Betting on horse races is a fantastic hobby, which is why millions of people do it every single day. Although this is not the most popular sport in the world, there are some countries where you can find an abundance of races to watch and bet on.
Each of these races has multiple horses, so picking one is easier said than done. Naturally, there are many things that you need to take into account before placing your bet, especially if you’re planning to wager a lot of money.
Since some of the people reading this probably don’t have a lot of experience with this sport, we’d like to share a few tips that you can use to find the best horse to bet on. There are loads of books out there dedicated to this topic, but we’ll try to summarize some of the things you need to look out for.
Check out the races for the given day
After you choose one of the many bookmakers that allow their customers to bet on horse races, you have to look at the program for the day. It will contain a list with all races, alongside the jockeys and horses.
Even though it might be a bit intimidating at first, you will quickly learn how to find the information you need. If you liked a few horses, take a look at their statistics from the previous races. This will give you an overall idea of the performance of each horse.
Before that, though, you can even compare the bookmakers with this tool by Silentbet. This will help you find the operator with the most markets and features for this fantastic sport.
Look at each horse’s class levels
One of the things that you might not know about horse races is that the horses themselves can be divided into four different classes. The ones that are in the upper echelon perform better than others.
Each horse can move between different levels, depending on its performance. That’s why it’s crucial to check whether the horse you’ve chosen changes its classes frequently. If it does, it’s probably not the best betting option.
Check the surface type
Unlike a few years ago, racetracks have all sorts of different surfaces. Most of them have grass, but there are other types of tracks as well.
Naturally, some horses perform way better on specific surfaces than others, so you have to check that before placing a bet.
Watch the paddock
Before each race begins, you can see every horse in a place called a paddock. This gives you the chance to check how each horse looks and, most importantly, its behavior.
Learn more information about the jockey
Apart from researching the horse, you also need to learn more information about the jockey. Perhaps the most important thing is to check whether that person has ridden the given horse before. This might not seem that important, but it can make a lot of difference, especially if the jockey and the horse participated in several races.
