Betting Strategies for Flat Racing - 4 things to know!

Flat racing takes place all year round in the UK, but the main flat turf season begins towards the end of March, sometimes at the beginning of April and it ends in November. Many people bet on flat racing, and whether you are completely new to the sport, or you have placed a few bets in the past, learning more about horse racing is always a good idea. There is a lot to learn and take in when you are looking at racing, and often for newcomers it can seem very complicated. If you would like to know more and enhance your flat racing knowledge then here are four things to consider that will greatly help your horse racing betting.

1. Get to Know the Trainers

Horse racing trainers are vitally important, and each one of them has their own methods that they believe gives them the best chance of success. It is important to know as much as you can about each trainer, and what patterns they have that you can follow. Look out for ones that target big meetings such as Royal Ascot and the Glorious Goodwood meeting. However, you should also look out for individual race stats, especially for classics like the 1000 & 2000 Guineas held at Newmarket and the Epsom Derby and Oaks.

Try and remember things about methods, does a particular trainer have a lot of horses win after they have had a break, does another train do poorly with those returning because his horses need a run for fitness? Information like this is gold for punters, and the more you can digest and remember, the better your punting will be.

2. Get to Know the Jockeys

Knowing the jockeys is another important part of becoming a better punter. You should always know who the best are, and watch out for them at the big meetings. For example, jockeys like Ryan Moore will be in demand at Royal Ascot, so his rides are worth noting. However, just as much as that, it also pays to find jockeys travelling to smaller meetings. For example, if Ryan Moore was to ride at a small meeting at Pontefract on an evening, this would be very significant because he must be going for something special.

The more you know about the jockeys, the more you can work out what is significant with the horses they are riding, which is something you can use to form a better opinion about a horse.

3. Understand the Going

Horses will not perform to their best on different ground. Some prefer it fast, others prefer it soft and some prefer it in the middle. It is vitally important to your betting that you understand the going and the impact it is going to have on the runners. If you can work out which runners will be ok on the ground, and which will struggle then this will help you narrow down the field for the upcoming race.

Generally the ground during the flat season is pretty fast due to the good weather we have in the summer. However, it can also be very soft if we have bad weather, and adapting your punting when the going changes is one of the hardest things to do. Should you master that, you are going to find some big priced winners when betting.

4. Watch for Course Specialists

Something a lot of punters forget or don’t realise is that every single racecourse in the UK is different. Some courses are downhill, some are on level ground and some uphill. Some go left handed, some go right handed and some have straight courses attached to them. This is all a minefield, but something that you can understand if you learn the differences.

Horses will perform differently on the different courses they face, so try and work out horses that have ran well in the past on the course you are betting on, or those that have ran at similar courses. For example, Epsom is a unique test because of the turns and the slope, so previous course winners at Epsom are always sought after by the experienced punters betting there.

Horse Racing Betting Offers

When betting on horse racing you should always be looking to take advantage of a betting offer. Here are just a couple you can use when next placing your horse racing bets.

Betfair – ITV Racing Free Bet for Every Winner at 3/1 or Bigger

If you like to bet on the big race meetings then you will be on televised racing a lot of the time. When a race is televised on ITV and you back a winner with an SP or 3/1 or bigger, you are eligible for a free bet with betfair. This is to the value of your stake and up to a maximum of £25. If you keep backing winners, they keep giving you free bets so this is a great offer for those betting on ITV racing.

Ladbrokes – Extra EW Places on Selected Races

If you bet each way then you should always look for value with your place terms. Every day Ladbrokes boost the place terms on at least two races, giving you an extra place or a better each way term. By taking advantage of these you will enhance your each way betting, and you could back winners that would be classed as losers with other bookmakers who only offer standard terms.

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