Horse Racing in the UK – Everything You Need to Know

Horse Racing. A sport often associated with royalty. And it should be. The magnificent beasts have been loyal friends to humankind since the beginning of time. As centuries went by, people adapted to new uses for horses. And horse racing is certainly one of the most fascinating ones.

If you’ve been thinking about getting into horse race betting in the UK, you’re exactly where you should be. On this page, we not only have listed the best bookmakers with the most competitive odds, but we have also created a handy guide for beginners.

Before you get into the betting aspect, you must know the types of races that take place in the UK. Let’s start with that.

Types of Horse Races in the UK

The UK and Ireland have been the breeding ground for some of the most prestigious horse races around the world. In fact, if you ask anyone where horse racing came from, the answer would most likely be the UK. Of course, considering the person doesn’t know much about the history of the sport.

The legacy of the sport is divided into two main types of racing. The Flat Racing and the National Hunt Racing.

Flat Racing

The simplest kind. The kind that most people think of when they hear “horse racing”. The contenders gather on a starting line and start running with jockeys on their backs. It might be a single-lap sprint or a curved circuit. The first horse to cross the finish line wins.

King George Weekend, Royal Ascot, Dante Festival, Derby Stakes, Gold Cup, etc. are some of the biggest flat racing tournaments in the UK. Needless to say, these are top picks among punters thanks to the simplicity of the events.

National Hunt

The other type of horse racing in the UK is the National Hunt. These are not as straightforward as flat races. Also known as Jump events, the contenders must go through a series of hurdles. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, Winter Derby, Aintree Grand National are some of the most prominent events of this type.

Horse Racing Terms You Should be Aware Of

If you want to succeed as a British punter in horse racing, or at least enjoy it to its maximum potential, there’s no alternative to knowing the terms. You don’t necessarily need to know all of them. You just need the ones that can make or break it for you in betting.

As your biggest well-wishers, we have listed the most common and important horse racing terms you should know .

Chase: Any tournament that has “chase” in the name means there are obstacles in the race.
Handicapper: The official who evaluates the characteristics of a horse and rates it.
Maiden: A horse that never won a title.
Stallion: A male horse exclusively used for breeding.
Jokey: The person who sits on the horse’s back during the race.
Across the Board: A bet that covers for a horse to win, show, and place.
Overlay/Underlay: Overlay refers to a horse that has higher odds than what the punters think. Underlays are the opposite. Overlays are better bets while underlays are not.
Quarter Crack: A horse is inured to the hoof.
Turf: The course is covered in grass.
Under warps: The jockey is holding back on the top speed of the horse.
Odds: Odds in sports betting refers to both the likelihood of the outcome as well as your payout. UK bookmakers mostly use fractional odds where your stake is also included in the payout. For example, a 10/1 odds mean you can win £10 for every £1 you wager. The total payout would be £11.

With these terms listed, we have barely even touched the surface of what goes on behind horse racing. However, these terms should be enough to get you started with horse race betting in the UK.

Types of Bets in Horse Race Bookmakers

The betting markets for horse racing are quite broad. Bookmakers often create exclusive markets with competitive odds to get an edge. Thankfully, some bets are common across all sportsbooks and they happen to be very beginner-friendly.

Outright/To Win

The simplest kind of bet. Not only for horse racing for also for all sports where a single outcome is possible. You place your money on the horse you think will win. If it wins, you get the payout. If it doesn’t, you lose the entire bet.

Each Way Bets

This bet is a great way to minimise the potential losses you might incur with outright bets. Because in outright bets, if you lose, you lose. In Each Way bets, however, you can bet on the horse placing as well as winning.

It depends on the bookmaker how far back you can with the placement. Simply, this bet means you get a proportion of the winnings if the horse makes a place in the race. If you wagered on the 5^th place, you get a fraction of the payout if the horse doesn’t fall behind the 5^th place.

Place Only

This is pretty much Each Way betting except for the winning part. Many bookmakers offer this bet at not-so-dramatic odds. If you have eyes on a particular horse to place, you may try this market.

Tips to Succeed in Horse Race Betting in the UK

How could we let you go without sharing a few tips? So, here are the points you should always keep in mind when betting.

Research on the horse and the jockey. Gather as much information as possible to make an informed bet.
Never underestimate the weather. Weather can change the odds as well as the performance of the horse dramatically.
Don’t bet money you can’t afford to lose.
Don’t put money on a market you don’t understand.
Most importantly, don’t listen to rumours.

Final Words

Horse race betting can be one of the most gratifying experiences if you know what you’re doing. Very few sporting events in the world come with such a nail-biting adrenaline rush. We surely hope we’ve shared enough material to get you started. Now, it’s your turn to pick a bookmaker from our list and get started.

Top 10 Best Horse Race Bookmakers in UK 2024