Todays Horse Racing 29/3/2011 – Odds, Betting & Form GuidesJust Horse RacingView today's (29/3/2011) horse racing, form guides and odds, with races from Sale racecourse, Scone racecourse and Kalgoorlie racecourse. View today's (29/3/2011) horse racing, form guides and odds, with races from Sale racecourse, Scone racecourse and …and more »

Kentucky Derby Watch: Prep races under way as contenders try to make a splash – The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com

Kentucky Derby Watch: Prep races under way as contenders try to make a splashThe Star-Ledger – NJ.comBy Tom Luicci/The Star-Ledger AP Photo/Ed Reinke John Velazquez rides Uncle Mo to victory during the Juvenile race at the Breeder's Cup horse races at Churchill Downs in November. Finally, the Kentucky Derby preps ratchet up the intensity. …Santa Anita Returns to Four-Day Race WeekBloodHorseSanta Anita goes back to 4-day race weekBusinessWeekSANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES (Sunday March 27, 2011)HorseRaceInsider.comall 64 news articles »

JEFF SCOTT: Satisfying one-two finish at Dubai World Cup – The Saratogian

Kansas City Star

JEFF SCOTT: Satisfying one-two finish at Dubai World CupThe SaratogianJeff Scott writes about horse racing Tuesday in The Saratogian. He may be reached at utahpine1@aol.com. By JEFF SCOTT There have been some popular results of the Dubai World Cup over the years, beginning with the victory by Cigar in the inaugural …Horse Racing Weekend Recap: 17-1 Victoire Pisa wins $10 Million Dubai World Cupisportsweb.comJapan strikes back – at the world's richest horse raceFirst PostJapanese horse wins in Dubai | Horse racingThe Seattle TimesSportinglife.com -Examiner.com -Telegraph.co.ukall 576 news articles »

John Smith’s plans Liverpool takeover for Grand National day – Marketing

France24

John Smith's plans Liverpool takeover for Grand National dayMarketingThe campaign, created by integrated marketing agency Steam UK, will build on the humorous 'No Nonsense' take on horseracing unveiled before last year's event. A series of racing-themed executions will appear on more than 330 outdoor and railway media …Bookmaker celebrates 50 years working Grand National dayLiverpool EchoGrand National around the cornerAFPMccoy Set To Push It AgainBigPond NewsSportinglife.comall 23 news articles »

BHA make changes to stalls rules – The Press Association

BHA make changes to stalls rulesThe Press AssociationAs the Rules of Racing currently stand, all horses in the stalls are deemed runners as soon as the starter begins a race, unless a false start is called or there is then a void race for whatever reason. Another initiative the British Horseracing …and more »

The Epsom Derby, which is also known as the Derby Stakes, is held at Epsom Downs racetrack every year around early June. The race has the largest purse of all horse races held in the UK and is the most prestigious of the England’s five “Classics”. The Derby is open to three year old thoroughbred colts and fillies and is a distance of 2,423 metres. The distance may seem a little strange, but it’s because the race used to be 1 and a half miles long, but the starting point was moved forward twice in the 19th century making the race the distance it is today.

The Epsom Derby first began in 1780 with a horse by the name of Diomed winning the inaugural running. The race has since been won every year up until now. Last year, in 2010 Workforce won the race and set a race record with a time of 2:31:33. This beat the previous top time by quite an amount! The Derby is full of history and will continue to run long into the future.

The Grand National is another one of Britain’s top horse races. It is held every year in early April at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase race where horses must jump over thirty fences on their way to completing the 7,242 metre course. This race is about endurance with a lot of interesting jumps including a water-jump and a chair jump.

The Grand National began in 1839 with Lottery winning the first recorded race. The inaugural race was actually held in 1836 with The Duke winning, but these first three years are not included in the record books because some believe that they were run at Maghull and not Aintree race course. Many people still consider those first 3 races the first Grand Nationals, of which The Duke won the first 2. Horses of all ages are allowed to participate and the youngest winning horse has been the age of 5. This age has won the race 5 different times. The oldest horse ever to finish first was Peter Simple, which was a 15 year old horse!

The United Kingdom is rich in tradition and these horse races that have been taking place for centuries are proof of that. I expect these races to continue for centuries more, as long as the tracks are still in place and men still ride horses for sport. Horse racing is also a huge market for sports bettors with horse races happening every day around the world to keep people entertained!

The National

Horse racing: Haatheq wins feature at Jebel AliSport 360He is a nice young horse and one we have high hopes for.” Racing concluded with a 5f conditions race which Alsadeek landed the spoils in style for trainer …Sanchez, Bentley record double eachGulfNewsPromising win for HaatheqThe NationalAli Rashid Al Raihe hunts successive winsGulfNewsThe National -Khaleej Timesall 8 news articles »

A to Z: A look back at 2010 – ESPN

isportsweb.com

A to Z: A look back at 2010ESPNSince Blame got a nod in the above-mention of his trainer, let's not forget the Best Racing Fans EVER! These people love horse racing and the sport would do …Horse Racing Special: 2010-The Year In Review-Part: 1isportsweb.comSmile a bit, it won't hurtESPN2010 thoroughbred season was a rollercoaster rideSt. George Daily Spectrumall 4 news articles »

Horse Racing: Highlights of the Year 2010 – bettor.com blog

NOLA.com

Horse Racing: Highlights of the Year 2010bettor.com (blog)While everyone peeps into the good and bad events that happened over the past 12 months, horse racing critics and analysts thought it was essential to look …Horse Racing: The moments of 2010IndependentSix Horse Racing Highlights From 2010Huffington Post (blog)Blame's win in Classic among 2010 highlightsBuffalo NewsThe Saratogian -Louisville Courier-Journal -The Provinceall 13 news articles »

Christie champions casinos; pulls support for horse racing – Vineland Daily Journal

Christie champions casinos; pulls support for horse racingVineland Daily JournalChristiansen said horse racing has been hampered by new consumer tastes, creating a smaller demand for that product. But horse racing advocates say the …ASBURY PARK PRESSStandardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New JerseyLEASE AGREEMENT MUST BE WORKED OUT BY APRIL 1 TO SAVE MEADOWLANDSStandardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jerseyall 3 news articles »

The racing year in review – Herald Sun

Racing Post

The racing year in reviewHerald SunSo You Think's only defeat for the year was the Melbourne Cup but Cummings' champion reminded us what makes horse racing such an intoxicating sport with …Bart and Gai hold swayBigPond Newsall 14 news articles »

Unlike regular horseracing, where a better or fan is interested in things like the horse’s speed, its power, and the statistics of the jockey, National Hunt racing is a different game entirely. Instead of a circular track that the horses sprint around, there are 30 obstacles in this horses’ path that must be cleared.

Obstacles in horseracing have given European racing a huge advantage over American racing. Throughout the race with the many hurdles and fences, the endurance of the horse and the skill of the rider are put to the ultimate challenge.

Due to the mounting number of injuries – most of which are severe, including a number of deaths – The Grand National has become the UK’s most controversial event. This controversy coming from a country that once used horses in jousting events; needless to say, the accident rate is high enough to cause alarm.

Another aspect of the Grand National that draws in the spectators is the laymen side. You don’t have to know the first thing about racing to enjoy the sport. With typical racing, terms and figures confuse a lot who watch races like the Kentucky Derby – but with the Grand National, you only have to be a fan for the day. Since the new millennium, the race has been watched by over 600-million viewers a year. Since the early 1800s, the race has been a legend.

The exact origins of the Grand National are debatable. Some say that the first running took place in 1836 with The Duke winning that year, and again in 1837. However, these records are disregarded by others, citing that the races took place at another location, Maghull as opposed to Aintree, the race’s home. Other historians disagree with that, claiming that recent evidence suggests that all races were run at Aintree. These theories have cancelled each other out, and to date, the accepted history puts the first Grand National at Aintree taking place in 1839, with a horse named Lottery crowned the victor.

Aintree was closed slightly during WW I, and an alternative race was run at Gatwick Racecourse. All winners from these three years have had their names taken out of the record books due to the fact that only Aintree is recognized as the Grand National’s true course.

The race was dominated in the 1950s by Vincent O’Brien, who trained a winning horse for three consecutive years, although with different horses. The most famous horse to ever run at Aintree was Red Rum, who won the race three times, 1973, 75, 77, and placed second twice, 75 and 76. With the explosion of cable television, the race picked up a heavy following. Since the 1980s, the number of viewers watching the Grand National has increased every year.

Flat or Jumps

In the UK, horse racing is either Flat or National Hunt. Flat races are ones where there are no jumps or hurdles for the horses to navigate, even though the race track itself may undulate. Additionally, flat races can be run on grass or on “all weather” surfaces. The latter are designed to allow racing to continue even if weather conditions would mean that a race on grass would not be safe.

National Hunt races are run from autumn to spring – the ground in the summer is usually too hard for horses to land safely. There are different types of fences and some of the jumps also involve water. These races are usually more of a test of stamina and are normally longer than flat races.

Handicap or not

Some races are described as handicaps. The idea is that each horse in the race is given an individual rating and carries a certain amount of extra weight in order to make each horse as close to equal as possible. If the handicapper has done their job perfectly then each horse should cross the finish line at exactly the same time – which is, of course, impossible. But it does mean that handicap horse races are often more “open” than non-handicap ones.

Distance

In the same way as human runners, horses prefer different distances. Some prefer short sprints whereas others prefer longer races. Short races are measured in furlongs and longer races in both miles and furlongs. There are 8 furlongs in a mile. If a horse has won a race of the same distance, it is (fairly obviously) called a distance winner and will be marked as such on the race card.

Odds

As a general rule, the shorter (smaller) the odds offered for a horse to win a race, the more likely it is to win. Bookmakers and online services such as Betfair offer odds on every horse in every race. When you place a bet, you can choose to accept the odds on offer at the time you place the bet (if the bookmaker you use offers this) or take the “starting price”, which is the actual odds offered at the start of a race. Some bookmakers offer a “best price” guarantee so you can take the odds at the time you place the bet and, if the starting price is greater your bet will be treated as though you had taken the starting price instead. Betting exchanges such as Betfair typically only give you the price at the time your bet is accepted.

Odds give an indication of the likelihood that a horse will win a given race – over time the odds offered are similar to a horse’s chance of winning. But much like a weatherman saying that there’s a 60% chance of rain, nothing is guaranteed for any single occasion. After all, if it was, the bookmakers would be out of business.

There’s lots more to horse racing than the above but these few guidelines will help to get you started.

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A crucial element universally agreed as essential in selecting a National Hunt horse race winner is a horses jumping skill.

Professionals going to racing meets already have a huge advantage when comparing jumping skill. They attend a new race meet almost every day and know many of the horses and riders in great detail.

But what about beginners who have not got this amount of time and dedication. Where can they go to get the data they need?

Post Race Comments

The excellent racing and betting resource, the RacingPost carries post race comments for all racehorses past races.

Navigate to the Racing Post Bettingsite, select your chosen National Hunt race and the racehorse being investigated.

You will find all the racehorses past races on record linked to RaceForm Interactive.

Now simply press select to view the comments for the racehorse selected, but also take time to view how the other runners performed in this particular horse race.

When analyzing a racehorse’s jumping skill, statements will be made mentioning:

. “jumped badly”. “fences hit”. “mistakes at fences”

Essentially, any mention about how the horse jumped during the race means it is likely to be a dubious jumper.

Likewise when a remark states “jumped well” then this is especially notable. If there are no remarks which mention striking fences then this can be considered a positive sign.

Remarks regarding the state of the race course may also be notable when assessing jumping skill.

If the fences are stated as being

. “stiff”. “severe”. “testing”

And if the horse has put in a good run under these conditions it is far more noteworthy than if the same horse had a good run at an easier, forgiving track.

Form Line

Another great indicator of jumping skill is the form line on all race cards directly after the race horse name. Place your mouse pointer over the horses name on RacingPost BettingSite and the form line pops up.

The form line provides crucial information about whether the horse has

. Unseated its rider (UR). Fallen (F). Pulled up (PU)

At some point during the race.

When this happens at 2 or more of the latest 6 races it indicates that the horse is having major difficulties with jumps at this specific time and is a poor choice unless dramtically lowered in class.

Handicap Hurdles

Handicap Hurdles are accepted as especially bad races to bet. Finding your winner is particularly difficult.

When examining the UK horse racing databases it appears that the winners are spread out evenly through all the different SP’s and weights.

What is going on?

The hurdles in Handicap Hurdles are over 12 inches lower, noticeably easier and more forgiving than the chase fences.

In chases it is by and large recognized that race horses have to have a modicum of natural jumping skill, speed and staying power.

However in hurdles often very ordinary horses can be trained to a sufficient level so that they can stay with the pace and give a perfectly reasonable showing.

When we add handicapping weights into the cocktail, then we end up with a lot of very level races where practically any racehorse is capable of winning the race.

In many racecourse guides, Handicap Hurdles are described as frankly the poorest races for favourite betting and the hardest to profit from National Hunt horse race betting overall.

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