Horse racing has been an integral part of cultures worldwide, especially in Ireland. As one of the country’s most popular sports, it attracts millions of fans each year. Betting on horse racing at racetracks is a long-standing tradition deeply embedded in the Irish experience.
This page provides essential information about horse racing and how to wager on it. It covers the different types of horse racing in Ireland, the various bets you can place, and what to look for when choosing winners.
Latest update 2 December 2024
As previously stated, hundreds of betting sites on horses are now available online, providing betting services to gamers in Ireland and elsewhere. However, some sites are superior to others, and it is critical to only play at the finest choice if you want to have a high-quality betting experience. So, how do you go about finding the top racing betting sites to play at? IrishLuck’s betting specialists have gone to great lengths to examine what you should look for when selecting a betting site for Irish horse race betting.
The following are some of the things we considered:
Before discussing horserace betting in Ireland, every Irish punter must first grasp how the sport operates and the many sorts of racing in Ireland. Irish Dice’s betting specialists have thoroughly researched the Irish horse racing industry, and the text below covers the many forms of horse races in Ireland.
Flat racing has no jumps and horses go between 5 and 20 furlongs. The horses in this event frequently take off from their stalls. It is also worth noting that the flat racing season in Ireland runs from mid-April to mid-November. The following are the most common forms of flat races in Ireland:
These races are for horses that have never won a race before. It is generally restricted to a specific age range. As an example, you may see a 2-year-old maiden race, a 3-year-old maiden race, and so on.
The conditions race is limited to horses who have won one or more races, races of a specified value, or races from a specific date.
The Flat Handicap event is intended to offer all horses competing equal odds of winning. Each horse is tested and scored based on its abilities relative to the other horses in the race, and horses with superior ability are weighted down/handicapped by carrying extra weight. As a result, all of the horses will perform at about the same level, providing all horses an equal chance of winning.
Listed races attract a higher calibre of horse and are for horses scoring 90 or above on a scale of 47 to 120.
The Group 3 race is a category slightly above the Listed Races, and it is for horses whose ability weighted scale is from 47 to 120.
The Group 2 event is held above the Group 3 race and is usually reserved for horses rated between 100 and 115 on the ability weighing scale.
The Group 1 race is the most prestigious and highest class race, and it comes before the Group 2 competition. It is the most popular horse racing class in Ireland and worldwide. Ireland has 12 Group 1 races, five of which are considered classics, including the 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, and St. Leger, all of which are raced at the Curragh racetrack (the home of the classics).
The National Hunt race, often known as the Jump race, features horses racing while leaping over obstacles (hurdles). Jump races are generally held over at least two miles in length. The jump races, unlike the flat races, begin with a taped barrier. The jump racing season in Ireland runs all year, however the primary season runs from November to April.
Another type of jump race is the hurdle race. Unlike the Steeplechase events, however, the Hurdle races are run over three-and-a-half foot tall obstacles that are also less robust. The race is also held on smaller grounds than Chases.
The bumper race is a type of race that incorporates flat racing under National Hunt Racing regulations (Jump racing). This event is intended to offer horses racetrack experience before making their debut and beginning a career in the national hunts, and amateur jockeys typically ride these horses. Bumpers are typically run at lengths ranging from 13 to 20 furlongs.
The Maiden Hurdle is reserved for horses that have never won a hurdle or a steeplechase.
Chases, often known as steeplechase races, include jockeys racing against one another while leaping over any obstacles in their way. This Jump race style frequently uses the tallest fences, which are generally between 4 feet, 6 inches tall and 3 feet, 4 inches wide. The Grand National, held at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England, is the most famous steeplechase event in the world. The Irish Grand National, another popular race, is held every Easter at Fairyhouse Racecourse in County Meath.
Point to point racing is the most natural kind of racing in which horses compete in a rural setting rather than on traditional racetracks. The horses in this event are raced throughout the nation through specified farmlands, over natural obstacles, and occasionally over unexplored terrain. It commonly occurs in the spring and fall.
After deciding on a bookmaker for betting on horse racing, it is critical to understand the various horse racing markets offered. As with other sports, there are a plethora of options available.
However, this sport may be unusual in the world of sports for the sheer quantity of jargon around different forms of bets. To assist newbies understand the terminology, below are some of the most frequent racing betting options – and what they are:
Betting on a place only market is identical to betting on each way, except that the half of the stake on the to win component is missing. To win the bet, backers simply need the horse to finish in the spots.
To win a prediction, bettors must correctly estimate which horses will finish first and second in a race. Many online bookies in Ireland provide reverse predictions in addition to straight forecast bets.
Each way betting on this sport consists of two bets: one on the horse to win and one on the horse to finish in the positions. The number of places paid is determined on the number of horses in the race and the bookmaker. Some betting sites provide additional place races. When betting either way, keep in mind that the stake is twice.
This is a Bet365 deal in which horse racing fans can add extra places to their each way bets in return for a price discount.
Betting on on this sport through the Tote is not the same as betting through a bookmaker or a typical betting site. Instead of the bookmaker keeping the money, all bets are placed in a central pot, with winners earning a portion of the total sum.
If the horse does not win but instead finishes in the spots, the bookmaker will return the wager. As a result, the horse racing odds for an insurebet or cover bet wager are typically lower than the odds for supporting a horse just to win.
The patent is similar to a trixie bet, but on a much larger scale. The patent covers seven bets: three singles, three doubles, and a triple. This implies that even if only one of the horses wins, the supporter will get a return on their investment.
This is a horse racing bet that consists of four selections: three doubles and a treble. If just one of the three horses wins, the wager is a loser; however, if two horses win, the bet may be profitable, depending on the odds of the selections.
The Lucky 31 operates in a similar manner, but with one additional horse. The bet thus has 31 separate lines: five singles, ten doubles, ten trebles, five four-fold accumulators, and a five-fold accumulator to top it out.
Winner markets are a good place to start since they are simple to grasp. This is simply a wager on a horse to reach the finish line first, nothing more.
A tricast is similar, but that the first three horses in the race must be chosen.
When betting on the sans favourite market, the horse with the lowest current price is excluded. When there is a clear favourite in a race, this might be a popular bet.
Matched bets are becoming increasingly popular as a risk-free technique to generate money from online betting. This strategy is utilising free bets and betting exchanges to cover all possible outcomes of a race in order to lock in a guaranteed profit no matter what happens.
It is betting on one horse to win a race.
A second horse is added to a double to increase the possible price.
Accumulator bets are popular in horse racing, as they are in other sports such as football. The greater the number of horses included, the greater the potential winnings. On the other hand, accumulators with many horses are extremely difficult to win.
This is a four-horse wager. The Yankee consists of 11 bets: six doubles, four trebles, and a four-fold accumulator. When betting on an option, such as the Yankee or the patent, keep in mind that the stake is increased by the number of lines.
A Lucky 15 bet on horse racing is the same as a Yankee bet, but with four singles on each of the picks. This implies that Lucky 15 bettors will at least get something back even if just one of the horses wins. A Lucky 15 bet can also be backed either way, which increases the stake even more.
All major online bookmakers offer a placepot, which is a popular form of horse racing wager in Ireland since it gives the possibility of winning a large sum of money for a little stake. Backers of the placepot choose a horse they believe will finish in the top six in six pre-selected races. If all six finish in the top six, winners earn a portion of the money, similar to the Tote stated before.
Horse races, like other sports, do not usually have a clear winner until the last round. However, there are key characteristics that most fans examine before betting on any horse. These characteristics are frequently used as suggestions to assist experienced bettors in selecting a winner from a field of several horses in a race.
Another important factor that Irish bettors and tipsters examine when predicting the outcome of a racing event is the horses’ age. In general, the optimal age for a horse to be in peak condition is between the ages of seven and 10. As a result, the further a horse is from this threshold, the less probable it is to win over the finest horses. Older horses in good condition, on the other hand, can still win.
It is vital to examine the jockeys alongside the horse in this racing since it is the combination of the horse’s abilities, endurance, power, and ability, as well as the jockey riding the horse, that determines the outcome of any event. As a result, Irish punters must assess the jockey’s degree of expertise and whether or not the rider can handle their horses successfully.
Distances in horse racing events vary, and most horses have a limit to how far they can run before their endurance begins to fail. Another apparent issue to consider in this betting is the distance travelled. As a result, you must examine if your option has a chance of winning based on stamina and the distance that it must traverse.
“A teacher is only as good as his pupil,” as the adage goes, and the same is true for horse race training. Top-rated trainers who take good care of their horses and exercise them on a regular basis will naturally develop top-quality horses that will win races. Another factor our Irish Luck gurus advise you to look out for when betting on horse races is the horses’ trainers. Who is the instructor? Have they previously achieved a lot of success?
One of the first things our Irish Dice betting specialists recommend you look into before betting on any horse is the horse’s prior race results. Looking up this information will provide you with important facts about the horse, such as its winning track record and past race performance. Is the horse’s position in the event usually relatively high, or does it fluctuate? This information is frequently used by Irish tipsters and punters to forecast the horse’s performance in future races.
Another important factor to examine before betting on any horse race is the horses’ current form. You must investigate the horse’s fitness condition as well as any previous injuries.
Betting on horses, like any other type of gambling, is a game of chance and probability. So, in addition to what we spoke about what to look for when placing bets on horse races, our betting specialists at Irish Dice have prepared a few betting tips that we feel will be beneficial for you while engaging in betting online in this sport. Of course, these recommendations do not guarantee anything, but they will increase any punter’s chances of winning greatly.
Betting on horse races via online betting companies and betting apps is an exciting pastime. This tutorial teaches all you need to know about horse races and how you can bet on it in detail. Even if you can’t make it to the Curragh to watch the classics, you can still have fun betting on horse races from the comfort of your own home. That being said, have fun while gambling sensibly and keep an eye on your cash.
There are several forms of bets on horse racing, but the most common online are two-way bets, straight bets (win, place, show, across the board), and exotic wagers (forecast, reverse forecast, trifecta, reverse trifecta, superfecta, reverse trifecta, etc.).
To comprehend this betting, you must first learn about the regulations, different races, and bet kinds. The first step is to read the preceding instruction, which covers all you need to know about horse race betting.
Payouts in horse racing, like other sports betting, are decided by the odds of the event gambled on and the amount invested on the bet.
Yes, it is a culture profoundly established in Irish customs, thus it is not strange to permit betting on this sport in Ireland. Races may be gambled on at racetracks or online through horse racing betting sites.
Yes. This event will be cancelled on rare situations when a turf course is too damp or considered unplayable to safeguard the animals.
Brazil
Canada
Crypto
India
Netherlands