Horse racing is one of the oldest sports or past times in the world. Records show that ancient civilizations from Greece, Babylon, Rome, Syria, and Egypt all held these competitive events to see who could ride are horse fastest given a certain distance. We have come very far from these ancient times, but the thrill and excitement remain the same. With something as competitive as this, it comes naturally to have people bet on which is the fastest horse. Horse betting began as early as the early 1600s in the United Kingdoms. Today in Australia, almost a million adults participate in horse race betting. For those who are interested in starting, here is a quick look in what Australian horse racing is and some horse betting tips to help you get prepared.
Why horse racing?
Heading down to the racing tracks is an experience in itself. A day at the track entails buying a cheap ticket to watch exciting action all day. Food and drinks in the venue are also inexpensive. Some venues even allow you to bring your own refreshments. With all of this, you get to spend a lovely day outdoors watching exciting action. It gets even more exciting if you place bets on the race!
How to bet
Before you even start betting, we want you to get an idea of how everything works once you start by giving you some horse betting tips. There are two main ways that you can bet. You can either bet on a website and stay tuned with online updates or live feeds of races, or you can head over to the tracks in person and place bets there! For more Australian sport check here on AFL Betting Tips.
There are 2 main types of bets that you can go for in horse racing.
- Straight Bets
- Win: Your horse finishes first
- Place: If your horse finishes second or first
- Show: If your horse finishes third, second, or first
- Across the Board: This type of bet means that you are betting that your horse will qualify for win, place, and show. The amount you win will depend on whether your horse will place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
- Combo Wagers: Here, you may opt to bet on win/place or place/show
- Exotic Bets
Before anything else, we want to warn you that although the amount you can collect if you win will be significantly larger, these types of bet require a lot more experience and knowledge when it comes to horse racing handicaps. Exotic bets mean betting on multiple horses in a single bet.
- Exacta: Here, you bet on two horses to come in 1st and 2nd place. For example, you bet that Horse E will come in 1st and Horse A will come in 2nd. You also have to option to “box” your bet, which means that the order will not matter as long as both horses finish in the top two spots.
- Quinella: This is exactly like a box exacta, except a quinella is cheaper and has a lower pot.
- Trifecta: Here you bet on 3 different horses to finish in exact spots for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. You also have an option to box your trifecta bet.
- Superfecta: This is the most lucrative of all bets in horse racing. Here, you bet on 4 horses to finish at exact spots for 1st to 4th places. You also have an option to box your superfecta bet.
There is so much more to learn when it comes to understanding horse racing, but these horse betting tips are a good start for anyone who wants to begin.
