £2 unit stake per leg, this total would rise to £30 overall because a £2 unit stake is being placed on each of the 15 bets. 

IF you was betting to pence, and had a large ammount of horses that you happened to eant to group together for a very wild chance of a lottery type return, then a Goliath could be for you.

Goliath
A wager on eight selections and consisting of 247 separate bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 fourfolds, 56 fivefolds, 28 sixfolds, 8 sevenfolds and an eightfold accumulator. A minimum two selections must win to gain a return.

You could argue that you only need to hit 1 Goliath in a lifetime to end up in overall profit. That would be wishful thinking of landing it, but I suppose you can’t argue with the mathematical angle of that.

Im summary, If your playing with Multiples rather than singles, then you need to dramatically lower stakes, or have a seriously large bank, as you can expect to go on a wild losing run.

Losing Runs

One of the quickest ways to disaster is to be ignorant about losing sequences. They can occur without warning at any time, and they can quickly devastate a betting bank if it is of insufficient size to absorb them.

quite frankly you just have to learn to deal with it. If you want to be cautious, Lower your stakes in line with your reduced bank.

Analyse long term results, not short term results. A negative short term may be a bit of a trigger to look deeper at long term results, if you are going to change anything, make sure it is based on long-term not short term data.

Understand the maths and statistics of your betting profile to have an understanding of what could happen. Most things fall into the “normal” range, even during the best and worst times.

Have a clear process to analyse a race and what your workflow looks like. Control what you can control – you can’t control a horse pulling up lame, a jockey making a wrong decision, or a horse getting bumped at the start etc. There are so many variables that affect the outcome of a race once it starts. You need a consistent process to fall back on when you’re doubting things.

Remember you are predicting into an environment with a lot of unknowns. You will get it wrong on occasions.

Keep in mind that there is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of variables that define an edge. Even a coin flipped 10 times could come up heads every time

Remember an edge is nothing more than an indication of a higher probability of one thing over another. Just because you backed a horse at 6/1 when it should be 4/1 doesn’t mean it will win! It’s still a 4/1 shot. It will win 1 in every 4 races on average.

Finally, accept that every moment in betting is unique. You’re never ‘due a winner’  so Please don’t make the common mistake of thinking these sequences won’t happen to you. They are mathematically determined by your strike rate and will happen as often as they are entitled to, whether you like it or not. So you have to have the betting bank to deal with that.

What is a Dedicated Betting Bank?

A betting bank is a pot of money used solely for betting. You can start one with any amount of money as long as you can afford to lose it. Whether you start with a tenner or a grand, make sure that if you lose it, you won’t suffer financially.
Money for rent, mortgage, food, bills, children, etc., is off-limits; be sensible. It should always be disposable income. No exceptions or you will have the wrong attitude, and it will nearly always inevitably end in ruin. Additionally, managing betting stakes is crucial to ensure you do not risk more than you can afford, helping to prevent significant losses while aiming for consistent profits over time.

As discussed above, you should now understand how much disposable income you can afford to bet. Do you have £100 or £1000 of disposable income every month? Whatever amount, this is perfect as a starting bank.

You MUST continue to stake according to the bank you have, not the bank size you want. 

A points system is a common occurrence in betting where YOU decide how much a point is. Tipsters will often tell you how many points they think you should bet – such as a 1 point win. The beauty of this is that you decide what value each point has when you begin.

If you had a 100 point bank (dividing your betting bank by 100). e.g. If you started betting with £1000 bank, then assuming your betting level stakes regardless of the odds, then your stake size should be £10 per bet. Sounds low and frustrating, but this will protect you when you are inevitably losing bets sometimes.

Don’t feel pressured by social media punters placing huge bets. If you can only realistically afford £10 bets to start the process off, that’s fine; responsibility and common sense have to come foremost.

Long term once youve earned and built a higher betting bank then you can obviously increase your stakes proportionately to the new figure of your betting bank.

Novice Guide to Betting Angles

Traditional and Modern Betting Angles.

 1. Eye catcher

a horse which runs well after meeting trouble in running is an obvious one to note. Using up energy during the race and running well indicates a horse which can run better than the bare form will show. 

Trouble in running could include being boxed in and having to run round horses, being bumped, running into a group of horses and having to be pulled back or check stride when making an effort. 

In jumps racing you could look out for mistakes at fences, other horses running into each other and anything else which could use up energy in a race. If a horse meets this sort of trouble and runs well, then without the trouble they should run even better. 


2. Single entry/ single ride

When you are looking through the days race card, keep your eye out for how many horses each trainer has entered into a race at that course that day.

If a trainer is going to the effort to just take the one horse to races, they likely think that the horse is in with a good shout of winning.

You should shortlist these horses and take a look at them in more detail.

It’s also worth noting how far a trainer is traveling in order to run the horse. They aren’t very likely to travel a long distance with just one horse if they don’t think they have a chance of winning some prize money.

These horses might not always have a lot of previous form, in which case, you may be able to back them at relatively high odds.

A second and similar angle that you can use in conjunction with the first, or even on it’s own is to look at how many horses a jockey is racing at a meeting and how far they are traveling to do so.

If you spot a jockey who isn’t riding at his usual track and is only entered in one race that day, there’s a good chance he’s not just racing at a different course for a change of scenery.


3. Conditioning

Paddock watchers are a dying breed but there are still some out there who will travel the racecourses using their skills of being able to spot a fit racehorse to try and gain an edge. In certain types of races such as 2 year old races and hunter chases, early season races, understanding which horses are fit is a huge advantage. 

Researching and understanding what to look for in the paddock could give you a distinct advantage of the average punter


4. Quick turnaround

Some trainers specifically aim for their horses to win two races in quick succession to take advantage of running again under a penalty rather than a new handicap mark. 

You can notice these tactics when you look at the entries a horse holds. If a horse is very well entered in multiple races after today’s race, it could be a sign of a trainer’s intention to run their horse again soon under penalty.  



5. Rating

ratings are an easy way to be able to quickly analyse a race. Many a winner finding system has been attempted using form ratings. 

There are many different form rating services available for free. You can use one on its own or combine more than one to come up with your own bespoke system



6. Using flat handicap ratings to predict juvenile hurdle races

Many horses convert from flat racing to hurdle racing. 

Until they jump a hurdle no one is completely sure as to how the animal will take to National Hunt racing, one metric punters use is how highly they were rated on the flat. 

A rule many use is to add 40Lbs from its flat rating, so if a horse is rated 65 on the flat this has him running to a mark of around 105.
The rule is nowhere near foolproof and i would strongly advise against it.



7. Using Trainer Comments & Stable Tours

It is important to listen and take in as much information if you are going to regularly find winners. Much of this info can come from trainers via stable tours and when the trainer is interviewed in the press or on TV.  

Future winners can be highlighted by the trainer especially those trainers who are more effusive, the trainer knows most about their horses so are always worth a listen.

Just as important are the quotes trainers give their horses both pre and post race. Future winners can be found. however it would be foolish to take post race quotes as gospel.



8. Course & Distance Winners

Researching course and distance winners is a cornerstone for many punters in their quest to find winners.

All C&D winners feature on racecards signified by the letters C&D next to the horse’s name. 


9. Sectional times

Any race can be re-assessed by examining the pace the race was run at. In simple terms, a slowly run race favours front-runners and very fast run races favour hold-up horses.

Using sectional timing you can calculate the pace of a race and therefore calculate the difference it would have made if each horse had run efficiently rather than at the pace at which they actually raced.  Performances can be upgrade or downgraded to reflect the advantage or disadvantage the pace of the race conveyed. 




10. Trends

trends of past winners of a specific race are very popular as they help to identify the type of horse which has won this specific race in the past, people can choose to use these to help them to narrow down the field. 

Imo each horse is an individual, and it is foolish to group them together, via age, sex, number of runs…… because they’re just not the same ability as the previous horse’s your grouping them together with.


11. Making your own tissue

you need to write down your own odds and therefore your implied chance given, to compare with the bookmakers odds that will be available.
Imo its important that you do this ahead of time, at declaration stages, and do not check for odds or betting forecasts beforehand.


12. trainer patterns

Trainers are often creatures of habit, that often take the same path year after year, when betting antepost, you should be looking ahead in advance, and studying where is the logical route to go from here. should a horse then win, you are prepared, and have an educated guess on future assignments, before trainers quotes and further market cuts take place.


13. International racing

Imo it’s important to broaden your horizons, in particular I’m a keen viewer and form student of us and french racing, often horses are purchased from France to come over these shores, if you have a basic understanding of the form, or can pay off significantly, as bookmakers traders can often price incorrectly due to a lack of international knowledge, especially when one has moved to the smaller yards, ie indiana jones who was foolishly priced up at 16/1 for a maiden hurdle over here.

Below is a useful link

http://www.france-galop.com/en

US performers in the UAE derby, and the dirt mile are often massively overpriced, with conditions in there favour and pts on the road to the Kentucky derby on offer, usually the market is made up of a couple of horses in blue who have hosed up in poor small fields during the carnival nights. The US horses come over without the flashy form figures or winning margins, however have been running in far more competitive fields In very similar conditions.

below is a useful linkhttps://www.equibase.com

Novice Guide to Reading form.

If your a rank novice, you’ll likely be betting at opening odds with bet 364, who price up first. That is not sustainable at all, and If your any good, that option obviously that wont last long, but this is for beginners, so you can compare your odds to how they price it, and make the most of that while you have it available to you.

When I begin my form study for a meeting, the first thing I do is look for losers.

If you can weed out the losers, the winners will be easier to find.

It goes without saying that anyone who takes punting seriously and is determined to make a long-term profit from the pursuit, when investigating a race must pay attention to all the various form components
However, studying form to such a degree takes a lot of time and can become wearisome, despite the pleasure it may bring when your prognostications ultimately prove correct and put you in the money.

Potential losing factors take many forms, but the main aspects to consider are big fields, left/right handed bias, wrong distances, 1st time in a considerably higher grade, bad draws, ground conditions and too much weight.

(We haven’t seen the prices yet, so you shouldn’t be discarding due to price alone)

So at the very outset of my form study I quickly glance over the upcoming cards and put a small cross against the potential losing factors (as I see them) of the various horses in the lists of starters and riders.
It’s amazing then, how a race will take on a much clearer appearance.

However it is vital that you do know the horses that you are crossing out, so if you dont, you will have to ideally view the video analysis of the whole field, however the whole purpose is to over time, that you will have the form memorised so that you automatically know the ones to discount, without having to waste the time of looking in to them further to make sure.


This will then allow you to start
video analysis of the horse you have left. Saving you alot of time.

However, i’m personally spending no less than five hours on each race day and watching up to 100 re-runs for each race meeting.

Watching re-runs is essential in form study, as a form book never tells the full truth of how a race was run.

This can be very frustrating as you can spend all this time and land on no bet, however it’s often valuable information that as above, is saving you time for a later date.

During video analysis
There are so many factors that can influence the outcome of a race and any horse’s individual performance, and the only way to pick this up is by watching re-runs and doing your homework thoroughly.


The pace of a race for example can influence the result of a race dramatically.


Relying on performance and/or speed figures on paper that are solely based on a final time can be helpful but it is only one piece of the puzzle and you may be missing out on important information that can cost you. 
Many times final time ratings are influenced by what goes on early in the race (the pace).

So imo your far better off going on your own visual impression yourself during video analysis, than just using finishing times on the day, or trying to compare that to different races, when it’s just not comparable for the reasons above.

Imo it’s important to view the whole race, not just the finish

Most horses have one particular running style early in the race.  The speed at which the race is run (pace scenario) tends to favor one horse’s running style over another.  How the race is run early often dictates which horse will prevail at the finish line. 
So therefore it’s useful to try and work out who is going to make the pace,

is there something that is likely to make a slow or frenetic pace, and how that will effect the horse your looking at.

You dont want to be backing a horse with an abundance of stamina for example, in a race with no pace on and a likely sprint finish.


Another reason The start of a race can be as important as the finish, is that for example, You dont want to be backing a 5f sprinter, or a horse in a big field sprint handicap, that is a notorious slow starter out of the stalls.

Or alternatively a horse can be marked up, or the run wrote off entirety, for a horse that usually makes the running, however was drawn very wide, reared in the stalls for the 1st time, or was hampered and unable to get to the lead.

Was something very keen through the early stages of the race? if so a chance may be taken if they’re dropping in trip, or there is alot more pace on at the same trip.

Or this may allow you to discount them up in trip. Or in a race which is likely to have similarly little pace on.




Was something unlucky during the race?

You could be looking for an Eye catcher

A horse which runs well after meeting trouble in running is an obvious one to note. Using up energy during the race and running well indicates a horse which can run better than the bare form will show. 

Trouble in running could include being boxed in and having to run round horses, being bumped, running into a group of horses and having to be pulled back or check stride when making an effort. 

In jumps racing you could look out for mistakes at fences, other horses running into each other and anything else which could use up energy in a race. If a horse meets this sort of trouble and runs well, then without the trouble, In theory they should run even better. 


Now you have all the evidence and analysis to may be thinking of
Making your own odds, however there are a couple more factors to take into account.

If you are compiling a tissue for a non-handicap race, you should initially consider what each horse’s official handicap mark is and how this relates to the weight it is carrying. Some horses will be carrying more weight against their rivals than they would be in a handicap, and are therefore likely to face stiff tasks

On the flip side, some horses will be ‘better off’ than they would be if they were meeting the same rivals in a handicap and are therefore likely to have decent chances.

To work out how much of an advantage/disadvantage each horse has, it is useful to calculate how much better/worse off they are. For example, a Grade One race might have five runners, all of which must carry 11-10. If those horses are officially rated 168, 165, 164, 160 and 157, it is clear that some have pretty hard tasks if the handicap marks are roughly accurate. For example, the horse rated 157 would carry 11 lb less than the one rated 168 if the race was a handicap, so would be effectively 11lb badly treated in this race. As a result, it likely faces a difficult task and its odds will likely reflect that.

Once you have considered the weights each horse must carry relative to their handicap marks, you should also take into account their recent finishing positions and SPs as you would when assessing handicap races. You may reshuffle your order slightly based on this information.

For handicap races, you need to assess the relevant weights, any penalty they may carry, and any riders taking off a claim.

Taking all of the above into consideration
Using the form study and video analysis you have gathered, plus taking to account whether it is a handicap or non handicap race, you can now make your own tissue.

Compiling your own odds

Many people associate odds compiling and the pricing up of events as practices carried out solely by bookmakers or the people bookmakers employ to do so – often known as ‘odds compilers’.

The bookmaker forms a market by compiling a set of odds and the punter comes along and places their bet. The majority of punters are happy to accept whatever odds are offered on a particular market and place their bets without thinking too much of it, and for much of the betting world this is how it goes. But of course, as with many things, there are a few diamonds in the rough, a small percentage of punters out there who aren’t willing to conform to this normality.

These are the shrewd punters who make that extra effort to tilt the scales in their favour by compiling their own odds. In doing so this type of punter uses their own odds in comparison with the odds set by the bookmaker in order to find and exploit good value.

There is no doubt that being able to compile your own odds – using them as a comparison with those that are available on betting exchanges or with bookmakers – is an invaluable skill when aiming to be successful as a punter. Being able to do this though is nowhere near as useful as being able to do it Accurately! This comes from hard work and knowing your stuff.

You don’t need to be a numbers genius to price up events for yourself, all you really need to do is be able to carry out some simple arithmetic.

It is important to note that although you don’t need to be a particularly gifted mathematician to compile your own odds, you will need a strong knowledge of the event you’re planning to price up. For example if you’ve only got a beginners knowledge of racing then compiling your own odds for a 2yo maiden on the flat, or an arabian race in france, would be insane. You’d need to be highly advanced to do that in any way accurately and it would be pointless trying. However, absolutely anyone can price up races with horses that have plenty of form to evaluate.

For every horse, you can assign odds that you think are fair, by converting their perceived chance in to a percentage.

For example if a particular horse has a 40% chance of winning a race the odds of the horse need to reflect this percentage.

Converting odds into percentages is a fairly simple exercise, all you have to do is divide 100 by the odds themselves when dealing with decimal odds or divide 100 by the odds and add 1 when dealing with fractional odds. For example a 2.5 shot on Betfair represents a 40% share of the market (100/2.5). Alternatively a 3/1 shot with a bookmaker represents 25% of the market (100/4+1).

Add all the individual percentages together to get the total line percentage.

Keeping things simple, let’s say that having analysed a three runner race you have compiled odds on the three runners to 100% and your prices show: 2.00 (50%), 4.00 (25%) and 4.00 (25%). By these calculations you believe that the favourite should be an even money shot and therefore has a 50% chance of winning. However, the actual prices available are: 2.50 (40%), 3.00 (33.3%) and 3.50 (28.6%). If this were to be the case – assuming you were right in your analysis – the value would lie in betting the favourite at a price of 2.00. This is simply because judging by your own prices the horse has a 10% greater chance of winning the race than the odds available suggest.

If you want to do it correctly long term, then youll have to adjust to the over round as bookmakers never bet to 100%, so i personally dont work out via 100 percent, i include takeout and breakage in the equation. In this case, a total line percentage of between 105 and up to 110 percent is what i personally strive for.

Theres not a huge adjustment from 100% though, I would suggest just re-calculating or massaging your fair odds. Perhaps the horse you listed at 2-1 should be 5-2 instead. Maybe a couple of the horses you tabbed at 15-1 should really be 20-1. Minor adjustments like this will make your the total line percentage meet your goal.


You can now use your own odds to compare against the bookmakers.

Trial and error and ultimately results will dictate in the long term whether your own preference is to back just the one with the widest difference in odds. Multiple horses in a single race, or to smaller stakes absolutely anything within a margin of where your getting for instance 25% above your tissue prices throughout the card.

Imo being selective is the way to go, but it can be frustrating to narrow down, and see one of the ones you have reluctantly cut from calculations go and win.

In summary

Ofcourse there may well be people reading this who know all of the above. Thats fine, as it’s targetted it at beginners.

A very high percentage of the above takes in to account just beating the market. Beating the market doesn’t in any way guarantee success unless your laying off all your bets for profit before they’ve ran and that only lasts as long as you can get on early.. Finding what will be the favourite is very easy to do. Finding the winner, is much more difficult.

When your more advanced, you wont be able to do that, your not just trying to beat the market, if at all. Your looking at bets that you believe can win, which hold the price so you can get the ammount on that you want, and in my case, that’s in shop. So in the vast majority of cases on the day, other than Antepost Markets. You need an edge thats not used by the masses, and is sustainable.

If you wanted something more advanced with a genuine edge that will keep you ahead of your peers, then feel free to contact me about the Platinum Service (an Advanced Guide To Betting).

What is in the platinum thread.

it is an an advanced guide to racing which consists of but certainly doesn’t stop at, the following….

Point to point sales
2yo entries/ Results
Store horses
Breeze up horses
Advanced guide to betting
Form reading
2yo’s
Inside information
Free sources to use
Antepost betting
And much more….

Why i bet on racing

To be quite honest, ive never wanted to work for anybody else, while almost factually, I can’t. Especially while making the same kind of money.
You probably wouldn’t notice it, in person however i have an anxiety order which means im not great around groups of people, so a standard workplace is not the thing for me.
I wouldn’t usually have an in issue going racing, as im busy, in the moment and enjoying the action as it unfolds. I’d be way more likely to have an issue on the way there or back if I was foolish enough to elect to use very busy public transport.

Anyway enough of that, and basically I am paid to do what I enjoy which is studying and watching horse racing.
I enjoy the puzzle of it, and i’d like to think that im very good at assessing races and individual horses. I do this via my own judgement and via using methods which I have mentioned in the platinum thread.
I am very much one for judging each horse by its own individual merits and I have absolutely no time for stats and trends which group horses together.

Obviously I enjoy the work, but quite frankly I also enjoy the financial aspect of that work paying off. I earn to live and thrive, rather than just to make ends meet, I enjoy going on days out and holidays to places or sections of that place, that aren’t packed full of people and i’m fortunate enough to be able to do this from betting on racing, while I earn a very modest sum from providing the services on site that a select few people know what I do with.

Some people would find Betting stressful, I find it to be the period of peace or tranquility amidst chaos and difficulty. I have extreme confidence in myself via the results I have obtained over the last 19 years and im fortunate to be in the position of no return in terms of it not being possible to give back what i’ve already won and frankly derservedly earned through hard work.

Racing is my hobby, my passion, and ultimately my income. Nothing passes the time quite like studying form, re-watching race replays and finding things others haven’t, or just in general seeing my work pay off on a long term basis.

It’s hard to see a time for me where studying racing is not part of my every day routine.
That happens to coincide with seeing bets. I see a lot of potential bets but i narrow them right down selectively and that is what works best for me.

I have no issue with horses i have let pass by winning, as if you do as much work as i do, then better opportunities will arise shortly enough.

Me running this site probably also helps in that regard, in terms of being selective as I like to be very careful with other people’s hard earned money, while obviously balancing that with trying to give them as much value as I safely can. That helps me keep up the good work to study hard and to find those opportunities.

In summary I like to keep busy and be productive, however at a benefit to myself and others immediately around me. Racing is the hobby that I chose, it happened to be the thing that i was able to put my time in to with no barriers to entry, I started with zero, i simply had a television, channel4 and local bookmakers and for me to be happy and successful, that was my only option in terms of making my passion my job. I was always going to make it a relentless pursuit of making that pay.

People use my site for various reasons such as to pay for holidays, to save them an awful lot of time, the enjoyment of the content itself and to help them with there own betting as either a casual bettor, pr as a racing professional.

While there are no guarantees other than me doing doing my absolute best. I am willing and able to help others on the same path that has helped me. That’s what my site is all about. Whether its a hobby, something to pass time, or a full time job. I could do no other than recommend getting in to the sport of horse racing. Please feel free to use the free content above, if one small section happened to help just 1 person on that path, in a minor way, then I’ve done what i set out to do.

Please Gamble Responsibly!

Scooby91

Beginners/ Novice guide to racing

Professional horse racing