An ancient sport, Horse racing has withstood the test of time with virtually no changes at all. What started as a contest of speed and stamina between horses, has developed into an extravaganza of thoroughbred horses, Jockeys, and colossal amounts of money. However, the essential feature of the sport remains the same. The horse that finishes in the first place is the winner.
In India, horse racing is very famous and watched by millions of people. The love of horse racing is further augmented by their love for the betting opportunities that arise from it. Being over 200 years old, the first-ever horse racecourse in the country, the Guindy race-course was set up in Chennai in 1777. India has some of the best international sports books for horse race betting such as JungliWIN, Fun88 Casino, and Dafabet India. You can read the casino reviews for them on the website.
India now has six notable horse race tracks countrywide. In India, only Indian-bred racehorses are allowed to race and there is a well-established breeding industry that imports stallions from around the world. The Indian Stud Book maintains records of all thoroughbred breeding activity in India.
Which are the main Horse Races in India?
There are 5 classic horse races in India. The India 1000 & 2000 Guineas runs in December, The India Oaks runs at the end of January, the Indian Derby is on the first Sunday of February, and finally the India St. Leger at the end of September. Of these, The India derby is known for its high purse of 30 million rupees.
Horses and jockeys must place in the invitational rounds to work their way to the major races. The Invitation Weekend rotates between the various Turf Clubs of India. For most of the year, there is a seven-day race schedule, except for during the summer.
Who Regulates Horse Racing in India?
The regulation of horse racing as a sport is managed by the Turf Club of India who elects committees to govern their individual turf clubs. Each club has separate membership, eligibility criteria and guidelines. A member of the turf club can legally bet on the sport at their registered club. For non-member, the betting takes place at any of the off-course betting centres or online. Dafabet casino offers one of the best deal in Asia for online horse betting in India, you can read the Dafabet casino review here.
Which are the Turf Clubs in India?
There are 7 Turf clubs in India and each have their own racing season.
| Clubs | Racing seasons | Racing seasons |
| Bangalore Turf Club | Summer Season from May to August | Winter Season from November to April |
| Royal Calcutta Turf Club | Winter Season from November to April | Monsoon Season from July to October |
| Hyderabad Turf Club | Monsoon season July to October | Winter Season November to February |
| Royal Western India Turf Club | Mumbai – November to May | Pune – July to November |
| Mysore Race Club | August to October | |
| Madras Race club | Chennai – winter season | Ooty – summer season |
| Delhi Turf club | August to May |
Is it Legal Betting on Horse Racing ?
Betting is common during the races. But is it Legal? The Supreme Court in 1996 ruled, that wagering on horse races is a game of skill, not just luck, and as such does not constitute an illegal form of gambling under the 1888 Police Act, nor under the 1930 Gaming Act. This ruling has made placing wagers on horse racing very popular in India.
Almost every day, there are races taking place between the turf clubs of India and international races. This has led to a high volume of pool betting, traditional bookmaker bets and online wagering. However, in India, the application of Gst on the bet amount has made betting quite unattractive as the winnings have taken a hit. You can try out the best online horse betting sites such as JungliWIN. You can also read the
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How can you Place a Bet on Horse Races?
Members of Turf clubs can place horse race bets through their clubs and for non-members, there are off-course betting centers. However, with the advent of Digitalization, betting on horses now can be done online through online betting sites in India like Melbet India, Betway and 22Bet India. These online casinos offer not only the largest sites for betting but offer comprehensive information about racing as well.
What is Tote or Pool Betting?
Betting on horses can be fun and simple if you understand the basics of how to place bets and what to expect in return. In horse racing, you have two ways of placing bets: Pool betting and fixed odds.
Pool betting or Tote is a form of betting where all the bets are placed together in a pool. Instead of giving your money to a bookmaker, every player’s money gets pooled together. If the backed horse wins, you share the pool of money with the others who also backed the same horse. However, if many people back the same winning horse, the less money you will win. If very few people have backed your selection, the winnings will be higher.
The most basic pools are the regular “Win”, “Place” and “Each-Way” wagers that you can place on the course and online.
A Win bet: A pool bet where you bet on which horse will win or place in a race. This is the most popular bet. If your horse finishes first, you win.
Place Bets: Placing a bet on the horse finishing either first or second. However, the wins on this bet are lower than Win bet since the chances to win are double.
Exacta Bet: Here you must predict which two horses will finish first and second exactly. This can be a straight or a reverse Exacta. The reverse Exacta bet is when you pick the same two horses but they can finish in any order in the top two spots. Since you are hedging your bet, the rewards are also much higher.
Trifecta: Similar to the Exacta, in this bet, you have to predict which horses will come first, second and third in the exact order. This bet has the highest payouts in horse racing
Placepot: In this bet, you pick a horse to place in each of the first six races on a card. This is a great way to win big on small stakes.
Jackpot: This is one of the most lucrative yet difficult bet to win on. To win this bet, you have to pick the winner for each of the first six races taking place on the racecourse in a single day. If any of your selections do not win, and you lose all your money.
What is Fixed Odds Betting?
Fixed odd Betting is the traditional way of placing a bet, where the punters place a bet with a bookmaker on specific odds at the given time. You have to pay your stake amount and if your selected horse wins or places as per your wager, you win.
With fixed odds betting you know how much you can win at the time of placing your bet, unless you may have to take the starting price this means that you are going to take odds that happen when the race starts.
The three ways that bookmakers can express odds for a wager are fractional odds, decimal odds, and Moneyline odds. You can check out odds on Indibet India. You can read the Indibet casino review on Vegas Casinos.
How do you pick a Winning Horse?
Betting on horses is fun in you know how to pick the winning horse. There are literally hundreds of opinions on what is most important when you make an analytic choice on picking your horse. Although sometimes luck is all you need, it’s good to learn about handicaps because that knowledge gives you an edge and makes the race more fun.
- Read the race day program that is full of information that you can use to make smart betting choices. It contains the history and stats on every horse racing in a particular race.
- Depending on their performances, horses move through classes throughout the year. So, it is important to figure out the move and how it’s going to affect the horse before placing a bet on it. If a horse has been moved up and still doesn’t have the experience, it may not win.
- Read information about jockeys and their performance with a particular horse or races in general.
- The race day programs also contain details about the different track surfaces and how each horse performs on these tracks.
- Importantly, the programs have the odds of winning of each horse next to their names. The horse with the lowest odds is the favourite to win. This usually gives you a good chance at winning.
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What are the rules in Horse Betting?
Horse racing Betting involves a few rules that help clarify the process of laying a wager and it is important to understand the rules because to be precise in placing a bet so that you don’t bet on the wrong horse at the wrong time. Betting sites such as Parimatch India and 22Bet also have a guide to help you.
Post Time
Post time refers to the time that the horses arrive at the post or the starting gate and it’s the time the race begins. Once the horses are released from the gate, the betting is off.
Post Positions
Each horse in the race is given a number that corresponds to their post position. Before placing your bet, consult the program or racing form and make sure you know the number of the horse you want to wager on.
Entries allowed
If in the same race, there are multiple horses running, that are owned by the same person, then all the horses are taken under one betting interest. Thus, if you bet on one entry, you land up betting on the other horses by the same owner as well.
Dead Heats or Ties
In Horse racing, if two horses end in a tie, it’s called dead heat. Both the horses get declared the winners and the payouts are paid for both the horses according to the odds.
Scratches
If for some reason the horse you have placed a bet on doesn’t run in the race or Scratches, you will either receive a refund or the wager gets transferred to the horse that is the race favourite.
Online Betting on Horse Races in India
Horse Race Betting in India for punters has become easy with online casinos offering playbooks and betting options for horse racing. In India, you have many online casinos offering Horse race betting.
Betway Online Casino is an international betting site that offers Horse race betting tips, racing news and an in-depth look into the upcoming races, to help provide you with an advantage while placing your wagers. You can place a bet from India, on races from around the world.
Melbet Online Casino offers betting options for both Indian and international horse races. They have an incredible playbook and high odds on the horses.
22Bet is one of India’s top betting sites and has an extensive option for betting on International horse races.
Parimatch has one of the best horse racing betting apps in India and abroad. Known famously for being the sponsors of Leicester City Football Club, they have cemented their place in the world of online horse betting sites.
Important Terms in Horse Betting
Abandoned: A race which has been cancelled mostly due to bad weather
Accumulator: A bet made up of multiple selections from different events.
Across the board: a three in one bet on the same horse to win, place, and show.
All-weather: Synthetic track that is open for racing all year irrespective of weather conditions.
Ante-post: A bet on an event one day in advance
Banker: A term often used to describe the horse that has the most odds to win.
Betting ring: place where on-track bookmakers conduct their business.
Bloodstock: A term describing a horse’s bloodline.
Boxed bet: a wager where the punter chooses three horses and they can finish in any order (1st, 2nd or 3rd) for the bet to win.
Boxed in: description ofa horse that has horses in front and its side so that it has nowhere to move
Clerk of the Course: The person in charge of the day’s racing.
Colt: A horse four years or younger and not yet castrated.
Co-favourites: Two or more horses that have the joint lowest betting odds.
Course specialist: A horse that has performed well and won multiple times on a specific track.
Dam: The mother of a horse.
Dead Heat: Involves two or more horses winning at the same time.
Each way: A half and half bet for the selected horse to win and the place.
Even money: Betting on a horse that is priced at 1:1
Exacta: Predicting which two horses will finish first and second exactly.
Favourite: The horse most likely to win and has the lowest odds
Furlong: ⅛ of a mile.
Gelding: A horse that has been castrated
Group Race: the highest level of horse races featuring the best horses.
Handful: horse priced at 5:1
Handicap: type of race in which horses are assigned weights.
Handicapper: The person who decides the handicap
Lucky 15: a kind of bet.
Maiden: Any horse that has not won any races yet
Objection: A formal complaint about a jockey from another jockey
Odds on: When your potential winnings are less than the amount staked.
Pacemaker: The horse used to help a stable companion by setting pace for them.
Photo finish: The photo taken at the end of a race to help the judges determine the winner if it is not possible otherwise.
Racecard: The listing the day’s races, runners and riders.
Rule 4: The rule dealing with betting if a horse withdraws close to the start time
Starting price: The odds on each horse just as the race begins.
Steward’s inquiry: An inquiry by the race stewards check a race for any breaking of the race rules.
Thoroughbred: A horse with a lineage that can be traced back to 3 generations.
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