Horse Racing Betting Sites

At Bookies Bonuses, we compare betting sites not just on the all-around experience, but also how they fare within each of the main sports. In the UK, horse racing makes up a huge part of the betting industry and that's why we have put together this guide for our readers.

Nearly half of the adults in the UK have a bet on the Grand National, but it is not just the major races and festivals that bring in the punters. You can expect a handful of UK racing cards each day, while there is also plenty of action in nations like France, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, the USA, and more.

With so much horse racing taking place and so many betting sites on which you can place your wagers, the information and lists on this page will help you determine where you'll be doing your punting.

There are many factors to consider, and we'll get into that, but below are three horse racing betting sites that tick all of the main boxes and have maintained a high standard over a long period of time.

The bookie comes equipped with plenty of horse betting markets:

• Win or E/W - your horse is 1st or finishes in the top 3, 4, or 5 (depending on the offer)
• Forecast and Tricast - you choose which horse comes first, second (and third) in that exact order
• Lengthen your Odds - you choose the distance between the first-to-finish and the second horse in lengths (1 horse = length)
• Top Finish - bet on 3 horses to finish in the top 4
• Betting Without - the favourite-to-win horse is removed and you bet on the rest
• Money Back - if your horse doesn't win, but still finishes you get cash back
• WhatOddsPaddy - custom bets
• Distance - guess the lengths between the first and the second horses
• Match Bets - if the horse you pick finishes ahead of the other, you win the bet

The Betfair horse betting markets are as follows:

• Win or E/W
• Place - your horse places or finishes in the top 3, 4, 5 or 6 positions (similar to 'Top Finish')
• Forecast and Tricast
• Lengthen your Odds
• Betting Without
• Money Back
• OddsOnThat - custom bets, similar to WhatOddsPaddy
• Distance - guess the lengths between the first and the second horses
• Match Bets

Sky Bet offers great odds across these horse betting markets:

• Win or E/W
• Forecast and Tricast
• Place
• RequestABet (similar to OddsOnThat and WhatOddsPaddy)
• Distance
• Betting Without
• Insurance (Money Back)
• Specials - Either to win, Both to Place

There are lots of horse racing betting sites in the UK, but only a select few are excellent and make it onto our lists.

Many of the classic UK bookies have been involved with horse racing for many decades and over time have refined their products, making the transition to online successfully and offering all of the key features that bettors want and finding new and exciting options for players too.

Not only must betting sites now ensure they have well-priced odds for UK racing, but they must also feature a wide range of international racing markets and offer a selection of betting promotions on a regular basis to entice punters to their site.

This is great for punters both new and ongoing, as bookmakers cannot rest on their laurels, when it comes to giving you the best betting options.

Analysis and editorial are also now a major part of the makeup of horse racing betting sites, plus livestreaming is now expected of online bookmakers.

In addition, a quality design and user experience can be the difference between a good horse racing betting site and a great one.

The staff at Bookies Bonuses are always on the lookout for the best betting offers and promotions on the market, and many of them are centred around horse racing.

Below are some of the main horse racing offers you can expect to see on online betting sites:

• Best Odds Guaranteed - with this offer if you back a horse at fixed odds and the starting price ends up being bigger, you will get paid out at the greater odds.
• Money back - there are various ways in which betting sites incorporate money-back specials. Examples include if your horse falls, finishes 2nd, or is beaten by less than a length.
• Free bets - the most common betting offer, free bets can be given out as part of a sign-up bonus or can be offered to existing customers around certain events.
• Enhanced odds - boosted prices are often seen on the top UK betting sites for horse racing. You can find some good value on single bets, and some mega prices on enhanced accas.
• Extra places - by backing a horse each way with extra places, the 'place' part of your bet has more chance of coming in. If other bookies are paying four places and you find one paying five, it might be worth going for that one.
  

Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) Times

Many of the best horse racing sites will provide this special offer: if you back a horse before the race and its odds increase (drift), you'll be paid out at the higher odds. If the odds decrease when the race starts, you'll retain your initial odds. This usually only applies to UK/Irish races.

The table below summarises some of the most popular horse bookies and their BOG times. Bet on any horses after the time shown in the table to be eligible for this promotion.

Horse racing is one of the main sports for live streaming across betting sites, especially in the UK, with some online bookies only showing racing coverage and no other events.

Betting sites are the best places to watch horse racing live as there is no delay on the feed.

When using other streaming services from broadcasters, you might be several seconds behind and this can affect your ability to trade or bet in-play.

Live betting on horse racing is only available on a few betting sites. The likes of Betfair and Bet365 are great for both live streaming and live betting, and you can do them simultaneously while races are taking place.

For punters that want to get their bets on early, it is beneficial to be registered with betting sites with ante-post horse racing odds.

Even though promotions such as Best Odds Guaranteed aren't eligible with ante-post wagers, you still might be able to get a bigger price by identifying value early on.

Major races such as the Grand National and Kentucky Derby can be found on most betting sites months in advance, but some betting sites also list smaller races days in advance, allowing users to get ante-post bets on.

Ladbrokes list many races under the 'Future' tab in their horse racing section, bet365 has an extensive dedicated ante-post menu, and Paddy Power list races long before they take place too.