Horse Racing Betting Guide

Horse Racing betting guide by Carmine Marino
Where You Can Legally Bet on Horse Racing Online in the US
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Tennesse
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming
How to Bet on Horse Racing Online
- Depending on where you reside, you can sign up for TVG, Twin Spires, Fan Duel Racing, and DRF Horse Racing are just a few places you can enroll to bet horses around the country.
- In Las Vegas, this wouldn’t be allowed. However, you can sign up for online betting with Stations Casinos and get player points.
- This is very easy to make all your wagers without limits on how much you can win! You can bet all types of bets, Daily Doubles, Pick 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, and pick 6’s.
- Win, Place, Show, Exacta’s, Trifecta’s, and Superfectas.
- In most cases betting online, you will receive betting incentives like rebates and bonus money for opening up new accounts.
- Your accounts can be easily loaded online, and cash can be withdrawn for convenience.
Horse Racing Betting Metrics to Know
Speed rating systems to consider are
- Beyers speed numbers, usually found in your Daily Racing Forms in bold.
- Tomlinson numbers for pedigree, which can be found on top right side of the racing form. It will say Turf (300), for example, and DST (300), indicating the horse’s pedigree on the surface and speed pedigree.
- I like to use (280^) for Turf Racing and the same for Speed ratings. When you see over (400) that’s a good shot horse to consider. It also indicates the horse’s historic Wet surface pedigree. This can help you find a long shot on an off track
The 5 Important Pieces of information to use When Handicapping a Horse Race:
- Brisnet.com Speed Rating
- Brisnet.com Prime Power
- Brisnet.com Class Ratings
- Trainer-jockey statistics
- Track bias statistics
All five of these can be very helpful in finding better-priced options. I also like to read the board to see if early money is coming in on a long shot which is now one of the favorites. Generally, this can be a very helpful way to find a horse with little information to consider.
I also like to review workouts of horses, trainers/jockey connections’ winning percentages. You will learn to follow all these things over time the more you bet.
Always remember this quote: “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned” I call this the joy of winning.
Horse Racing Betting Strategies
Your betting strategy really depends on where you are betting around the country. Personally, I love grass racing because they generally have nicer prices for the bettors.
Pick 4’s can be very rewarding and I love to use multiple horses and $1.00 bets:
- For example Race 7, I might use the 2-3-5 with 1-2 in race 8 and 7-8 in race 9 with 4-7-10 in race 10….This bet will cost you $36.00. You get this figure by multiplying 3 X 2 X 2 X 3 = 36 using $1.00 domination. You can bet this for .50, and this cost would be $18.00.
I always like to see if any tracks have a pick 5 or 6 carryover. This means these bets weren’t hit, and they carry forward these funds. This allows for much larger net payoffs, very similar to Powerball Lottery.
Horse Racing Betting Mistakes
- Always check your tickets! I cannot express this enough as this would be the most common mistake that impacts all bettors. It’s so important to double-check your bets before making the wagers. This mistake can be the difference between having a winning day or ending up a loser!
- Always box exacta’s and trifecta’s! This is another very common error made by bettors that will end up being the difference between winning & losing.
- You can always key horses in these bets. But always put in the saver by boxing them as well.