So, which sportsbook should you choose? That’s what we’re about to talk you through. We’re going to look at which boxes need to be ticked if you’re looking to open an account at one of the best horse racing bookies based on what really matters.
And if you’re new to online horse racing betting sites, you’ll also get to read all about the different types of racing bets you can place, which are the most popular races to bet on and in which geographical markets racing is most popular.
How Our Team Reviews and Selects Horse Betting Sites
There isn’t just one factor to consider when looking for the best horse racing online betting sites. For example, a site offering endless races to bet on from all over the world is great, but we wouldn’t recommend that as one of the best horse racing betting sites to play at if the odds on offer are always sub-standard.
These are what we consider to be the most important factors.
- Licence: The betting site holds a valid betting license, and hopefully, it’s that of the UK Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority. Gibraltar and Curacao licences are fine, too.
- Odds: The generosity of the odds is always important in any sport, especially when it comes to horse racing. Consistently getting odds of 6/1 or 9/1 on horses that go on to win rather than being 5/1 or 7/1 with other bookies is crucial to your overall profit and loss.
- Bonuses and promotions: Free bets, boosted odds, Best Odds Guaranteed offers and extra places paid out on each-way bets are all examples of valuable offers that see your money go much further, both in terms of extra funds to play with and extra payouts. Horse betting sites that offer frequent and valuable bonuses are also likely to care more about their customers’ overall experience than those that don’t.
- Number of racing markets: By this, we mean both that the betting sites horse racing offer races to bet on from all over the world rather than just a couple of countries and that there is a good variety of betting markets to choose from. Most racing betting fans just want to bet to win or each-way, but others enjoy betting on other markets such as forecasts, Top 3 finish, winning distance and so on.
- Safety and security: Not the most exciting part of choosing which horse racing bookies you want to be betting at but it’s a vital factor. Knowing that your money and data are safe, that the sportsbook can be trusted to not sell on your personal details and that it will pay you out on your winnings, is all extremely important.
- Payment options: Getting your money in and out of your betting account quickly and easily is a big part of the game. So, it’s crucial that the best horse racing online betting sites have a wide variety of payment options- from debit cards to e-wallets to bank transfers - and that they’re payment methods customers actually want to use.
Different Types of Horse Racing Bets
Let’s look at some of the most popular racing betting markets worldwide.
Win market
The most popular of all. You’re betting on a horse to win the race. You can, of course, back more than one horse in the same race as a way of literally hedging your bets. With most horse racing betting sites, you can choose to either back the horse at the fixed odds they’re available at when you strike the bet or at its Starting Price (SP), the odds on offer just before the race goes off.
However, that option has become somewhat redundant anyway as a result of most bookies offering ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ on all UK and Ireland races. That means that you’ll either get paid out at the odds at which you struck the bet (as long as it was after 9am on the day of the race) or the SP odds, whichever is bigger.
Each-way betting
Half your bet is on the horse to win, the other half on the horse to place.
Let’s say you backed Grey Dawning in the Ryanair Chase for £5 each way at 20/1, for a total of £10. The rules may state that you’ll be paid out 1/5 the odds on four places.
Grey Dawning wins
- You’ll win £5 x 20/1 = £100 on the win
- You’ll also win £5 x 4 (20/5) = £20 on the place.
- So, a total of £120 profit.
Grey Dawning comes third
- You lose £5 on the win part of your bet.
- You win £5 x 4 (20/5) = £20 on the place part of the bet.
- So, a profit of £15 on the race.
Grey Dawning comes sixth
- You’ll lose both parts of the bet.
Place betting / Top 3 finish
You’re betting on a horse to finish in the top 3 in the race. It doesn’t matter in which of those positions it finishes in as long as it’s in the top 3.
Forecast
Here, you’re betting on one horse winning and another coming second. The odds on offer are generally pretty good but understandably, it’s not so easy to predict the top two finishers in the correct order.
Reverse forecast
This one is more common in greyhound racing, but you see it in horse racing, as well. Unlike the forecast market above, here you just need to predict the Top 2 in the race without specifying the order in which they finish.
Winning distance
When there’s a red-hot favourite in the race, you’ll sometimes see this market on offer asking whether the horse will win by a particular distance or greater. For example: ‘Constitution Hill to win by five or more lengths’. If you backed that wager, you’ll need the horse to win by five or more lengths. If it wins by less than that, the bet will have lost. And, of course, you don’t stand a chance if it doesn’t win the race in the first place.
Multiples
There’s nothing to stop you from placing multipliers on horses the same way as you would on, say, football. Just pick two or more horses to win their respective races and the odds of each one winning will be multiplied by each other. The odds on the multiple can reach big numbers but it’s not so easy to win this way, especially on multiples with three or more selections.
Most Popular Horse Racing Events to Bet On
Let’s start by making a distinction between horse racing Festivals and individual races.
Festivals tend to run for three or four days, each one hosting numerous races every day at the same track, though on occasion a track may have more than one course at it and two different courses may be used during the Festival for different races.
The Cheltenham Festival, for example, takes place over four days in mid-March and hosts National Hunt races, including the Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle.
The Royal Ascot Festival, hosting flat racing, takes place over four days in June and includes the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Here’s a quick summary of the biggest races.
The Grand National
Arguably the most famous and almost certainly the toughest horse race in the world, made up of 30 punishing fences over two laps of the course and held at Aintree in Liverpool. It’s a handicap race, meaning the better-rated horses have to carry extra weight compared to the lower-rated ones and the higher they’re rated, the more weight they carry. It’s been going since 1839 and is generally regarded as the biggest betting event of the year in the UK.
The Gold Cup
A Steeplechase event held on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival since 1924. There are 22 fences to be jumped over 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs, and there’s over £350,000 in prize money available to the winner. It’s the most valuable non-handicap race in Britain.
If you plan on betting on this race or any other race at the Cheltenham Festival, make sure to read our guide for betting on the Cheltenham festival.
The Derby
Also known as the Epsom Derby, it’s one of the five flat-racing British Classics. It's been taking place on the first Saturday of June since 1780. It’s open to three-year-olds, is run over a mile and four furlongs, and is the richest flat horse race in Britain.
Here are some of the other biggest races in the world, all of which you can bet on at the best horse racing online betting sites out there.
- The Oaks - Flat race, Epsom, UK
- 1,000 Guineas - Flat race, Newmarket, UK
- Kentucky Derby - Flat race, Kentucky, USA
- Dubai World Cup - Flat race, Meydan, UAE
- Melbourne Cup - Flat race, Melbourne, Australia
- Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe - Flat race, Longchamps, France
- King George VI Chase - National Hunt, Kempton, UK
Best Horse Racing Markets
United Kingdom
For many, the UK is the home of horse racing, not just from a historical point of view but also because the racing season runs all year. Flat racing takes place in the summer months, while National Hunt (NH) racing (divided into hurdles and steeplechases) tends to take place in autumn and winter. The UK hosts more of the world’s best-known races across both the flat and NH than any other country.
France
France boasts a vibrant horse racing culture, deeply ingrained in its history. Though it has NH racing as well, it’s mostly renowned for prestigious flat racing events like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe held at Longchamp, and the Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de Diane, both at Chantilly.
Ireland
Ireland's horseracing scene is a cornerstone of its cultural heritage, blending passion, tradition, and world-class competition. From the iconic Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse to the electric atmosphere of the Punchestown Festival, the country's calendar is punctuated with thrilling races. Known for producing top-quality thoroughbreds and nurturing talented jockeys, racing is right up there as one of the country’s biggest sports.
Other countries with a vibrant horse racing scene and who host some of the biggest races include the USA, South Africa, Japan and Australia.
Most Popular Horse Racing Bookies
These are some of the top horse racing betting sites offering an excellent racing product and an all-round great customer experience.
- Ladbrokes: One of the UK’s oldest and most reliable sportsbooks, it unsurprisingly has a terrific horse racing offering. There’s often a welcome offer while other features include extra places paid out on each-way bets, odds boosts and the Best Odds Guaranteed offer.
- Betfair: At Betfair, you can either bet on racing the traditional way via the sportsbook or via the Exchange, where you will be able to trade during a race or lay horses rather than backing them, essentially playing the role of the bookie yourself. Betfair offers racing from the likes of New Zealand and South Africa in addition to the better-known markets.
- Betfred: In addition to offering racing from all over the world, you can take advantage of different kinds of bonuses. As with the first two bookies, all their races can be streamed live as long as you have funds in your account.
- Boylesports: Another horse racing bookie with the Best Odds Guaranteed promise, which can make a huge difference to your betting. Another good ongoing racing offer is their ‘Money back as a free bet if 2nd to the SP favourite’ promo as part of a well-designed site that’s easy to use and where their odds tend to be extremely competitive.
