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Horse Racing |
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Horse Racing dates
back thousands of years but around 600 B.C. the saddle and stirrup were
invented which allowed good horse-back riding.
 Since that time horses have been bred to race as their main point of
existance.
' ...bookmakers grew up around horse racing, which still
accounts for over 70% of the industry's turnover. Wagers have been struck at
racing in York, Doncaster, and Chester since the sixteenth century, but the
first known professional bookmaker was a Harry Ogden, who worked at Newmarket
Heath in 1794. In 1853, betting houses were banned, and for a hundred years
only those who attended race meetings could place cash bets. Otherwise punters
had to use credit, and to communicate with their 'turfaccountant' by letter,
telephone, or telegram.....' john haigh - taking
chances
There are 59 racecourses in Britain, staging two
'codes' of horseracing, flat racing and jump racing, both of which take place
all year round. Sixteen courses race only on the flat, twenty-four only over
jumps, and nineteen under both codes, including racing on artificial surfaces
at three All-Weather tracks. |
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| Basics |
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| There are Flat races with
no obstacles and there are those with steeplechase fences called Jump
races. |
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Flat racing reaches
its peak in the Summer and Autumn and features the five Classics (2000
Guineas, 1000 Guineas. Oaks,
 Derby and St Leger) as well
as a number of major meetings such as Royal Ascot featuring some of the world's
most valuable thoroughbreds. The leading jockeys are people like Frankie
Dettori or Pat Eddery.
Jump racing over steeplechase fences or
hurdles, starts quietly during the summer months and reaches its climax with
the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival in March and the Grand
National at Aintree a few weeks later. Though on a different scale the other
side of jump racing has a distinct charm all of its own with many small tracks
staging meetings that have a very strong local feel.
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| A Day
Out |
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At many courses
there is a dress code for the Members' Enclosure which, for example, may
require a man to wear a jacket and tie. Indeed, for some people dressing up is
all part of the fun of going racing. If in doubt, do not hesitate to
 telephone the course for guidance. The key to dressing
for the races is not so much style as comfort: there's no point in looking
terribly fashionable if you're freezing cold as the sun goes down. To enjoy a
day's racing to the full may require a good deal of walking around, so give
particular thought to your footwear.
What to take
You will
probably want to take with you a newspaper for a list of the runners or the
Racing Post provides in-depth information, and enough money to get you through
the day! A few courses have banks which will cash you a cheque, and you can
purchase Tote betting vouchers at any course by cheque or credit card. If you
take a camera you must disarm the flash, as flash photography can upset the
horses (which will in turn upset many of your fellow racegoers). You will not
normally be allowed to take food and drink (including alcohol) into the
enclosures (unless picnicking in a Course Enclosure), but you will find a wide
selection on sale inside.
Which enclosure?
Top
of the range is Members or Club Enclosure ,for the use of annual
members of that course (like season ticket holders at a soccer ground) but
usually available to non-members for a daily charge. The cost varies depending
on the course and the nature of the occasion - the average is around £12
to £15, but perhaps double that on the day of a very big race. For big
meetings you can often book in advance (and for some it is essential to do so).
The Members Enclosure - admittance to which is by a small cardboard
badge which you should keep displayed - has the best viewing and the best
facilities, and your badge allows you to take advantage of all the facilities
in the next enclosure down, usually called Tattersalls or
Grandstand and Paddock (popularly known as 'Tatts'). Here, for an
entrance charge in the region of £8 to £10 (higher at major
meetings), you will have access to the parade ring and winner's enclosure
(where the horses can be seen at close quarters) as well as a good view of the
track and extensive eating, drinking and betting facilities. The presence of
the bookies gives Tatts - usually the largest enclosure on the course - its
characteristic hubbub and atmosphere. On the rail which divides Tatts from
Members are to be found the 'rails bookmakers', who bet - mostly on credit and
without displaying their odds on boards - with some of the heavy hitters among
the punting fraternity.
The Silver Ring or Course
Enclosure is the cheapest (around £3 to £5), at most courses
without access to the parade ring and winner's enclosure, but with betting and
catering facilities. Cars are allowed in the Course Enclosure at some
racecourses and picnicking is a very popular pastime.
Children up to the
age of sixteen are admitted free to all racecourses if accompanied by an adult
(there are age restrictions in the Members Enclosure at some courses).
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| The
Races |
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At the head of each race
listed in the racecard will be details for that event, including the prize
money on offer, and it may be helpful to know the different categories of
race.
Conditions Race (or
Weight-for-Age) - The horses carry specified weights according to such factors
as age, sex, whether they have won before or the nature of the races they have
won.
Handicap - This is a contest in which the weight each horse
is to carry is individually allotted (by the official handicapper) according to
past performance,
the theoretical object being to equalise the chances of all horses in the race.
A Nursery is a handicap for two-year-olds. A Rated Stakes on the
flat or a Limited Handicap in jump racing is one in which the range of
weights is kept narrow: this encourages the participation of high-class horses,
who will not have to make large concessions to other runners.
Selling Race - Directly after a Selling Race the winner is
offered at public auction - a highly interesting and often entertaining sight
for racegoers.
Maiden Race - These are for horses that have not
won a race yet.
Jump
Racing
Novices Race (hurdle or steeplechase), for horses
which have not won a hurdle or chase respectively before 1 May of the previous
season;
National Hunt Flat Race (popularly known as a 'bumper'), in
which prospective jumping horses race without the inconvenience of having to
clear obstacles;
Hunter Chase for horses which have been regularly
hunted. . |
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| The
Horses |
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Filly - female
horse up to four years old
Foal - horse of either sex from the
time of its birth until 1 January the following year. All racehorses are given
the nominal birthday of January 1st. Thus a "two-year-old" born in June and one
born in January of the same year are considered to be of the same age for the
purposes of satisfying the conditions of some races re: weight carried. In
reality, the January horse may be considered to have a significant advantage in
terms of physical development at this early stage in its
career.
Gelding - castrated horse
Jolly - betting parlance for the
favourite in a race - the horse with the shortest odds
Juvenile -
two-year-old horse
Maiden - horse which has not won a
race
Mare - female horse five years and over
Plater
- horse which usually runs in selling races
Schooled - trained
to jump
Sire - father of a horse
Yearling - horse
of either sex from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its
birth |
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| The
Form |
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Form is information about
a horse's past performances and data about the going, the course, weight
carried, style of running, jockey, time the race took to run, distance of the
race, distances between the horses at the finish, and
 more
DISTANCE
Horses have an ideal range of distances over which they run
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GOING
The 'going' is the state of the ground - ranging from
firm to heavy - and many horses run better on one particular surface than on
others.
CLASS
Form is relative, and running fifth in the
Derby would be better-class form than winning a very minor
race
TIME
Although horses do not race against the clock, the
time of a race can be highly significant when measured against the standard for
course and distance
COURSE
'Horses for courses' - that is,
that some horses perform particularly well at certain
courses.
TRAINER AND JOCKEY
Are they in form? A trainer out of
form may indicate illness in the yard and while a jockey doing well recently
may help his confidence, it may also dampen the price of the
horse.
WEIGHT
Your horse may be carrying too much
weight.
Blinkers - Has the horse ever worn blinkers before? Will
it be better off.
Parade Ring - The good signs in a horse before
the race are a coat with a good sheen to it, an intelligent and alert
appearance, high head with big alert ears, a well-muscled body and a springy
step etc.. |
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| GGG Don't get carried
away with form. Some people study their whole lives and make no inroads into
understanding a way to predict value for money. |
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| Betting |
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There are three ways of
having a bet on a racecourse:
tote
Betting points
can be found in every enclosure, including Members and it operates on a pool
basis, whereby all the money bet in a particular pool is shared out among the
winners.
If you bet on a horse to win all the money that
everybody has bet on horses to win in that particular race gets pooled
together. When the race is over, 16% of the money is taken away as
government tax and the rest is distributed back to the people who bet on the
winning horse, pro-rata with how much each person bet. The same goes with
betting place, if your horse gets placed then you will recieve
part of the pool back after 24% tax has been removed.
Other tote
bets
Bookmakers
These are to be found in the
Tattersalls/Grandstand and Paddock and Silver Ring/ Course Enclosure. It is
very simple but be aware that you can only bet to win and some will take an
each-way bet. Remember:
- shop around to get the best odds
- state the name of the horse
- always keep your card as a receipt
- never throw away a bet until the 'weighed in'
signal has been given
- no betting tax is levied on on-course bets
The Racecourse Betting Shop
Betting in a racecourse betting
shop (some courses have more than one) is very similar to betting in any
off-course shop. You can have a variety of bets (including combination bets
such as doubles and trebles) at much smaller stakes than a ring bookmaker would
appreciate. You can also bet at the day's other meetings.
As in a
off-course betting shop, you fill in a slip and hand it over together with your
stake. The slip is receipted and you are given a duplicate, which you return to
the counter for paying out should you be successful. Winnings are calculated at
the Starting Price.
A deduction - usually 6 per cent - is made from
returns, this sum going towards racecourse improvements. |
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| GGG. If you are betting
for small sums your aim is just to have fun, theres no point chasing losing
bets. If you are betting more seriously then you aim to get the best value from
each bet - get the odds you want, not necessarily the odds on
offer. |
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| The
Tracks |
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