Horse betting is one of the best gambling events you can play, especially during major racing events. You can enjoy the intensity of the race as well as the quick and surprising result of betting wins. Out of different horse events held, the upcoming Keeneland Horse Racing is one thing you must anticipate. During this event, fans and bettors can expect plenty of fun and attractive payouts.
While betting makes up most of the enjoyment we feel in horse racing, it could also be challenging. Whether you’re betting for fun or betting seriously, it is always better if you play your stakes like an expert to win big. We have compiled several tips and know-hows to set your betting expectations and gamble smartly.
The Keeneland Horse Racing Track
Located in Lexington, also known as the Horse Capital of the World, Keeneland is a leading auction house and a renowned racecourse aimed to nurture the equine industry and preserve the long-tradition of Thoroughbred racing. Since 1936, Keeneland has been hosting Thoroughbred races.
Experienced jockeys and Thoroughbred enthusiasts always anticipate live racing at Keeneland. However, most of the excitement starts from bettors, eager to gamble, and win cash prizes. To fully understand the gambling process, one must remember how horse betting works.
Betting Variation
Horse betting is more than just predicting what horse would win. Although, that is one part of the game, there are so many odds and instances that may happen in one or two more ways. With this betting game, you can win cash aside from predicting the first placer.
To begin with, the simplest form of wagers is the Straight and Exotic Bets. Straight bets include the Win, Place, and Show wagers while the Exotic Bets cover Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, and the Superfecta. With the Keeneland Event nearing, bettors should focus on picking the best horses they think can win the race.
Straight Bets
As the name implies, Win bets are wagers that require you to pick the horse you think would win the race. If your horse wins, then you collect the wager prize. If you don’t feel like winning the bet through a Win wager, you may want to place your money under Place and Show wagers.
Place and Show bets are similar to Win bets but instead of predicting the winner you need to predict which horse finishes in either the Top 2 or Top 3 in a single race. Because the Show wager lets you predict which horse finishes in any position of the top 3, this is a low-risk, small-return bet.
Alternatively, if you feel your horse might perform better and possibly win the race, then selecting a Place wager would be best if you want a balance between risk and return percentage amongst the Straight Bets.
Exotic Bets
Exotic bets take an exciting approach in horse betting. To begin with, the Exacta is a combination of choosing the winning horse and the second-placer correctly. The prizes you’ll get from an Exacta bet are bigger than Straight bets.
Secondly, Quinella is the same as Exacta, but instead of choosing them in order, Quinella lets you choose which two horses that need to win as the Top 2 finishers regardless of the position. It pays less than the Exacta, but it raises your chances of a win.
Trifecta and Superfecta take the Exotic bet a step further. These bets have the biggest cash amounts for every race. Trifecta bets require a bettor to select the top 3 horses in order. Superfecta on the other hand, is much more difficult because you have to pick the top 4 finishers in order. Superfecta might be difficult to pull off, but pays a significant amount of cash should you make the right predictions.
Now that you have a general idea of the basic betting variations, here are some tips and considerations before selecting your favorites.
Wager On The Favorite
This might not look like a sound wagering tip, but one way of earning huge payouts is winning multiple bets at much as possible. The public favorites are mostly horses with the most money wagered. It is more likely that they can bring good wins, although they pay significantly lower for the winners.
Knowing the History of the Horses
A careful study of ancestors and pedigrees can tell a horse’s performance on the track, which can affect your choice and odds of winning. Some horses have inherited stamina from their parents, and some can maximize speed due to careful and selective breeding to inherit those traits. A wise bettor knows all these facts about a horse that they’ll bet on.
Keep Track of Each Horse’s Fitness
Before picking a horse, consider first its training history. The longer its layoff periods, the harder for it to retrain. Examine its training routines and recent results to see if it’s compatible with your betting strategy. A rule of thumb is if the horse has been laid off for more than two months from races, then you’re better off choosing on other horses.
Consistency Is Important
As with all sports, a contender’s performance is based on its consistency in recent games. This also applies to horse racing, the more races a horse has, the more data is recorded. For bettors and analysts alike, a streak is a remarkable feat. Depending on some factors, a bettor may go all in because of the streak or totally avoid betting.
Most of the time, bettors will consider streaks as lucky and will bet on it. A streak may mean that a horse’s conditioning is still peaking and is unlikely to lose. Do consider everything else before betting all in based on streaks.
Takeaway
One part of your horse betting experience to make preparations and analysis ahead of time. It has become far more than guessing the winner, but predicting the instances that would happen and with prior understanding of horse racing can get multiple wins and huge payoffs.
