Not Only Sport

Archive for the ‘Horse racing’ Category

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Horse racing is a sport that has captivated spectators for centuries with its brief but intense displays of willpower, finesse, and brute strength. Months and months of preparation are made worthless or “worth it” within a couple quick minutes as horse. More than perhaps any other sport, horse racing has lent itself to the world of gambling. While plenty of part-time enthusiasts just show up and throw their money down on what feels good, there are many others who take betting on horses quite seriously and, rather than approaching it as a game of luck, see it as an opportunity to calculate risks and find value. For these discerning punters, the racing form is the holy grail and the key to it all.

Most people are familiar with Thoroughbred horse racing. This is because the three most popular American Thoroughbred horse races are televised every year and include the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, otherwise known as the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown races are run on a flat, dirt track. In most instances, the horses will pace themselves and finish the race with a powerful surge of speed. There are some instances where a horse will have enough speed that they will be able to win the race from the starting gate to the finish line.

Thoroughbred horse racing is something which most of us have some familiarity with, largely thanks to the three biggest Thoroughbred horse races being televised each year. These three are the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, collectively known as the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

All three of the Thoroughbred Triple Crown races have one thing in common: the track which is used for the race. All three are run on a flat dirt track. Horses in the Triple Crown will usually pace themselves until near the finish, saving a surge of incredible speed in the effort to win the race. However, some horses have had so much speed that they have held the starting position from the second they came out of the gate until the finish line!

Thoroughbred horse racing is something which most of us have some familiarity with, largely thanks to the three biggest Thoroughbred horse races being televised each year. These three are the Preakness, the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, collectively known as the Thoroughbred Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown races are run on a flat, dirt track. In most instances, the horses will pace themselves and finish the race with a powerful surge of speed. There are some instances where a horse will have enough speed that they will be able to win the race from the starting gate to the finish line.

I’ve been looking over my betting years, looking at those bets that could have come in, didn’t come in, and those that really did come in. You certainly do remember those that come in – those that make a huge difference to the size of your wallet. Here are my favourite ever betting moments, in reverse order:

I have such fond memories of Arc Sundays. This year, I won’t be going along but the first Sunday of October represents the end of summer and the start of winter for me, an ex-Parisian ex-pat who goes back to 98 and Sagamix. I remember Sakhee, Dalakhani, Bago, Hurricane Run and what on earth happened last year with Dylan Thomas? I still haven’t understood that one – but some day the system has to break!

This year’s Arc looks like it will be huge – there’s massive money on offer, and an array of talented 3-year olds that would make the Derby blush.

Thoroughbred horse racing is one of the most popular kinds of horse racing and is enjoyed by fans all over the world. One of the most exciting things about Thoroughbred horse racing is the opportunity for spectators and fans to place bets on the outcome and win money. Something not known by many is that there are a lot of different ways to bet on Thoroughbred horse races.

The old fashioned method of placing wagers on Thoroughbred horse racing is to go in person to the race track where the event is to take place and place bets at the ticket window. There are pros and cons to betting in this way on Thoroughbred horse racing.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic is the highlight of the two day Breeders’ Cup event.

This Grade I stakes race is for Thoroughbreds three years old and older. The race is a 1 miles and is considered to be the premier Thoroughbred race of the year. The purse is a whopping $5 million.

Since there is such a large prize to be won, competitors enter the race from every corner of the world. There are some restrictions in place on weight and age in order to make sure the race is a fair one.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t back horses without form. Look at the Arc – every winner I ever picked was on form. This year’s St. Leger is proof that perhaps I should stay away – but wait – there’s one horse in there who looks the part.

Frozen Fire and Look Here are the two favourites with the bookies, despite having a quiet summer. Frozen Fire won the Irish Derby well, but Irish Derby winners are often only winners of the Irish Derby and little else. I don’t think Frozen Fire is worth 2/1.

A gambling pro won’t let on, but I will – a gambling pro will never gamble. They play percentages, which requires study of both the horse’s past – and the race’s past. You won’t catch a pro picking a horse because the name resembles that of his favourite cat!

Horse racing has had a dodgy track record of late. Kieron Fallon hardly graced the sport having ‘thrown’ a race that his horse seemed to have won easily. At the lower end of the spectrum, horse racing is full of dodgy deals, and when the stakes are low, the risks are high. If the winnings for a race are just 1000, then why not be a little more devious? They’ll never find out! I never put money on these races.