Want to learn how to place bets on the upcoming Breeders Cup horse race? Before that, you need to understand more about this sport and the odds offered by most online bookmakers. Let us help you get started in horse racing betting, one of the biggest sports betting markets on the world stage.
There are more bet lines than just predicting the race winner. The competitions also have some differences, so join us as we explain the main concepts.
Horse racing is one of the most popular betting markets, which makes all the best online bookmakers allow their customers to bet on it. Therefore, finding the best site to bet on horses can be a tedious task, and that’s why we’ve listed the best houses for that purpose!
The Features Of Horse Races
Horse racing is the delight of millions of punters around the world. It’s a sport that began in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Currently, horse racing is popular in regions such as England, Ireland, and the United States, where Keeneland would host the 2022 Breeders cup.
To begin with, we have to understand the types of horse races:
- Flat: Race on a circuit, usually oval
- Jumping: Obstacle race, varying between Hurdles
- Steeplechases (different obstacles on the same course)
Races can be held on various turfs, such as cash, dirt, mud, or sand. According to its condition, the floor is divided into seven categories:
- Hard: Hard and dry turf
- Firm: Firm and dry turf
- Good to firm: Turf between good and firm, dry
- Good: Good turf
- Good to Soft: Turf between good and slightly wet and soft
- Soft: Soft, wet, and slow turf
- Heavy: Turf almost soaked, very slow
What Does 1m5f Mean In a Horse Race?
All the competitions vary by the length of the race track as well. Usually, the distance of a horse race is presented in a furlong (201.7 meters), which corresponds to an eighth of a mile, and yards, with a yard equivalent to 0.91 meters.
So, if the description of a race is 1m5f, you already know that it has a distance of 1 mile and 5 furlongs. You’ll also find at least one name next to the horses, although almost every house already reports two.
These are the names of the jockey and the coach. Let’s focus on a flat race to understand better how to bet on horses. These tests are divided into seven classes, no. 1 being the main, and each class is divided into groups.
In online betting, class 1 group 1 competitions offer the most liquidity.
How To Bet On Horse Racing
You can bet on the winner in horse racing, just like in any other sport. You don’t need an instruction telling you how to do this step by step.
Here we show the estimated winner odds for our favorite contenders for the turf in Keeneland:
| Estimated Keeneland Contenders | Odds |
| Flightline | 2/3 |
| Life is Good | 5/1 |
| Epicenter | 6/1 |
| Olympiad | 10/1 |
| Cyberknife | 14/1 |
| Taiba | 16/1 |
| Country Grammar | 16/1 |
| Hot Rod Charlie | 20/1 |
| Speaker’s Corner | 25/1 |
| Scalding | 33/1 |
It’s easy to see that Flightline is the big favorite, right? A victory for Scalding or the Speaker’s Corner will bring fortune to anyone who bets on them, but there are other possible bets on horse racing.
V/C and Show Bet
In horse racing, the V/C bet is very popular. The letters represent Victory and Placement.
In this line, when betting on a horse, you win if it wins (V) the race and is placed (C) in the 2nd position. Thus, the odds for this bet are lower than predicting only the winner, as the risk is also lower.
In the main races, there is also a Show bet. With this market, you bet that the horse will show up on the podium.
Some bookmakers allow you to bet up to 4 places. It means you win if that horse finishes 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. Some bookmakers offer horse races that have up to 6 places.
When you feel confident with V/C and Show bets, you can move on to Across the Board. Your bet can make a huge profit in this market, but the risk of loss is also high.
The Across the Board bet combines the predictions for the three podium places, so: A win for the horse you bet on in the race is equivalent to winning the V, V/C, and Show bets; That horse finishing 2nd is equivalent to you winning V/C and Show bets; 3rd place on that horse is equivalent to you winning the Show bet; With any other placement, you get nothing.
Quinella, Superfecta, and the Famous Trifecta
Another very popular bet in horse racing is the trifecta. To win, you have to hit the horses that finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the exact order. Let’s see an estimated example of a trifecta:
From a total of 24 lines, we show some of them:
- 1st Optional Mix, 2nd Powerful Out, 3rd Robyndeglory: 41.0
- 1st Optional Mix, 2nd Robyndeglory, 3rd Powerful Out: 34.0
- 1st Robyndeglory, 2nd Optional Mix, 3rd Powerful Out: 29.0
- 1st Robyndeglory, 2nd Sean Says, 3rd Optional Mix: 51.0
- 1st Sean Says, 2nd Optional Mix, 3rd Robyndeglory: 81.0
- 1st Sean Says, 2nd Powerful Out, 3rd Robyndeglory: 101.0
- 1st Powerful Out, 2nd Robyndeglory, 3rd Sean Says: 67.0
- 1st Powerful Out, 2nd Sean Says, 3rd Optional Mix: 151.0
Along with the trifecta option, the superfecta also appears in many bookmakers. It works just like the trifecta but also adds the bet on the horse that will finish 4th. Less common, but still available on many online bookmakers, is the quinella, a bet on two horses to finish (no matter the exact order) 1st and 2nd.
Direct Match Betting
Let’s assume you know a horse and believe it will perform well, but you can’t win the race. And that it will be ahead of another horse that had been faster in the previous race.
Did you know that you can place a bet on this head-to-head? Let’s look at another race where a bookmaker offers three lines for the best finishing position.
See the first one:
- I Can Steel, 1.57
- Viking Tilly, 2.25
If you bet on Viking Tilly, you win as long as he finishes ahead of I Can Steel. Viking Tilly might even be the second to last; you win your bet if I Can Steel finishes last, don’t mind all the other horses in that race.
In the same event, it’s possible to bet on a confrontation between 3 different horses:
- Midleton, 2.00
- Gladiator Mearas, 2.85
- Digital Pen, 3.85
By betting on 1 of these horses, you only need it to finish ahead of the other 2 to profit.
Final Words
Are you excited about the upcoming Breeders Cup? We are too. We’ve outlined brief information on what you need to know about betting on horse races as a newbie, and we hope you find it valuable.
