Horse Racing
“And they’re off!” Horse racing of all types is found in our racing section, including Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Harness, Steeplechase and Arabian racing.
Want to get lucky? Take a look at the Wagering to help guide you. Keep track of upcoming horse races and racing events in our Calendar of Events for Horse Racing.
Want to live the dream of owning a racehorse? Check out the Breeding, Partnerships, Sales & Bloodstocks sections where you can help yourself be a force in the Sport of Kings.
Need a place to train your baby and help develop his successful career? You will find both training facilities and professional racehorse trainers in our Training section. See you in the winners’ circle!
When we think about betting on anything with four legs, the most obvious choice is horse racing. This was the most popular sport for the betting community and, while it’s recently been overtaken by football, it retains a huge following.
There are many guides available for those interested in getting involved with horse racing markets but did you know that there are other equine disciplines to consider? Here is a rundown of what is available.
The Obvious Choice
Horse racing needs to be quickly mentioned because of that vast following across the world. Sportsbooks will put markets in place for all professional competitions and there are daily options for those that are interested.
All of the regular bets are available including straight winner, each way, forecasts, straight line multiples, formulas and more.
In regards to finding a sports betting provider, there are lots of review sites such as Asiabet.org. Here, you will find sports betting sites that cover every possible meeting in the horse racing world.
Read more: Betting on the Horses: It’s Not Just About Horse Racing
Highlight of the Cheltenham Festival, the Gold Cup is a steeplechase race with 22 fences to overcome. It is England's most valuable handicap-free race, with a total prize money of £468,750 in 2021. Get ready for the 2022 edition with these cheltenham gold cup tips and read this article in the meantime to find out more about the world of racing. As you may have noticed, when we talk about money in the racing world, we often focus on the winnings from the races. However, when a horse wins a race, the owner does not actually get the full amount. So how much does a racehorse really make ? And also, how much does it cost ?
Cost of buying and training the horse
There are over 8,000 racehorse owners in the UK. Their profiles are very varied : some are wealthy landowners, others are racing enthusiasts with a job as a schoolteacher or plumber who have bought a racehorse in co-ownership. The average cost of a racehorse is £23,980, so it is indeed easier to get into shared ownership than individual ownership. The horse is young and inexperienced so will need to be put into training, which costs around £22,000 a year to train a flat racehorse and £16,000 for a jumping horse. Of course this amount varies depending on the training centre chosen. There are also other costs to consider such as race entry, insurance (which varies in price depending on the quality of the horse) and veterinary costs which can rise exponentially.
Read more: How Much Money Does a Cheltenham Gold Cup Winning Horse Make Over Time?
The UK has a long history of horse racing tradition, boasting some of the world’s best and most iconic tracks. Famous racing venues include Aintree, famous for hosting the Grand National every year, Cheltenham, known for its prestigious festival and Ascot recognised worldwide for the yearly Royal meeting held there. These events all have illustrious histories with countless legendary moments, they are extremely popular with fans, many of whom take advantage of free bets listed by sites like oddschecker who cover all major events at these racecourses. Of course, betting has been an important part of UK horse racing history, with the nations tracks hosting some of the biggest shocks wins and surprising narratives the sport has ever seen.
Aintree
Based in Merseyside, just outside of the city of Liverpool, Aintree Racecourse is one of the UK’s most iconic sporting venues. It was built in 1829 as a place for Liverpool’s growing number of competitors and fans to enjoy racing. It is most famous for the Grand National, which started in the late 1830s as “The Grand Liverpool Steeplechase” before countrywide interest made it a national event. Throughout its history, Aintree has had its ups and downs, from structural problems to numerous changes of ownership, but the Grand National has kept it alive throughout, creating an emotional attachment with fans that means they’ll never give up on the magical venue. In addition to the Grand National, Aintree hosts many smaller race meetings throughout the year and has even hosted the British motor racing Grand Prix five times. Outside of sport, Aintree has also hosted concerts from Michael Jackson, P!nk, Kaiser Chiefs and The Chemical Brothers, so it has a special place in the hearts of people who aren’t into horse racing too.
by The British Horseracing Authority
Scientific research into equine vision leads to trial of new fence and hurdle design to further improve safety in jump racing.
The research by University of Exeter shows that horses see better and may jump differently over white and yellow obstacles compared to the orange currently used on hurdles and fences.
The recommendation to trial the use of fluorescent yellow for all hurdles and guard-rails, and fluorescent white for take-off boards at fences is approved by Racecourse Committee.
The trial will be rolled out first at training yards before being used in a live racing environment, and has the objective of making jump racing safer for horse and rider.
The research will be shared with other jurisdictions and equine pursuits.
The colours deployed on hurdles and fences on British racecourses may be set to change off the back of cutting edge research led by the University of Exeter into the way that horses perceive colour.
In 2017 the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Racing Foundation commissioned – and provided funding support for – research into equine vision. The opportunity for this project was identified by the partnership between the BHA and RSPCA who work together on an ongoing basis to develop new ways to make hurdle and fence design safer.
Read more: Scientific Research Into Equine Vision Improves Safety in Jump Racing
New York has a long and prestigious reputation in the sport of horse racing. There are many tracks, both Thoroughbred and harness, in the Empire State. The state boasts many farms of myriad breeds, and historic, world-renowned tracks.
The first formal horse race in North America took place at Salisbury on Long Island, in 1665 – not far from the site of Roosevelt Field, a sentimental favorite harness track in the 1940s – 1988. The first track was named Newmarket, no doubt influenced by the British, as Newmarket was the home of British racing.
In 2005, Belmont Park celebrated the 340th anniversary of that first race meet with a ceremony during Belmont’s Breeders’ Cup weekend. English equestrians and their horses, adorned in gear and tack from the mid-17th Century, paraded onto the track, holding ceremonial flags.
Many tracks in the State are being renovated; even the world-renowned Saratoga Race Course has created new dining and seating options to accommodate the sport’s growing fanbase.
To many, horse racing is synonymous with betting, and the New York State Gaming Commission oversees all gaming in the State. The Commission has authority over all racing to assure that they adhere to the letters of the law. As online betting is becoming the new trend across most American states, horse races will be included within the new options available for sports betting in New York.
The Gaming Commission requires all facilities to maintain the highest standards, to assure that horses living and working on their tracks are well cared-for. Racetracks in New York have some of the nation’s most advanced facilities: horses here get the best care before, during and after events.
This list of noted tracks are highly-recommend and if you love horse racing and visit New York - do check them out!
1. Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is an historic Thoroughbred track in New York, built in 1894. (Saratoga Race Course is the oldest, opened in 1864.) The New York Racing Association’s offices are at Aqueduct, in the Ozone Park/Jamaica neighborhood of Queens and it is located adjacent to the Resorts World New York City Casino;—distinguishing Aqueduct as the only horse track in New York City.
In light of the sad news about Medina Spirit suffering an apparent heart attack, we thought this article very relevant.
By Dan Ross
The sudden death during training hours this summer of Bobby Abu Dhabi (Macho Uno) was a tragic incident. Connections lost a horse they loved. Racing lost one of its sprint stars. His death, however, opens a window into a still relatively obscure corner of equine fatalities.
While Bobby Abu Dhabi was originally reported to have suffered cardiac arrest, it was later reported he died of other causes. What this confusion betrays are some common misunderstandings surrounding “sudden deaths,” namely that the term
comprises a variety of different health issues and injuries, some of them completely unrelated to the heart. Another problem, said Dionne Benson, executive director of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, is that while we can speculate why racehorses' hearts suddenly give out, we're still unable to provide definitive answers, like we can for humans.
“This is such a hard area to dig into,” Benson said. “We have so little information out there.”
Defining “Sudden Death”
Veterinary medicine defines exercise-induced “sudden death” in racehorses as the collapse and death in an apparently healthy horse during, or within one hour after, exercise. The term comprises many different causes, not just sudden cardiac death. Massive bleeding in the lungs or abdomen; fractures of the skull or neck; hemorrhaging from a pelvic fracture–all these injuries can prove swiftly fatal in a manner that, outwardly, resembles a cardiac issue.
Of paramount importance, then, is that a thorough post-mortem is conducted swiftly, to identify, if possible, what happened. While some jurisdictions have comprehensive necropsy programs for all horses fatally injured during racing and morning training, this is far from a blanket requirement across the nation, meaning that many sudden deaths, which happen relatively rarely anyway, go unexamined.
What's more, even if a post-mortem is performed, when it comes to sudden cardiac death, oftentimes there are no lesions, ruptured arteries or damaged heart tissue that pathologists can point to with authority and say this or that caused the heart to stop.
Read more: Sudden Cardiac Death in Racehorses: What We Know and Still Don't
Horse Race Betting Made Easy
Did you know that horse racing is third on the list of most popular sports to bet on in the U.S.? It is pretty impressive when you think about the fact that horse racing comes 26th with regards to the number of people watching it. The main reason behind this is that people don't usually watch horse racing because of the sport itself but the thrill they get from betting on it. And it can also be quite profitable if you know what you are doing. This article is for a beginner who is completely clueless about the process and doesn’t even know that dark horse betting is when a lesser known horse rises to popularity beating other competitors in a race. To help you, we’ll discuss some useful tips that will take your horse race betting skill to the next level.
Beginner Tips for a Better Horse Race Betting Experience
It was back in the 1600s when the first organized horse races started in the U.S. The most common misconception among people is that horse betting is all about trusting your gut and waiting for your luck to work wonders, but it isn't exactly that. There are so many different aspects of horse racing that you need to think about before betting on a horse. Follow this guide thoroughly, and hopefully, it will help you profit from your betting experience.
Figure Out the Most Popular Horse
The betting odds often play a significant role in detecting the winning probability of each individual horse participating in a race. In most cases, you will find that the horse with a shorter price is probably the one people are betting on most. Also, keep in mind that popularity is often considered with higher winning chances, too, and thus, as a beginner, it is not such a poor move to bet on the crowd favorite.
People who become a little bit experienced at horse betting keep a close track of the betting odds of the horses and study their rise and fall. They have proper knowledge of which horse is worth betting on and which isn't. Thus, it is also a good decision if you know someone who is an expert at horse race betting, to rely on their insight.
When many of us consider equine sports, a few distinct locations come to mind. Some might first think of Ascot in Berkshire where Queen Elizabeth II makes her annual appearance to watch one of the most prestigious events in horse racing. Others might think of the blue-blooded Kentucky Derby, where the creme-da-la-creme of American royalty have converged to wager eye-watering sums on the track in one of the most respectful venues on the planet.
Those who are not as familiar with the history and legacy of horse racing will make the mistake of discounting the Middle East and the wider Arabic world from the story of horse racing. This is in spite of the fact that, without the people, places, and ingenuity found in this region, horse racing as we know it today would simply not exist. Here's a brief history of the immense debt the equestrian world owes to the Middle East.
Arabian horses: the only game in town
Even those with only a passing interest in equestrian history will likely be aware of the importance of horse breeding on the Arabian peninsula. To this day, the so-called "Arabian horse" is the most recognizable breed on the planet, one that has produced some of the most successful competitors in history including (but not limited to) Marwan Al Shaqab, Cass Ole, Blueskin, Dormane, and Theodore O'Connor, all of which have either won the Kentucky Derby or taken home Olympic Gold.
The origins of horse breeding on the Arabian peninsula go all the way to the earliest days of civilization, with professional breeding taking place in modern-day Lebanon and Syria since at least 2000 BC. It was not until the 19th century when Arabian horses began to be recognized internationally, particularly those that were bred and trained by the Bedouin people of the Peninsula.
Read more: Why the Middle East is the Epicenter of Horse Racing
The Breeders Cup is just around the corner, arguably the biggest meet of the US racing calendar.
It isn't the last significant meet of the year; the Clark Handicap, Cigar Mile and Le Brea Stakes are all set to take place before the New Year, but the Breeders Cup is perhaps the biggest horse racing event of the year. Even if you have little interest in racing all year round, you're likely to cast an eye over the Breeders Cup field. That's the nature of the race, a national moment that captures the attention of a watching country.
There are other races like this around the world, other courses and individual moments that stop a country, albeit briefly, as they check their sweepstakes. They're the ones worth knowing about for all US racing enthusiasts, wherever they are. If that's you, you might be interested in these big races and when they usually occur.
Aintree Grand National
The Grand National is the UK equivalent of The Breeders Cup. It's a race that makes sporting headlines across the country, where even those with no interest in the event at all end up cheering on a horse in a workplace sweep. It's even described on the Coral horse racing page as being the world's most famous steeplechase. 40 runners attack the four-mile course, and the eyes of more than 500 million people are briefly transfixed on the race at the Aintree course in Liverpool, usually on the second weekend in April.
Taking a gamble on horse racing is a global pastime that remains as one of sports most popular betting markets today. From Great Britain's Grand National to America's Breeders' Cup, bookmakers from around the world take heavy wagering action from bettors attempting to make a quick profit. But before you can master the world of horse handicapping, it's imperative to understand horse racing odds and what they entail. For those struggling to grasp betting lines and available odds, continue reading for a short guide on the subject.
What's The Need for Horse Racing Odds?
To simplify, horse racing odds are the mathematical representation of how likely a single horse is to win a particular race. In addition to providing bettors with a clear outlook on the likelihood of a horse winning, the odds (also known as the betting line) will give you an idea of the amount of profit you can make from betting a specific horse.
Once you've mastered the other niceties involved around horse racing odds, you can utilize this knowledge to guide how much you could win and gauge how likely your preferred outcome matches the industry as a whole.
Odds will diversify depending on the racetrack, the horses involved, and live adjustments will be made on odds as industry news, or wager amounts shift the available price. Making use of an odds tracker can be an excellent investment when tracking the best available betting value.
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