Horse racing betting probably started as soon as two people decided to find out about whose horse runs faster. But it debuted as an industry in England during the 1600’s. In 2019 the UK, US, Canada and Australia were contributing a bit more than a half of the global 300 Bn horse racing market. Making the question “how do you bet on horse racing” very popular in the betting community.
Major UK Horse Racing Events You Can Bet on in 2025
1. Summer Plate Ladies Day — Jump
Date: 16 July
Venue: Market Rasen racecourse, England.
The hippodrome capacity is 15000 and tickets start from 12£. More info and tickets can be found here.
2. King George Weekend — Flat
Dates: 23-24 July
Venue: Ascot racecourse in Ascot, England
The hippodrome capacity is 40000 (for Flat races) and tickets start from 20£. More info and tickets can be found here.
3. Qatar Goodwood Festival aka The Glorious Goodwood — Flat
Dates: 26-30 July
Venue: Goodwood Racecourse in West Sussex, England.
Racing event encompasses 3 major races: Qatar Sussex Stakes, Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and King George Qatar Stakes. The hippodrome capacity is around 30000 and tickets start from 25£. More info and tickets can be found here.
4. York Ebor Festival — Flat
Dates: 17-20 August
Venue: York Racecourse, York, England.
One of the last major Flat events in the season. It encompasses 10 major races: the Lowther Stakes, the Gimcrack Stakes, Juddmonte International, the Acomb Stakes, the Yorkshire Oaks, the Nunthorpe Stakes, the Ebor Handicap, the Great Voltigeur Stakes, the Strensall Stakes and the Lonsdale Cup. The hippodrome capacity is 60000 and tickets start from 15£. More info and tickets can be found here.
5. Summer Celebration at Sandown Park — Flat
Date: 20 August
Venue: Sandown Park, Surrey, England.
An event featuring the Betway Solario Stakes race. The hippodrome capacity is 72000 and tickets start from 15£. More info and tickets can be found here.
6. Sprint Cup Celebration — Flat
Dates: 2-4 September
Venue: Haydock Park, Lancashire, England.
The hippodrome capacity is 20000 and tickets start from 20£. More info and tickets can be found here.
7. St Leger Day — Flat
Date: 10 September
Venue: Doncaster Racecourse, Doncaster, England. The hippodrome capacity is 50000 and tickets start from 20£. More info and tickets can be found here.
8. Dubai Future Champions Festival — Flat
Dates: 7-8 October
Venue: Newmarket Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk, England.
The major races are Cesarewitch Handicap, Darley Dewhurst Stakes and bet365 Fillies’ Mile. The hippodrome capacity is 20000 and tickets start from 18.05£. More info and tickets can be found here.
9. The Showcase 2025 — Jump
Dates: 21-22 October
Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, England.
Racing event, featuring 14 Steeplechase and Hurdle races. The hippodrome capacity is 67500 and the ticket price is to be decided. More info and tickets can be found here.
10. Boyle Sports Autumn Raceday — Jump
Date: 5 November
Venue: Aintree, Liverpool, England.
The hippodrome capacity is 75000 and tickets start from 20£. More info and tickets can be found here.
11. The November Meeting 2025 — Jump
Dates: 11-13 November
Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, England.
Features 3 major races: Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase, Unibet Greatwood Hurdle and Mucking Brilliant Paddy Power Handicap Chase. The hippodrome capacity is 67500 and the ticket price is to be decided. More info and tickets can be found here.
12. Betfair Tingle Creek Festival — Jump
Dates: 2-3 December
Venue: Sandown Park, Surrey, England.
Includes 3 major races: Winter Novices’ Hurdle, Henry VIII Novices’ Chase and Betfair Tingle Creek Chase. The hippodrome capacity is 72000 and ticket price is to be decided, but hospitality packages can be booked from 169£. More info and tickets can be found here.
13. The International 2025 — Jump
Dates: 9-10 December
Venue: Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, England.
Consists from 4 major races: The International Gold Cup, Unibet Handicap Steeple Chase, Unibet International Hurdle and Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase. The hippodrome capacity is 67500 and the ticket price is to be decided. More info and tickets can be found here.
14. Christmas Raceday at Exeter — Jump
Date: 15 December
Venue: Exeter Racecourse, Devon, England.
The hippodrome capacity is 75000 and the ticket price is to be decided. More info and tickets can be found here.
15. Ladbrokes Christmas Festival — Jump
Dates: 26-27 December
Venue: Kempton Park Racecourse, Surrey, England.
Features 4 major races: The Desert Orchid Chase, Mare’s Handicap Hurdle Race, King George VI SteepleChase and Wayward Lad Novices’ SteepleChase. The hippodrome capacity is 22000 and the ticket price is to be decided. More info and tickets can be found here.
16. Coral Welsh Grand National — Jump
Dates: December, yet to be confirmed
Venue: Chepstow Racecourse, Chepstow, Wales.
The hippodrome capacity is 20000 and tickets start from 33£. More info and tickets can be found here.
Where to Know Horse Race Results in the UK and Around the World
If you wish updated about the latest horse race results — here are some reputable websites with up to date info:
-
BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/horse-racing/uk-ireland/results
-
At The Races: https://www.attheraces.com/results
-
Sporting Life: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/results
-
Racing Post: https://www.racingpost.com/fast-results/
-
Timeform: https://www.timeform.com/horse-racing/results/today
Where to Watch Horse Racing Previews and Highlights
We have gathered some Youtube channels that cover horse races.
-
At the Races: https://www.youtube.com/c/attheraces
-
World Horse Racing: https://www.youtube.com/c/WorldHorseRacing
-
Racing TV: https://www.youtube.com/c/RacingTV
-
Oddschecker: https://www.youtube.com/c/oddschecker
-
Racing Post: https://www.youtube.com/user/racingpostdotcom
Horse Racing Types You Can Bet On
Currently there are 4 major kinds of horse races that make the majority of the UK horse betting market.
-
Flat racing. Exactly what it says on the tin — horses are competing on a flat surface lacking any obstacles on a distance from 0,625 miles (5 furlongs) to 2,75 miles ( 2 miles and 6 furlongs).
-
Jump racing. This includes Steeplechase and Hurdle racing. While there are major differences between the two in terms of obstacle size (Steeplechase ones are higher) and tempo (Hurdle events are generally more fast-paced), both event types are united by the fact that horses have to jump to complete the distance at the hippodrome.
-
Harness racing. This includes two types of races distinctive by the gait of the horse: trotting or pacing. Here instead of a jockey on horseback, horses are guided by a driver from a sulky.
-
Endurance racing. This race type is meant to test the horse’s and jockey’s ability to endure long distances — typically 50 miles, but sometimes extending up to 248 miles in multiple day events.
There are some other types of horse races, but the majority of the best horse racing betting sites and tips about how to bet on horse racing extensively cover only these 4. Or, most likely, the first 2 of the 4.
TOP-10 Leading Sires in Europe
Horses that can frequently win races may cost a fortune, but can bring much more in prize money. Here are the most successful horses in Europe in terms of prize money earned.
|
Sire |
Dam |
Damsire |
Rnrs |
Starts |
Wnrs |
Wins |
Win % |
Stkswnrs |
Stkswins |
Earnings |
||
|
1 |
Dubawi (IRE) 2002 |
Dubai Millennium |
Zomaradah |
Deploy |
167 |
417 |
78 |
109 |
46.7 |
20 |
23 |
£4,252,487 |
|
2 |
Frankel (GB) 2008 |
Galileo |
Kind |
Danehill |
162 |
463 |
63 |
85 |
38.88 |
17 |
20 |
£3,806,128 |
|
3 |
Sea The Stars (IRE) 2006 |
Cape Cross |
Urban Sea |
Miswaki |
153 |
405 |
60 |
79 |
39.21 |
12 |
14 |
£2,688,508 |
|
4 |
Dark Angel (IRE) 2005 |
Acclamation |
Midnight Angel |
Machiavellian |
275 |
996 |
105 |
137 |
38.18 |
6 |
7 |
£2,446,733 |
|
5 |
Galileo (IRE) 1998 |
Sadler's Wells |
Urban Sea |
Miswaki |
125 |
313 |
37 |
49 |
29.6 |
12 |
15 |
£2,359,554 |
|
6 |
Lope de Vega (IRE) 2007 |
Shamardal |
Lady Vettori |
Vettori |
209 |
743 |
81 |
111 |
38.75 |
11 |
12 |
£2,093,565 |
|
7 |
Kodiac (GB) 2001 |
Danehill |
Rafha |
Kris |
304 |
1100 |
93 |
119 |
30.59 |
5 |
5 |
£2,001,238 |
|
8 |
Churchill (IRE) 2014 |
Galileo |
Meow |
Storm Cat |
97 |
297 |
42 |
57 |
43.29 |
3 |
5 |
£1,951,041 |
|
9 |
Nathaniel (IRE) 2008 |
Galileo |
Magnificient Style |
Silver Hawk |
112 |
346 |
33 |
42 |
29.46 |
3 |
4 |
£1,817,692 |
|
10 |
Siyouni (FR) 2007 |
Pivotal |
Sichilla |
Danehill |
198 |
629 |
69 |
90 |
34.84 |
5 |
5 |
£1,564,362 |
Get Horse Betting Tips from Tipsters to Increase the Chance of a Winning Bet
Knowing how to place a bet on horse racing is just a half of the deal. Winning more than you lose is the hard part and that is why one of the best ways to bid on horse racing is with the help from tipsters.
Horse racing tipsters are people who know all the ins and outs about horse racing betting in the UK or any other country to the point that they are able to predict the event results with high accuracy. In short — know how to bet on horse racing and win.
The difference between the best horse racing tipsters and ordinary successful punters is that the former are willing to share their thoughts about the possible outcome to a broader punter audience either for money or for free.
The better the tipster — the better the track record of successful bets. There are many websites that promote tipsters, listing their track record and the amount of money they have earned. The best horse racing tipsters in the UK often have their own websites, blogs or at least Twitter accounts.
At a first glance choosing a tipster is easy. But it is not. One may have a strong track record built over a decade. But what about the slippage between the seasons? Length of winning/losing streaks?
Here are some tips for choosing a professional horse racing tipster:
-
Be sure that the stats are real. Tipster platforms require track record verification, so it is better to search there.
-
Mind the tipster’s country and timezone. This really matters as bet suggestions are usually sent the night before the event and you might be late because either the race has started or the odds have changed. Also the tipster might have access to the betting platform that you don’t have or vice versa.
-
Choose only those who specialise in the events you are into. Pretty obvious — if you are a fan of Jump racing events — find a Jump horse racing tipster.
-
Listen to your inner voice telling whether the tipster looks trustworthy. It actually matters a lot because you need to trust your tipster to follow his moves. So don’t look at the winnings alone.
The Best Horse Racing Tipsters You Can Find on Twitter
-
Hugh Taylor: https://twitter.com/HughRacing
-
Kevin Blake: https://twitter.com/kevinblake2011
-
Get Your Tips Out: https://twitter.com/getyourtipsout
-
My Racing Tips: https://twitter.com/myracingtips
-
Betinfo24 Racing Tips: https://twitter.com/Betinfo24UK
-
Andy Holding: https://twitter.com/holding_andy
-
Horse Racing Tips 2025: https://twitter.com/ThatsRacingTips
-
Real Racing Bets: https://twitter.com/RealRacingBet
-
Spank The Bookies: https://twitter.com/SpankTheBookies
Betting on Horse Racing: Understanding the Racing Card
In order to anticipate the results and know who to bet on, horse racing, as any established sport, has its own language you have to understand. Here is a racing card taken from a newspaper and showing top jockeys for a Newmarket racing event:
|
Wins-Rides |
Jockeys |
Wins-Rides |
All Rides GBP 1 Stake |
Course Rides Since Win |
||
|
19-91 |
21% |
Robert Havlin 5 |
2-16 |
13% |
-17.81 |
12 |
|
9-44 |
20% |
Pat Dobbs 3 |
7-26 |
27% |
+31.88 |
7 |
|
9-57 |
16% |
Pat Cosgrave 5 |
4-13 |
31% |
-13.43 |
4 |
|
9-59 |
15% |
Josephine Gordon 3 |
0-1 |
0% |
+66.13 |
0 |
|
7-65 |
11% |
Hayley Turner 3 |
1-3 |
33% |
+1.00 |
0 |
|
7-76 |
9% |
Silvestre de Sousa 7 |
0-1 |
0% |
-3.40 |
11 |
|
4-28 |
14% |
Ray Dawson 3 |
0-1 |
0% |
-10.00 |
19 |
|
3-29 |
10% |
Thore Hammer Hansen 2 |
0-0 |
0% |
-18.15 |
17 |
|
3-56 |
5% |
Tom Queally 1 |
0-6 |
0% |
-35.00 |
9 |
|
2-9 |
22% |
Barry McHugh 1 |
2-2 |
100% |
+13.00 |
3 |
|
2-36 |
6% |
Nicola Currie 2 |
0-1 |
0% |
-22.50 |
5 |
|
2-38 |
5% |
Stevie Donohoe 3 |
0-1 |
0% |
-23.50 |
13 |
|
1-2 |
50% |
Saffie Osborne 3 |
0-1 |
0% |
+21.00 |
0 |
|
1-5 |
20% |
Callum Hutchinson 2 |
0-0 |
0% |
-1.00 |
2 |
|
1-7 |
14% |
Neil Callan 5 |
1-1 |
100% |
+16.00 |
6 |
|
1-9 |
11% |
Grace McEntee 1 |
1-7 |
14% |
-3.50 |
1 |
|
1-31 |
3% |
Darragh Keenan 4 |
1-1 |
100% |
-16.00 |
18 |
|
0-7 |
0% |
Thomas Greatrex 3 |
0-0 |
0% |
-7.00 |
7 |
|
0-6 |
0% |
Dylan Hogan 1 |
0-0 |
0% |
-6.00 |
6 |
|
0-0 |
0% |
Mickael Barzalona 5 |
0-0 |
0% |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0-0 |
0% |
Harry Davies 6 |
0-0 |
0% |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0-0 |
0% |
Kaiya Fraser 1 |
0-0 |
0% |
0.00 |
0 |
|
0-0 |
0% |
Mohammed Tabti 1 |
0-0 |
0% |
0.00 |
0 |
The first column shows the total number of horse races during the jockey’s career and how many there were won.
The second column shows the relative amount of jockey’s wins to the total number of races as a percentage.
The third column displays the jockey’s name.
The fourth column shows the jockey’s total number of races and wins at Newmarket horse races.
The fifth column shows the relative amount of jockey’s wins at Newmarket to the total number of completed horse races at this course as a percentage.
The sixth column shows how much you could have won or lost from your bets on a particular jockey employing the Level Stakes Profit betting method.
The seventh column shows how many races the jockey has completed at Newmarket hippodrome since the last win. 0 can indicate that the jockey has either won the last race at the course or that he/she has never won.
There are more complex race card formats giving more information about the horses like age, weight, performance on a particular course, jockey's recent form etc. If you are interested in digging through and analysing large amounts of information to truly master the art of how to put a bet on horse racing and build your own betting strategy — then there is no other choice like the path of trial and error.
But what if you wish to wager on horses as a leisure, but still have a high chance of win?
Where to Place Bet on Horse Racing in the UK
There are 5 major ways to bet on horse racing:
-
Make a Tote bet at the hippodrome. Tote bets of the same type (like on a particular horse, jockey etc.) form a cumulative pool from which the prize gets distributed among the bettors depending on the outcome of the event and a part of the pool goes to the Tote as the organiser. The less people betting on the horse you are betting on — the more you get in case it wins.
-
Place a bet at the betting shop. The first advantage is that you can immediately cash out your winnings in real money. The second is that offline bookies are ready to offer unique bonus and promotions not available offline. And the third is for those enjoying the vibe of the place and the company of like minded people around to discuss something or just give a confidence boost.
-
Bet on horse racing online betting sites. Great if you wish to wager in privacy or bet on virtual horse racing — computer-simulated events emulating real horse races. We have gathered the best online sportsbooks as well as British online casinos with sportsbook features where you can bet on horse racing events around the world.
-
Bet via a smartphone betting app. While this option seems similar to the previous one, apps offer more flexibility and convenience when you wish to bet on the go from your phone. Such apps may have an enhanced bonus program in comparison to the main site. Or be paired with slots and casino games so you could pass the time waiting for your bets to play. You can find the best app to bet on horse racing here.
-
Contact a betting agent. Probably the best way if you do not wish to learn how to bet on horse racing online, always want the best odds and access to specific bookmakers from a restricted country.
Wish to know, how can you bet on horse racing in Texas without being an American? Betting agent will help.
For example, if you are in Asia but wish to bet on the horse races in the UK (or elsewhere), you can do it through our betting agent — Irish Courier. We have close ties with the Irish betting companies, meaning you can bet up to 1000 EUR via a convenient payment system. Call us +3532006454 and make your bet.
Remember about the legal age to bet on horse racing, UK laws require you to be 18 to do this.