Horse racing betting

A win bet needs your horse to finish first. An each-way bet is two equal bets in one: one on the horse to win, one on it to place. You stake both, so a 10 each-way bet costs 20.

The place part pays a fraction of the odds if the horse finishes in the places. Terms are shown on every race. Here is a worked example at the usual terms, one quarter of the odds for the first three places, on a horse at 9.00 (8/1):

The place price is 1 + (9.00 − 1) × 1/4 = 3.00. Small fields pay fewer places: we show the terms of each race, and a field too small for places is win-only.

Each runner has a saddle cloth number, jockey colours (the silks), a jockey and trainer, recent form (finishing positions, most recent last), age, weight carried and the draw (starting stall).

Form “1-2-1” means a win, a second and a win in the last three runs. The going (good, soft, firm) describes how fast the ground is, and some horses are much better on one kind than another.

Races run round the course with the rails on both sides. The winning post is the line that decides every result. Furlong poles count down the home straight: a furlong is an eighth of a mile.

If a horse is withdrawn before the race, your stake on it is refunded in full, and for an each-way bet both parts come back.