If you’re a beginner to horse racing, this is the guide for you. But if you considered yourself an expert, these tips can also be extremely helpful. Many of the most experienced bettors fail to understand them.

Handicapping

In horse racing, handicapping is considered an art form. It is the ability to analyze information collected from past races to predict the performance of the horses in a certain event. Over the years, several different handicapping systems were developed.

The overall goal is to make them as simple while also taking advantage of all the information available as efficiently as possible. To put it very basically, a handicap race is a horse race in which the horses are evaluated on their ability and weighted accordingly.

The paddock

The paddock is the best place to go if you want to take a good look at the horses that will be competing in the race. This is the area where they are saddled before going on the track and also walk around a ring.

If you are thinking of backing a particular horse, this is the ideal time to assess and adjust your bet. Pay close attention to details such as alertness, calmness and dexterity.

Form history

The form history of a horse is nothing more than the record of its performance and bloodline. Along with information about the horse´s trainer and owner, the form of history can be extremely helpful for your bets.

Speciality newspapers and other media formats publish these records.

Selecting your horse

After going through the three steps above, you should have enough information to consciously back a horse. You can go on some pretty useful sites to learn about the odds, such as oddschecker.com.

Racing schedules

You simply can’t bet on every race throughout an entire day of events. The odds would be totally against you. Given that, you must be selective and strategic with your approach. That’s the key. Look at the racing schedule beforehand and decide which races you are going to bet on. With time, you will discover that certain conjugations of tracks, jockeys, horses, trainers and owners produce some performance patterns.

Understanding that will allow you to bet on the races in which you are most knowledgeable.

Statistics

Horse racing statistics range across an enormous and overwhelming number of variables. Some are much more key than others, though. And you need to learn which statistics impact the performance of a specific horse the most.

Free resources for research

Browsing the web for the best horse racing resources to do the research for your bets is nowhere near complicated. In fact, the majority of the absolute best websites for horse racing insights is free to access. Your only job is to look for them. These sites will help you become a master in analyzing data and placing informed bets. The more information you have, the bigger the chances of winning will be.

Going through the seven points above is not complex per se, although it takes a bit of your time and attention. However, ignoring them leads with almost 100% certainty to failed bankroll management.

Horse racing is a very famous sport both in North America and Europe. It can generate a lot of money coming especially from bettors. These are the five main types of races.

Flat racing

This is by far the most popular type of horse racing. It involves Thoroughbreds and the racing surface is leveled. The three main flat racing events in America are known as the Triple Crown – Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is also very well-known.

Usually, flat races are run between one to three miles and put to test the horse’s speed and resistance. In the United States, the most used type of surface is still the dirt track.

Jump racing

The jump races are also referred to as the National Hunt or the Steeplechasing. In these races, competing horses are given the additional challenge of overcoming obstacles. Jump racing events are significantly harder to bet on because the bettor needs to consider not only the horse’s speed but also its agility and skill, as well as the jockey control. The races are divided between hurdles and steeplechases. In hurdles events, these are the only obstacles horses have to jump over. Steeplechase events involve a multitude of obstacles, including fences, ditches and water.

The two most important jump racing events take place in England, although American enthusiasts can watch and bet. They are the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Grand National.

Harness racing

In harness racing, the horse is responsible for the additional weight of a sulky that carries the jockey. In these events, the speed of the horse’s trot or pace is predetermined. If horses start galloping, they are forced to slow down behind the competition.

The top harness race in the world is unarguably the Prix d’Amerique in Paris. The event is truly selective since only an elite of horses is allowed to enter based on lifetime earnings. Riders compete for a prize of up to 1 million euros (about $1,140,500).

Endurance racing

This type of racing tests horses over longer tracks and for longer periods of time. In endurance racing, resistance and longevity are more important than speed. Bettors need to evaluate which horses deliver top performances consistently without fading towards the end of the course. Some of these races are run for hundreds of miles. The longest endurance race in the world is the Mongol Derby, which stretches for a (likely unreasonable) 621 miles. All breeds can participate, although Arabian horses are typically preferred thanks to their incredible energy and perseverance.

Quarter Horse racing

The Quarter Horse racing is not as popular as the events above but still attracts a very considerable number of enthusiasts. In these events, the emphasis is on speed. Horses run for a quarter of a mile or less since the challenge is to produce speed immediately in very short tracks. The American Quarter Horse takes its name from the races it was bred to run. These horses can run a quarter of a mile in 22 seconds, and some of them are faster than the best Thoroughbreds. In terms of betting, the most popular Quarter Horse race is the All American Futurity.

Whether you want to bet or just watch, now you have a bigger understanding of what goes down.

Horse racing in the US began in the 17^th century when British settlers brought their horses and built the first racetrack in the country. It took quite a long time for the popularity of the sport to spread across the entire nation, but nowadays horse racing and horse race betting thrive in America.

History of Thoroughbred racing

Not only in the US but all over the world, Thoroughbred racing is undoubtedly the most famous type of horse racing. In fact, it was the discipline that immediately started gaining popularity from the moment the Brits brought the sport to America.

Over 200 years later, in 1868, the official breed registry for American Thoroughbreds was created. It was the main contributor to the sport to finally kick off nationwide. Towards the end of the 19^th century, there were more than 300 operating racetracks in the USA.

A few years after that, though, allegations of corruption and a widespread anti-gambling movement led to a drastic drop in interest. In the first years of the 20^th century, only 25 tracks remained in operation. But just as quick, horse racing began to flourish yet again. In 1908, pari-mutuel betting was allowed in several states, which revitalized the sport. Despite some declines during the war times, the sport never fell back to the low point it reached during the turn of the century, and by the 1970s it was unstoppable.

From that decade onwards, the Thoroughbred has been getting better and better.

History of endurance racing

Endurance horse racing originated in the United States in the middle of the 19^th century. It was primarily an activity organized to help train both horses and riders. In 1955, endurance racing began as a sport. The inaugural race was a competitive ride across 100 miles of the Sierra Nevada Range.

This particular race still takes place every year and is known as the Tevis Cup. Many other endurance races are also very popular nowadays. In 1972, the American Endurance Ride Conference was founded. It is the body that oversees long distance endurance riding.

Today, in America, various types of horse racing attract a huge number of viewers and bettors.