Horse Racing Betting

Horse Racing Betting

There are many ways in which you can bet on horse racing but the majority of horse racing betting will fall under either Win bets, Place Bets, or Show Bets, along with a few exotic bet types. Here at Pickswise, our horse racing handicappers will cover all of these main types of horse racing betting across the top US tracks and horse racing action, including the triple crown races in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness. Pickswise’s expert handicappers are here all year long to provide the best free insight and analysis into all of the top horse racing action, including all of the breaking Horse Racing News and analysis  to consider.

Horse Racing Handicapping Explained

Handicapping a horse race, particularly to those new to the sport can be a daunting prospect. A race card can often confuse or overwhelm bettors, but getting familiar with the racecard, the abbreviations and what everything means is the first thing all horse racing handicappers should aim to do. Once you have grasped the basics, handicapping races is then all in the research. Trawling through previous horse races, performances of the runners, the track conditions they perform best in, and the race tracks they perform best at are just a few of the many ways you can narrow down a race to make a selection. Here at Pickswise, we have a long history with handicapping horse races, from the everyday horse racing betting to the marquee events like the Breeders’ Cup or the Kentucky Derby. We put in the hours to handicap the races and also accompany all of our horse racing betting with analysis, odds, and key information. For more on how to handicap horse racing, check out our Horse Racing Guide.

How To Bet On Horse Racing Online 

Betting on horse racing online is a very similar process to your normal sportsbook, it’s just the types of bet that differ from horse racing to other sports. First, you must find a suitable racebook that is licensed in your state. Most horse racing bettors will use either TVG, Twinspires, or Bet America Racebook, depending on location, but also the type of bet or track they’re wagering on. Click on the links of each to head to our full review including where they operate and the best signup offers in your state.

Once you are registered with your racebook of choice, similarly to a sports bet, you find the race in which you are looking for, add your selection(s) to your bet slip, add the stake you wish to bet, and hit place bet to lock in your bet.

Horse Racing Triple Crown Races, Previous Winners, And Betting 

The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly referred to as the Triple Crown, is a title awarded to any horse that manages to win the big three-year-old races of the year in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. It is regarded as the pinnacle of a racehorse’s performance, winning three races over different distances, in a relatively short space of time is no easy feat. The first winner of the Triple Crown, was in 1919 long before the term was popularized and widely used. Since then a further 12 horses have managed to win all three races, with Justify the most recent in 2018.

Racebooks will often at the start of the season, or before the first leg of the Triple Crown, traditionally the Kentucky Derby, have a market and odds for horses to win the Triple Crown this season, and these will usually be big odds. Some will then continue to offer odds on the Kentucky Derby winner to also then win the final two legs of the Triple Crown. 

Check out the 13 Previous Triple Crown Winners, and the year in which they won the title  below;

1919 – Sir Barton

1930 – Gallant Fox

1365 – Omaha

1937 – War Admiral 

1941 – Whirlaway

1943 – Count Fleet

1946 – Assault

1948 – Citation

1973 – Secretariat

1977- Seattle Slew

1978 – Affirmed

2015 – American Pharoah

2018 – Justify

Kentucky Derby Betting 

The Kentucky Derby is the first race of the Triple Crown, traditionally run in early May. With it being the first leg of the Triple Crown, you can often get futures odds about horses some way off the race itself, with the odds changing in relation to performances leading up to the big race. Our experts at Pickswise will preview the entire Kentucky Derby Day card providing the best free Kentucky Derby betting advice, with a full analysis of each race and selection. 

Preakness Betting

The Preakness Stakes, often just referred to as the Preakness, is the second leg of the US Triple Crown and while some racebooks will offer futures odds on the race, they mainly take shape after the running of the Kentucky Derby a few weeks earlier. Even at this point, you can get good odds about a horse, but researching who will run and who will run well that far ahead provides its own challenge. Our horse racing experts at Pickswise are on hand to break down all of the big news and betting fallout following the Kentucky Derby and leading up to the Preakness, where we will have full analysis and Preakness Stakes betting advice across the card.

Belmont Stakes Betting 

The final leg of the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes, the stamina test of the three, being run over further than the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness. Similar to the Preakness the Belmont Stakes field and betting will take shape after the Preakness Stakes has been run. Our experts will be on hand to assess the Belmont Stakes Betting after the Kentucky Derby and Preakness have run, where we will have full analysis and Belmont Stakes Betting advice leading up to the final leg of the Triple Crown races.

Cheltenham Festival Tips

The Cheltenham Festival is the premier steeplechase festival of the year and takes place in Cheltenham, England every March. A four-day, 28-race festival where the best jumps horses from the UK, Ireland, and occasionally France, take on one another over a multitude of distances and obstacles. For expert insight and the very best Cheltenham Festival Tips on all 28-races, visit our friends at Racing Post

Royal Ascot Tips

Royal Ascot is a showcase flat racing event in Ascot, England, and takes place every June. A Five-day 31-race extravaganza with more of an international flair than the Cheltenham Festival, you’ll regularly find runners from the US, France, Australia, Japan, among other racing nations shipping their best to Royal Ascot in June. US Racing fans will be aware of Wesley Ward in particular who regularly sends his best to Royal Ascot and has done so with great success, with the likes of Campanelle, Hootenanny, and of course Lady Aurelia, to name a few. For expert insight and the very best Royal Ascot Tips on all 31-races, visit our friends at Racing Post

What is a Trifecta Bet In Horse Racing

A Trifecta bet is a bet in which you are trying to predict the horses that finish in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. There are two ways in which you can do this. A Straight Trifecta, a single bet where you pick the three horses in their exact positions. Or a Combination Trifecta where you pick three horses to finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in any order. A 3-horse combination Trifecta will be 6 bets, so your stake will be multiplied by 6. A Straight trifecta is one bet, so your stake will be your total bet amount. 

What Does Place Mean In Horse Racing 

A Place bet in horse racing is a bet in which your horse must finish either 1st or 2nd to cash.

What Does Show Mean In Horse Racing 

A Show bet in horse racing is a bet in which your horse must finish either 1st, 2nd, or 3rd to cash 

What Is Post Time In Horse Racing

The Post time is the time at which the race is scheduled to start. In racing, there can often be delays, but the race will not start before this time and you should ensure your bets are placed in good time before the post time.

How Do You Handicap Horse Racing?

There are many ways that you can handicap horse racing, which each handicapper having their own preferences and ways of making their horse racing picks and horse racing predictions. In the US, there is a lot of emphasis placed on speed, sectionals and the clock, where in Europe, its not always seen as important. To handicap a horse race, you’re trying to figure out the comparative level of form of each runner, the weight in which they carry, the conditions of the race such as the trip or the racing surface, and many other factors to whittle down the field to those that you handicap as having the best chance to win. Our handicappers explain their research, thoughts and opinions on every horse racing bet, so check them out, alongside our Horse Racing Guide to find out even more on how to handicap horse racing.