Horse racing is a thrilling sport. The adrenaline rush of watching the horses run to the finish line and the cheering crowds create a frenzied atmosphere.

You may be an experienced bettor or a beginner, and perhaps horse racing has caught your attention. However, betting on the 2022 Belmont Stakes is entirely different that requires the mastery of certain basic concepts.

To make it easier for you to enter this world and win, we have developed the essential guide to betting on horse racing, including tips and strategies to implement.

Types of Horse Racing

You already know that strategy is vital in any game or sport and that it begins with mastering the essential information. Before betting on horse racing, the first step in our guide is to get to know the different modalities:

Flat Gallop

It’s the most common and, therefore, the most popular. As the name indicates, it takes place on flat ground, usually grass or sand-fiber, without obstacles or inclines. This configuration allows the horse to gallop at its maximum speed.

Also called “flat,” this type of race can be done on circuits, straight lines, or any other layout.

Steeplechases

The races are divided into three main categories: fences, bumpers, held on flat tracks with obstacles, where the horses must jump over bushes, fences, and ponds.

Trotters or Harness Racing

It’s one of the less common types – in this race, the jockey does not ride the horse but instead sits on a two-wheeled cart called a sulky. The animal goes at a trot or walk instead of galloping, to avoid any accident.

Endurance Racing

This type of horse racing is where the horses run over long distances.

Types of Bets

Now that you have selected the type of race where you will bet your money, the next step is to decide what type of bet you will make.

There are two categories in horse betting: direct and combined.

Straight Bets

• Winner: you play the horse that crosses the finish line first.
• Second: bets on the horse that finishes first or second.
• Third: the chosen horse must be in one of the first three places. Multiply your chances of profit by three. Although the winnings are made according to the odds of the third place, it does not matter your selection’s final position.
• Place: you get paid only if the chosen horse finishes first, second or third. Sometimes the place can also be the “second,” depending on the number of participants and the rules of the racecourse.

Combination/Accumulator Bets

• Exacta: You select two horses’ first and second place in a single race. They must cross the finish line in the same selected order.
• Imperfect: you choose two horses in the same race, but they can finish first or second.
• Trifecta: You play the top three positions, in exact order, in which three knights will finish.
• Quadfecta: You must predict the horses that will finish first, second, third, and fourth, in exact order.
• Twin: resembles the imperfect. When selecting two horses, you get paid if they occupy the first and second positions. However, if less than six horses run, the order must be exact.

At first glance, the combined bets are the ones that could bring us the greatest profits when betting on horse races. However, there are also greater variables to consider, such as the performance of the horses, the trainer, etc. Therefore, before taking risks with accumulators, the best advice is to go for a straight bet.

Strategies To Choose The Winning Horse

Analyze all the information available in the betting agency’s program to select the winner in most horse races. Of course, this information will be more accessible -and free- if you are physically at the racetrack.

If you are going to bet online instead, most operators include numerous stats and reviews on their pages.

Once you have the program for the day, use these strategies and criteria while betting on horse racing.

Check The Horse’s Performance

Many programs and web pages have each horse’s history and past performance. So you can see what its position was in past races. If you can’t find this information directly on the site, a simple Google search will help. Our advice? Pay attention to the type of terrain, the distances, the prestige, and the categories of previous victories.

For example, if a horse won first place in a class 3 steeplechase race, it’s difficult to say how it will perform in a class 1 race.

Check the Odds

As in sports betting, the horse with the lowest odds is the favorite in horse racing. Predictions can go wrong, but odds are a good indicator of how the horse, jockey, and trainer have performed in previous trials.

If you are not sure that the favorite will finish first, two strategies would be to either make a twin to take a lower risk bet or play a place, depending on the number of participants.

At a basic level, it’s important to remember that a win for the favorite happens 33% of the time.

Find Out About The Horse’s Behavior That Day

Many build their strategies based on the attitude of the horse during the pre-competition. Whether watching it on screen or in person, you can learn a little about their moods by watching them perform during warm-up laps.

If you see that some horses are more nervous than others and refuse to walk or rear, that could mean that they will not be at their best in the final lap, thus affecting your bets.

Check The Reputation Of The Trainer

The trainer can be the key person to consider when betting on horse racing, as the trainer sometimes has multiple horses racing in the same competition. Once you get their names, you can use the strategy of reviewing their previous performances, even during the same day.

It’s a good indicator of possible performance since the horses share certain variables, including those referring to their training.

Tip: If you notice a winning streak of several horses from the same trainer, you are in for a safe bet.

Check The Reputation Of The Rider

The jockey and the horse have little to do with the reputation of one or the other. A particular rider can travel all over the world and ride numerous horses. So, it’s hard to tell if his wins are due to the horse’s abilities or vice versa.

Horse racing is one of the few sports where the animal is revered more than humans. In fact, at the racecourse, you will hear how the public cheers the horse more than its rider.

As a bettor, your strategy should focus on finding a balance between the reputation of the jockey and that of the horse. But if you have to decide on one, the best advice we can give you is to give more weight to the animal, since it’s it who will bring victory.

Essential Glossary For Betting On Horse Racing

You are almost ready to bet on horse racing. However, in addition to the modalities, the types of bets, and the possible strategies, you should also familiarize yourself with some terms that you will surely hear, whether directly at the racetrack, online or at the betting agency:

Accompanying Horse: Horse that follows 2 or 3 lengths to the pointers.

Conditional Race: A race that limits the right to participate in it, according to conditions of origin, age, race or amounts won, or other determining conditions.

SPC Races: these are the horse races considered to be the most prestigious. SPC careers have grades I, II, III, and Listed.

Furlong: is a unit of equestrian measurement equivalent to an eighth of a mile or 200 meters. E.g. Race of 7 furlongs = Race of 1,400 meters.

Handicap: advantages or disadvantages assigned to a horse to balance its opportunities concerning other competitors in a race.

Paddock: in horse racing, it refers to the private and reserved area in the Racecourses where the preparatory actions (warm-up, saddle-up, and parade before the public) and subsequent actions (unsaddling, weigh-in, and even award ceremony) are carried out.

Filly and Foal: The filly is a two-year-old female horse. The foal or foal is a two-year-old male horse.

Pointers: they are the specimens that dominate the race.

Now that you have the basic knowledge to bet on horse racing and strategies and tips to take into account, it’s time to choose the place to make your debut. One of the events that provide the best horse racing experiences and bets is the Belmont stakes, be on the lookout for it and enjoy it.