subject: A Brief Guide To Horse Racing [print this page] A Brief Guide To Horse Racing A Brief Guide To Horse Racing
Horse racing is perhaps one of the most common sports to bet on. Any country that permits horse racing, huge sums are bet on races every day.
Horseracing emerged in the USA in the 1600's. The first official race track in Amreica was Hempstead Plains, Long Island. This was the course where Bulle Rock, the most popular horse of the 18th century, raced. The Jockey Club, one of the most well known organisations these days, came into existence as long ago as 1750. Eventually horse racing spread westwards with more people migrating to newer parts. However, horse racing wasn't always as strong as it is now. Horseracing has to face some fierce legislation. The first Kentucky Derby was organized after the Civil war and was successful. Currently, the most prestigious American races include Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.
One of the most famous race horses of all times would always be Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit fascinated the Americans so much that it has inspired a novel and a movie. Seabiscuit was discovered in 1934, and won its first races in 1937. The legendary horse attracted such popularity that death threats were made against him.
In Great Britain, there are races that involve hurdles or fences called National Hunt racing and those which are unobstructed races over various distances known as flat racing. Many of the greatest jockeys have been British or Irish. British racing has rules that prevent the jockey using the whip too often. They are not allowed to raise the whip over their shoulder, stopping them hitting the horse so hard. Races are not referred to as Race 1, Race 2, etc, but by the starting time. For instance, the "2:30" or the "4:30". Each race may also have a name, which may include the name of a sponsor associated with it. Flood lighting and all-weather tracks has meant that horseracing can take place late into the evening and in all but the harshest of weather.
Probably one of the most loved British race horse was Red Rum. Red Rum achieved an unmatched historic hatrick when he won the Grand National in 1973, '74 & '77, and also came second in the two intervening years. As well as this record in the world-famous steeplechase, Red Rum was also renowned for his remarkable jumping ability, falling only once in more than 100 races. His death in October 1995 made the front pages of national newspapers.
There are a wide variety of bets and combinations you can place on races. The most common are win, where you bet the horse will win, place, where you select a horse to be 'placed' in the race (finish in the top 2, 3 or 4 depending on how many runners in the race) and each-way, which is the most popular way of betting, this is simply a 'Win' bet and a 'Place' bet on the same horse. Additionally, there are other bets where you pick who will finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a single race and various multiple bets where you select horses in a number of races.
Race horse betting has the lure of quick and easy money, a way to make money without working. Sadly, only a few people are able to do this and most lose thousands of pounds. There are however a few pro gamblers who seem to posess a sixth sense when it comes to betting on horses. Many will tell you that knowing when NOT to bet is much more important that knowing what to bet on. Some will insist however that it is their "system" or in many cases, portfolio of systems that allows them to predict with uncanny accuracy the result of any race.
