Best Odds Guaranteed

The best horse racing betting sites offer Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG). This allows you to accept early odds on a horse and benefit from a bigger payout if the starting price (the horse’s odds when a race begins) is greater than the odds you accepted at an earlier time.

For instance, let’s say you bet on a horse at odds of 4.00 on the morning of a race. Should the horse’s odds drift to 6.00 when the race begins, online bookmakers with BOG will pay you at 6.00 even though you initially accepted odds of 4.00. You always receive the best price.

Horse Racing Coverage

We only recommend horse racing sites that cover races from all corners of the globe. You should find odds for prestigious races such as the Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Pegasus World Cup. There are always plenty of betting opportunities for races in the UK and Ireland, but you should also be able to bet on horse races in countries such as Australia, France, and Hong Kong.

Free Bets and Bonuses

Bookmakers roll out the red carpet for new customers with free bets and bonuses. You don’t have to accept a bonus, but it can be a great way to boost your balance and bet on more races.

A free bet is a small amount of cash (usually $10-$25) credited to your account, allowing you to bet and win real money. Some bookmakers issue free bets for creating an account, while others promise a free bet should your first bet lose. You should always read the terms and conditions because free bets often have max win rules, restricting how much you can win.

Horse racing betting sites also offer deposit bonuses. Bookmakers boost your balance by matching a percentage of your first deposit. A typical deposit bonus would read 100% up to $100. So, if you deposit $50, the bookmaker will match it with $50 in bonus funds, giving you a balance of $100. You must meet wagering requirements before you can withdraw any bonus funds. If the wagering requirements are 25x your deposit amount, you must bet a total of $1,250 before bonus funds can be withdrawn. The calculation is easy: 25 (wagering requirement) x 50 (deposit amount) = 1,250 (total amount you must bet).

Live Streaming

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the track – the best horse racing betting sites offer a live streaming service. Unlike other sports such as football and basketball, you must bet on a horse to watch a race on a bookmaker’s own live stream. Some bookmakers require a minimum bet of $0.50, while others only allow you to watch races if you bet $1 or more. High definition (HD) streams begin as soon as horses make their way to the stalls.

Decimal Odds

We recommend decimal odds for beginners because you can calculate how much money you get if your bet wins. You multiply your stake by the decimal number. This figure is how much you will receive, including your original stake.

Example: A winning $10 bet on a horse at odds of 5.00 would equal a return of $50 (you win $40 and get your $10 stake back).

Fractional Odds

Fractional odds comprise two numbers separated by a slash. Unlike decimal odds which incorporate your original stake (the amount of money placed on a bet) into your return, fractional odds show how much money you will win compared to your stake. The number on the right is how much you must stake to win the number on the left.

Example: A winning $10 bet on a horse at odds of 5/1 would equal a return of $60 (you win $50 and get your $10 stake back).

To Win

If you’re new to betting, we recommend starting with single bets on horses to win a certain race. You are betting on a horse to finish the race in first place. If the horse is first past the post, you win your bet. If the horse doesn’t win, you lose your stake. Straightforward, right?

Example: You bet $100 on a horse to win at odds of 3.00. If the horse wins, you receive $300 ($200 in winnings plus your $100 stake). If any other horse wins, you lose your $100.

Each Way

Written as EW or E/W at betting sites, each way bets comprise two parts: a win bet and a place bet. This means you must bet an amount on both the win and the place, with each part of your bet costing an equal amount. For instance, a $10 bet on the win must be matched with a $10 bet on the place, meaning a total cost of $20.

The number of places paid depends on the number of horses in the race, but it’s usually three or four. Odds paid for the place part of each way bets differ between betting sites, but they are often a fraction (1/2 to 1/5) of the win odds.

Calculating place odds is easy. Simply follow these three steps, assuming you are betting on a horse priced at 13.00 with place odds of 1/5:

• Deduct your stake from the odds: 13.00 – 1 = 12.00
• Divide by the place odds: 12.00 / 5 (place odds) = 2.40
• Add your stake to the value: 2.40 + 1 = 3.40

Example: You bet $10 each way ($20 total) on a horse at odds of 13.00. The bookmaker is paying place odds of 1/5 for the race.

Win: If the horse wins, you receive $164. The win portion pays $130 ($10 x 13.00), while the place portion pays $34 ($10 x 3.40). Profit = $144.

Place: If the horse finishes second or third, you receive $34. The win portion pays $0, while the place portion pays $34 ($10 x 3.40). Profit = $14.

Double

If you’ve ever seen horse racing betting tips, you’re bound to have seen the term ‘Daily Double’. This is when tipsters recommend two horses to win two races in a single bet. The advantage of a double bet over two singles is that you will win more money. For instance, a $10 double on Horse A and Horse B (both priced at 2.00) will return $40 if both horses win their races. This equals a profit of $30.

If you bet $10 on both horses as singles ($10 x 2), your return for each race would be $20. Your return would be $40, but your profit would only be $20 because you had to bet double the amount.

Trixie

A Trixie bet requires you to bet on three horses in three races. It involves four bets: three doubles and one treble. A $1 Trixie will cost you $4 ($1 for each of the three doubles and an additional $1 covering the treble). A $1 each way Trixie costs $8. As a Trixie bet does not include singles, at least two of your selections must win (or place) to secure a return. This makes a Trixie bet far more attractive than a treble, as you can still profit even if one horse fails to win or place.

Lucky 15

Lucky 15s require you to bet on four horses in four races. It’s one of the most popular bets amongst horse racing enthusiasts because many bookmakers boost winnings with a 10-20% bonus when all four selections win. As its name suggests, a Lucky 15 comprises 15 bets: four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one fourfold accumulator. A $1 Lucky 15 costs $15 (four $1 singles, six $1 doubles, four $1 trebles, and one $1 fourfold). A $1 each way Lucky 15 costs $30. One horse must win or place to guarantee a return.

Yankee

A Yankee is a popular bet that involves 11 betting combinations: six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator. A $1 Yankee costs $11 (six $1 doubles, four $1 trebles, and one $1 fourfold). A $1 each way Yankee costs $22. You must bet on four horses in four different races. As there are no singles, at least two selections must win for you to receive a payout. Although a Yankee is cheaper than a Lucky 15, singles and the opportunity to win a bonus make Lucky 15s more popular.

Canadian

Also known as a Super Yankee, a Canadian is a five-horse bet that covers 26 betting combinations: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfold accumulators, and one fivefold accumulator. It’s a Yankee, but with five horses. A $1 Canadian costs $26 (ten $1 doubles, ten $1 trebles, five $1 fourfolds, and one $1 fivefold). A $1 each way Canadian costs $52. At least two of your selections must win or place to guarantee a return.

Lucky 31

A Lucky 31 is another horse racing bet that requires you to bet on five horses in five races. It’s like a Super Yankee, but it includes five single bets. As its name suggests, a Lucky 31 involves 31 betting combinations: five singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-fold accumulators, and one five-fold accumulator. A $1 Lucky 31 costs $31 (five $1 singles, ten $1 doubles, ten $1 trebles, five $1 fourfolds, and one $1 fivefold). A $1 each way Lucky 31 costs $62. One selection must win or place for a return.

Saudi Cup

The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) took the horse racing industry by surprise in 2019 by announcing plans to host the world’s richest horse race. The first Saudi Cup took place at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh on 29 February 2020. Boasting a record-breaking purse of $20 million and promising $10 million to the winner, the Saudi Cup attracted jockeys and trainers from all corners of the globe.

Horse racing betting sites offered odds on all 14 entries. Ridden by Luis Saez, American horse Maximum Security galloped around the 1,800-metre dirt track to finish three-quarters of a length ahead of Midnight Bisou. However, Maximum Security’s trainer, Jason Servis, took the limelight after being charged with administering performance-enhancing drugs.

Dubai World Cup

Inaugurated in 1996, the invitation-only Dubai World Cup is the last race of Dubai World Cup night. Created by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the billionaire ruler of Dubai and owner of Darley Stud and Godolphin Racing, the Dubai World Cup takes place on the last Saturday in March. The annual Group 1 flat race takes place at Meydan Racecourse and boasts a $12 million purse.

United States Racing Hall of Fame inductee Cigar won the first Dubai World Cup. Since then, top Thoroughbreds such as Dubai Millennium (2000), Captain Steve (2001), Animal Kingdom (2013), and Prince Bishop (2015) have won the prestigious 2,000-metre race. Godolphin’s Irish-bred Thunder Snow recently became the only two-time winner of the Dubai World Cup (2018 and 2019).

Pegasus World Cup

The inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes became the richest horse race in the world in 2017, boasting a purse of $12 million. The purse increased to $18 million in 2018 before dropping to $9 million in 2019 and $3 million in 2020. The entry fee has also changed during this time. Entries cost $1 million in 2017 and 2018. Entry fees were further reduced to $500k in 2019, and entry was free in 2020.

Despite the reduction in prize money, many of the world’s leading jockeys and trainers enjoy competing in the race. The Florida sun may have something to do with this, as the Grade 1 race runs over nine furlongs at Gulfstream Park. American trainer Bob Baffert trained two of the four winners (Arrogate in 2017 and Mucho Gusto in 2020). Gun Runner (2018) and City of Light (2019) have also won the race.

Kentucky Derby

Held on the dirt track at Churchill Downs since its inaugural running in 1875, the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of racing’s Triple Crown. Known as the ‘most exciting two minutes in sports’, the 10-furlong race is almost always run on the first Saturday in May. A purse of $3 million may not seem impressive when compared to the other races we’ve discussed, but the prestigious race has run uninterrupted since 1875.

Secretariat, considered the greatest racehorse of all time by many experts, set a record time of 1:59.40 to win the race in 1973. As the race is only open to three-year-olds, no horse has won the Kentucky Derby twice. However, Ben A. Jones and Bob Baffert have both trained six winners each. Jockeys Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack have won the race five times each, while owner Calumet Farm boasts eight wins.