How to Pick a Winner in a Horse Race
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Whether you’re new to betting on horse races or are an experienced punter, knowing what to look for is essential. Understanding how horses race and the conditions under which they perform can give you a huge advantage when it comes to picking winners.
Horses, like human athletes, require specific conditions to produce their best. This is particularly true for distance and ground. It is important to study a horse’s past performances to determine the conditions they excel in and those under which they struggle. For example, a horse which thrives on muddy tracks may not have the same ability to win a race over a mile as a more versatile runner.
When you pick a horse for a race, make sure to check out their Racing Post Ratings. Usually found to the left of their odds, these ratings represent the opinion of experts and can give you an idea of how good a horse is likely to be. Generally speaking, the higher the Racing Post Rating, the better.
In addition to looking at a horse’s Racing Post Ratings, it is also important to look at the horses’ form and the overall shape of the race. The form of a race is a combination of several factors including the performance of previous runners, the quality of their jockeys and the track’s surface.
It is a good idea to pay attention to the weather conditions as well. A wet, muddy track is not ideal for a horse as it can cause them to tire more quickly and also increases the risk of injury. A dry and firm track, on the other hand, is more suited to a fast-running horse as it will help them get around the turn faster.
The earliest American track was established in 1665, over a century before the Founding Fathers began writing the Constitution. This elongated oval race course, located in what is now Long Island, was the first of its kind and marked the beginning of organized horse racing in America.
In 1752, after purchasing the stallion Tryal, Maryland planter John Byrd issued a challenge that was audacious by any standard: He offered 500 Spanish pistoles to anyone who could beat him in a horse race. That amount was a colossal sum, especially in the early colony where one pistole equaled the price of a cow and five hundred could furnish a mansion or buy a dozen slaves.
The exploitation of horses for commercial profit has long been considered a dark side of racing, but growing awareness has helped drive improvements in training practices for young horses, drug use and the treatment of injured and breakdown horses. Despite these efforts, many people outside of the industry are unaware that behind the romanticized facade of a horse race is a world of injuries, drug abuse and gruesome breakdowns — not to mention the slaughter of millions of American horses each year in foreign slaughterhouses.