Horse race betting is almost as old as the concept of racing horses itself. The sport has in one form or another been going on for centuries. Notable forerunners of the Flat and National Hunt events over jumps we know today include the chariot racing of Ancient Greek and Roman times. Thankfully, horse racing is much less dangerous nowadays but all risks haven’t been eliminated entirely, despite increased efforts to ensure equine welfare in recent years.
The thrill of this sport is one of the things that makes horse betting so captivating. Here on OpenOdds, we know that this particular pastime has a huge following not just in the British Isles, but all across the planet. You can find horse racing odds on events as far and wide as Japan and France, Germany and South Africa, the United States and Australia, Hong Kong and Canada, and New Zealand and Dubai. A global phenomenon, there’s always been a rich gambling heritage surrounding the sport wherever in the world you are.
This page is your hub for everything related to how to bet on racehorses. We’ll point you in the direction of the best bookmakers, highlight the top racecourses and best events in the sport, provide horse betting tips and keep you abreast of the latest news with additional guidance on all the industry terms in the glossary.
Tracking down the top horse racing odds with our price comparisons
One of the fundamentals of horse betting is making sure that you are on at the top price with all your punts. Finding the best odds and comparing bookmakers used to be a real chore and something you had to do manually. As the digital age has developed, however, you no longer need to visit each sportsbook in turn to discover where the best odds can be found. All that hard work has been taken out of it for you. It’s all thanks to the OpenOdds odds comparison tool that allows you to seek and find the best prices online. All the leading bookies and their horse racing odds feature on this easy to use service.
All you have to do to discover where the best and worst prices can be found is simply type the name of the horse you want to back into the search bar and then filter the results. Think of us as the Google of the horse race betting world! Filtering what you get back is important because many top horses will hold multiple entries in elite races that are called early closers. As well as having the bookie with the best odds highlighted, you’ll also see how members of OpenOdds – a free to join website – and fellow punters rate the sportsbook. Further information, like the latest sign up offers from bookmakers, is also built in to our odds comparison tool, so it’s well worth using.
The place where all racecourses and top events are covered
One of the main reasons why horse betting has developed so much is the existence of racecourses dotted all over the British Isles and the great spectacles they put on. The Jockey Club was founded in 1750 initially to govern and regulate the sport so that horse racing was contested under the same rules all over the UK. While racing itself goes well back well beyond that date, the standardisation of things like weighing in after a race and having championship contests on both the Flat and in National Hunt is all thanks to this organisation. Many of the racecourses in Britain are owned by the Jockey Club itself. As authority figures, this model has been replicated worldwide by similar organisations. Without this going on behind the scenes, horse racing like the Grand National at Aintree, Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot wouldn’t be world famous as they are today. International events, which are also covered on OpenOdds, also owe a lot to the brains behind racecourses.
The Melbourne Cup wouldn’t be the race that stops a nation without the Victoria Racing Club and its backing in Australia. Likewise, the Breeders’ Cup in the United States which now switches venues every year, is big business because of the international vision of inviting horses of certain ages and disciplines to compete in America. You can trust OpenOdds to have all the events and major meetings covered, which brings us nicely on the subject of betting tips…
All the horse betting tips you need
Now we get down to the nitty gritty. It’s fair to say that most people aren’t just interested in horse racing for the love of the game. If you know your stuff or have a view on an event, then there’s money to be made. It can be helpful to see what experts think, however, and that’s where we come in. OpenOdds have tipsters on hand to assess the horse racing odds on offer for all the big races in the National Hunt and Flat calendars. Whatever the feature race is, we’ve got it covered with detailed analysis and insight. These aren’t your average tipsters who just give a horse’s name and then don’t explain why it’s worth a wager. The horse betting tips you get here are thoroughly considered and explained.
Our experts make a real case for backing their main fancy, but front up about things like dangers. When there’s hotly competitive handicaps on the card, there is always going to be rivals that can go well. You need to be fully in the picture before placing a bet, and that’s why we also offer an each-way angle on featured races. Dark horses can easily outrun their odds and into the frame, it happens all the time. There’s thus a shortlist of three to consider for individual races, while we also sometimes run down an entire card. If the betting tips you’re reading are the latter, then our experts have picked out a NAP, next best and each-way bet from across all the races at that track on that day to consider.
Keeping you up to date with horse racing news
There’s one more important thing underpinning your horse betting to consider; keeping an eye on the latest news in the sport. Before betting on any event, you need to know whether a horse you follow is targeting the races coming up. Are they entered in a prestigious group or graded event, or a valuable handicap? If it’s the latter, then what weight have they been allotted to carry? More importantly, where do bookmakers have your fancy in the ante post market on the race in question? Here at OpenOdds, we’re committed to taking a betting first approach to all the stories in our news section. Whether it’s injuries or a horse being supplemented for a race, we’ll tell you exactly what that means for the market. Visit our horse racing betting news section now to see the latest.
If you want to learn more about how to bet on racehorses, then we can also help you with that. Discover all about key industry terms for both betting and the sport of horse racing by visiting our glossary section. Specifically designed articles that explain and educate the reader, not to mention bust all the jargon, can put you fully in the picture with this pastime. You’ll soon know a trixie from a trifecta and be up to speed with horse racing and betting. The OpenOdds glossary gives you all the tools for a strong foundation when it comes to gambling on the sport of kings.
