Types of Horse Racing Bets
If you have read our guide on how to place a bet on the horses, you will also be interested in our guide to the types of bets you can place. The types of bets you can place range from a simple bet on a single horse in one race to choosing the winning horse in five consecutive races. The table below lists your options.
Types Of Racing Bets
| Bet Type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Show | Your horse must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd; |
| Each Way | Your horse must finish 1st or 2nd. In certain races the number of places paid out on can be up to 7 for example in the Grand National. This is another hugely popular bet is to back a horse each way. This is effectively two bets, with one going on the horse to win and the other going on it to “place”. The place portion of your bet pays out at a fraction of the main odds and again this varies but is usually 1/4. |
| Win | Your horse must finish 1st. The simplest and probably most common is the win bet. You are backing the horse to win the race. |
| Quinella | Your horses must finish 1st and 2nd in either order; a normal play is to box three horses |
| Straight Forecast (Exacta) | Pick the top two horses in a race, in the correct finishing order. |
| Reverse Forecast | The simplest form of a combination forecast bet, allowing you to select two contenders to finish 1st and 2nd in a race in any order. |
| Tricast (Trifecta) | Your horses must finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in exact order |
| Superfecta | Your horses must finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th; hard to bet unless you have a sizeable bankroll; big payoff possible |
| Daily Double | Your horses must win the two consecutive races; chance for a nice payoff with mid-priced horses |
| Pick 3 | Your horses must win three consecutive races; it’s a daily double plus another race |
| Pick 4 | Your horses must win four consecutive races; chance for a big score for a modest amount |
| Pick 6 | Your horses must win six consecutive races; very expensive to play; huge payoffs possible |
Few subjects can be much more confusing for the newcomer to horse racing and the types of bets available. The most confusing to most is the each-way bet.
Bets can be placed on the day of a race or you can place a wager on an event that is some way in the future this is called ante-post betting. When placing ante-post bets the same principles of seeking value and of staking sensibly apply. Ante-post markets are only available for the big races each year. At the big meetings those placing ante-post bets are trying to find a winner some time in davnace of the race. Bets are being placed weeks or even months in advance. The horses and jockeys form is not known, the horse may fall lame, the jockey brake a limb. There is so much unknown information when it comes to placing an ante-post bet. For the big races, some bookies go non-runner no bet which entices some bettors to ante-post bets.
The bets listed above can all be used to place some superb bets on the horse racing all season long. Whether you fancy a bet on top markets like Ascot, Kemp or one of the other 202 Horse Racing venues.
Any of the horse betting apps listed on our site will give you access to over 238 Horse Racing bets. You’ll be able to choose a market, such as Antepost, Win, or Place and place a bet at the odds set by the bookie. All the app have markets like Champion Hurdle, Gold Cup and the Grand National available at some of the best odds in the industry.
You can also bet on who will be the Top GB NH Jockey 2018/19, eg you can back Richard Johnson to win.
There are special markets you can place a win bet on. Specials include bets such as will win the 2000 Guineas and The Derby. Another example is who will win the Flat Jockeys Championship in 2019.
If you’re new to horse racing you can claim a sign up offer from a number of online bookies. You can use free bonuses to place a Horse Racing matched bet on any market to obtain a low-risk profit.