Horse Racing Betting Sites

There is no certain answer to this question but the bookies listed on this page are all among the best for different reasons. Betfair arguably offers the best option for great odds and lay bets on the Exchange, while those looking for plenty of offers and promotions should give QuinnBet a try, with everything from money-back specials, extra places and enhanced odds available every day.

The main bet types within horse racing are very straightforward. You can back a horse to win or place an each-way bet which means you are betting half your stake on it to win, and the other half on it to place (finish in the top 3, 4, 5, or however many places are specified).

Of course, picking winners is far from easy, and you should study the form before locking in your selections. There is plenty of guidance available, while sites such as bet365 allow users to watch previous runs by horses, via the racecard itself.

Absolutely - many UK bookmakers offer live streaming on horse racing. For some races, you'll need to place a bet in order to view it, whereas others are made available for free to logged in users.

There are many race types and class levels that horses can race in, with the below list highlighting the higher echelons of both flat and national hunt racing.

Flat Races

Group 1,2,3: The pinnacle of flat racing, with Group 1 races home to the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the Derby and St Leger. Horses all race at the same weight, although fillies can get a small weight allowance depending on the contest itself.

Listed Race: Sitting just below the Group level contests, these can either be handicapped or non-handicapped, with famous examples including the Rockingham Stakes at York and the Chesham Stakes at Ascot.

Handicap Class 1 & 2: Handicaps are determined by a horse's ranking, which is based upon previous runs, with weight added accordingly to "level" the playing field. The top two classes are home to some of the most popular races in the UK, including the Ebor at York and Ayr Gold Cup.

Jump Races

Grade 1: This is the very pinnacle of the National Hunt racing, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most famous example of this level of race.

Handicap: Although technically not as highly regarded as Grade 1, the very top of the handicap ratings does bring us the most famous race in the world, the Grand National, which is classed as a premier handicap contest.

For major UK races, there may not be much disparity between bookmakers' odds, but it is worth shopping around and checking each site for the best price and each way terms. For win only bets, you might find the best odds on the Betfair Exchange.

In the UK, the biggest horse racing events include the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, Royal Ascot, and the Epsom Derby. These meetings generally attract the most punters. Globally, the Dubai World Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Pegasus World Cup are also hugely popular events to bet upon.

Yes, there are many free bet offers and other betting promotions on horse racing betting sites. You can find many of them on this page, and also in the 'Promotions' section of each of the betting sites we have listed.

A maiden race is the easiest to understand, with participants in this contest, having so far never won a competitive race in that discipline. This applies to flat, hurdle and chase races, with weight conditions placed on the runners based on their sex. If a runner has won on the flat, they will still be eligible to run a hurdle or chase contest and visa versa.

Novice races are for runners who have a little more experience, these races are open to runners who are eligible to run in a maiden, have not won more than a single race at Class 2 or 3 level and have not run more than twice unless they have won as previously stated.

Over hurdles or fences, this is slightly different, with horses eligible for novice events throughout the season, if they had not won the previous season in that discipline, although runners will be subject to weight penalties with each win. Once the new season begins, they are not eligible for these contests.

Handicap races are one the most common contests in horse racing, with all competitors allotted a rating, based upon previous performances. Based upon their rating, each horse in the race is allotted a set weight which is added to their saddle.

A horse that is rated 100, will carry more than a horse rated 90 and so on, with the idea of making the race more competitive overall and allowing horses of lesser ability to potentially win, based on this equalising system, with horse ratings fluctuating over time.