If you’re like most people, you enjoy a good adrenaline rush now and then. And there’s no better way to get your heart pumping than by putting some money on the line and betting on a horse race while watching it all in person at a prestigious event like Cheltenham festival. Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the world, so it comes as no surprise that it’s one of the best sports to bet on. Are you an avid horse bettor looking to win more? If so, then read on for some tips on how to improve your betting strategy.
Whether you’re new to horse betting or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you get ahead of the competition and give yourself a better chance at winning bets. So, what are you waiting for? Read on to find out how to win more bets as a horse bettor.
Don’t Bet Blindly
The first tip for any sports bettor, whether you are new to sports betting or have been betting for a while, is to never bet blindly. Doing research with regards to sports betting is one of the most important things you will need to do to make good bets.
There are so many factors that go into choosing a horse to bet on, that without doing research you won’t know any of them. A few of them will be mentioned in this article, such as what the horse looks like on the day of the race, what surfaces it’s good at riding on, what its fitness levels are like, when the last time it had a break was, and more.
Manage Your Bankroll and Don’t Chase Losses
The next tip that is incredibly useful for being able to bet over a long period is having effective bankroll management. Many people new to horse betting don’t completely understand that you won’t be winning thousands with each bet. The majority of your winnings will come from smaller winnings that accrue over time.
An essential part of effective bankroll management is to never chase losses. Chasing losses essentially means to bet even more money to make up for money that you have lost whilst betting. While you might get lucky and win some back, this strategy hardly ever works and should be avoided.
Study the Horse
One of the most important things that you could do as a horse bettor is to study the horse on the day of the races. It would probably be a good idea to also study the other horses too to make comparisons.
The primary reason you should be doing this is to understand what state of mind the horse is in, and whether or not it is in winning shape. For example, if the horse has a rather dull coat, then that might be a sign that the horse isn’t very fit. If the horse is sweating profusely, rolling its eyes, rearing, biting, or just looking very agitated, it might be nervous or scared. More than this, if the horse is sweating around the kidney area, then it probably isn’t feeling very well.
Learn About the Going
Another important aspect of making a good bet is finding out about them going. The going is essentially the condition of the track where the races will take place. There are many different ways to describe the going; rough, hard, soft, yielding, bad, good, even, and more.
These definitions matter a lot since different horses perform differently on different surfaces. What does this mean for you? This means that you need to research the horse and look for anomalies. For example, does this horse usually do well but there are a few races where it has done terribly? Was the going the same on those tracks? Then perhaps you shouldn’t bet on that horse when it is riding on a track with that going.
Fitness and Breaks
Finally, there are two things that you should take into consideration before betting on a horse; the fitness levels of the horse, and how many breaks it has had. The fitness levels of a horse are usually a good place to start, but they might not always be important. For example, some races don’t require extremely fit horses.
The second thing to look for, how many breaks it has had and when is very important. This is because research shows that it takes a horse a couple of races to get back to its usual form. If you know the horse has had a break recently, first see how it performs before betting on it.
