The Best Horse Racing Betting Sites for Punters in India
There are dozens of betting sites where Indians can place wagers on horse race bets. After carefully studying and reviewing them, we found the best one.
The best betting site in India for horse race bets is Parimatch India. It has a lot of horse racing events, not just in India but all over the world. The website design is sleek and modern. Plus, the odds and bonuses at this site are also great.
Which Horse Racing Tournaments are Good to Bet On?
In India, there are several tournaments and leagues to bet on for Horse Races. Most of the modern traditions are actually based on British horse racing traditions. The first two races of the season are the Indian 1000 Guineas and the 2000 Guineas in December. These are the easiest races in the Tournament. They only run 1 mile.
The next one is the Indian Oaks at the end of January. The Indian Derby in February. These two are the biggest events where the best horses participate. The length of this race is about half again as long as Guineas.
The final one is the Indian St. Leger, which takes place in September and involves a 3 km run.
Which Tournaments are the Most important in Horse Racing Betting?
There are numerous big horse racing tournaments to bet on. Tournaments bring out the highest level of skill and competition between the best players of the game. Tournaments always draw a bigger crowd than usual and encourage more and more spending. And that means more money going to the winners and better odds for everyone wagering.
There are some huge events in Horse Racing outside India as well. Indian punters can still wager on them!
The Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is the first and most well-known stage of the US Triple Crown. It is listed as a top Grade 1 race in the US. This is a competition for three-year-old horses, as usual. The course is on Dirt and the whole race is 1 and a quarter miles long (or simply 2 kilometres).
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is the premier horse race in Europe. It is one of the biggest and most prestigious events on the continent. It is on a flat turf surface and the distance is set at 2,400 kilometres. With a prize pool of 5 million euros, the impact of this race is undeniable.
The Royal Ascot
The Royal Ascot is Britain premier horse race. Britain has a long and expansive tradition of horse racing, so this should come as no surprise.
The Royal Ascot isn’t actually just one race. It is an event held over several days, with different events taking place on different days. Some of the races at the Royal Ascot include the Queen Alexandra Stakes, the longest Horse race in Europe, and the Gold Cup, the UK’s most prestigious race.
The Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most famous race. It covers over 3,200 meters. It is also a handicap race, unlike the majority of the big tournaments. The weight of the jockey and their equipment are taken into account. Overall, the Melbourne Cup is one of the most valuable sporting events as well. The total prize pool in 2021 was $8,000,000.
The Dubai World Cup
The final big international horse racing tournament we want to mention is the Dubai World cup. Compared to the rest of the events, this is actually a relatively new one. However, it still has competition, prestige and prizes comparable to others. This event has a record-breaking 12-million-dollar prize pool. Horses race on a 2000-meter dirt track, which is a serious test of their endurance.
The Odds in Horse Racing
The odds in horse racing are quite simple and easy to understand. Unlike other sports like Football or Basketball, there aren’t so many components in the game. In a horse race, you only have three things: the horses, the jockeys and the race itself.
Horse race bets’ odds are Typically given as decimals. This is the preferred way of reading odds for most Indian punters. If you don’t know how to read decimals, here’s a quick overview:
After you pay your initial stake, if you lose, the money is gone. If you win, the stake amount is multiplied by the decimal value. The result is the amount that is returned to you as winnings.
Hence, wagers of 1.10 or 1.20 are extremely conservative. They indicate that the wager is nearly guaranteed. Meanwhile, a wager with odds of 1.80 or 1.90 or so is a good wager. Those odds indicate that the chance of winning is about 50%.
Finding the Best Horse Racing Betting Odds
Different sites are run by different bookmakers. It is only natural that different bookmakers predict or assume different odds for the same match.
One way to find the best odds before you bet on horses is to compare across different bookmakers and sports betting sites. When you see the same match or event on multiple sites, they will all have the same chance of winning. So, it is simply more profitable for you to choose the one with higher odds.
Short and Long-Term Bets
There are generally two broad types of bets: short-term and long-term. A short-term bet is one you place just before the start of a race. A long-term bet, on the other hand, is placed well in advance. It could cover a series of races such as a Triple Crown.
The Range of Odds
The range of odds at most sports betting websites is quite good. The main thing to check is the vig or ‘cut’ the sportsbook takes.
Consider a race where two horses are evenly matched. They have 50% odds of winning each, so the wager is placed at 1.87. Since it is not placed at 2.00 as it should be, the 0.13 difference is the cut taken by the sportsbook.
Types of Bets
There are several types of bets to choose from when betting on horse betting.
In a Winner bet, punters simply choose which horse will win the race. That’s it. It is the simplest bet there is. You can go through a list of the horses and wager on the one that’s going to win.
This bet is very similar to the winner. There is a little less risk and a little less reward with this one. You choose the horse that will either be the winner or come in second place.
This bet is very similar to Place 1-2, only this time, it accounts for the third-place position as well.
In this bet, you choose a horse and predict which position it will finish in. This bet is a somewhat complicated one. Instead of knowing which horse is really fast and has a good chance of winning, you have to consider every other horse in the match as well.
In this bet, punters must determine which horses will be the top 4 finishers as well as the exact order in which they will appear in the first four places. This is a very complicated bet that veteran punters should be more comfortable with compared to beginners.
The fixtures select two of the racers in the match. Head-to-head ignores their actual position and instead wagers on which one will beat who. If your chosen horse comes in 4th, but their opponent comes 6th, you will win.
Now, it is possible to use a sportsbook to wager on different combinations of these bets.
If you wager on a single one of these bets at a time, it is called a ‘Single’.
The sportsbook pre-selects a number of bets in advance. This is called an Accumulator. Punters can simply wager on if the accumulator is correct or not. The odds and payout are very high for an accumulator, which makes it very enticing to wager on. When it is the punter who selects multiple bets together, it is called a Multi-bet
A punter chooses several different bets to combine together. However, unlike a Multi-Bet or Accumulator, there is no need for every single one of the wagers to be correct. You can wager on a combined pair or a combined trio of the bets to be correct and still get a payout.
Which Markets are Usually Available for Punters, when Betting Online?
There are some markets popularly available to punters online. Not every single sportsbook will support all of the markets. We have recommended a sportsbook that supports most of these.
- Single Winner – Choose a single winner for the race.
- Place 1-2 – Choose the first place and the second-place horses. This is also known as an Exacta.
- Place 1-3 – Choose the first three ranked horses in exact order. This is known as a trifecta.
- Superfecta – Just like Exacta and Trifecta, place the first four horses in order.
- Wheel – Choose any horse and bet on its overall position in the race.
- Head-to-Head – Choose between two horses determined by the sportsbook. Choose which one will rank higher than the other.
- Daily Double – A wager placed on the winner of two back-to-back races. This bet wagers on if they will win 3, 4, 5, etc races in a row. This is a very rare type of bet since it is unlikely for a horse to win five races in a row. The daily double bet is also called Pick-3, Pick-4, Pick-5 and onwards.
Short-Term Betting in Horse-Racing
Short-term betting in horse race bets is limited to a single race or so. All the different types of bets mentioned above count for short term betting. All the different types of short-term bets can be summed up as ‘Horizontal’ betting.
Long-Term Betting in Horse Racing
Long-Term betting in Horse Racing basically just means betting across multiple races. In sports like Football or Cricket, during a league, there is a specific ranking of teams. During the tournament, the games progress in a logical series and one team moved from one round to the next.
There isn’t a structure like this in horse racing. At minimum, there are leagues where horses are ranked before they are sent to the next race.
So, long-Term Betting in Horse Racing is about placing bets in a Vertical. A vertical bet is when you wager on a single horse on several races in a series. It is basically the opposite of a Horizontal Bet.
Live Betting in Horse Racing
Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a live betting scene when it comes to Horse Racing Betting. The obvious reason for this is the fact that Horse Races are quite short and completed quickly. Plus, it is often clear from the start who will win and who will come in which place.
So, there is no live or in-play betting in Horse Racing, though you may place short term bets between individual races in a series.
The Best Betting Sites for Horse Racing
There are several top sites where one can bet on horse races.
We recommend choosing Parimatch as the best site for betting on horses. It also has a lot of other sports betting and greyhound race betting, but those aren’t important for this article.
Most important, Parimatch has a great and easy-to-use layout. All the necessary info is given in front with the list of horses in each race. If you want more details on a particular horse, you can get that in just a few seconds by clicking on their name. The drop-down panel will show detailed info on the horse and the jockey.
Another great advantage of betting on horse racing at Parimatch is that there are lots of bonuses and promotional offers to take advantage of. In terms of markets, Parimatch includes a lot of them such as Winner, Place 1-2, Place 1-3, Head-to-Head, etc.
One thing to note is that Parimatch only launched horse race betting in India recently in 2021. That means if there are features or betting markets missing, don’t worry. They could add it as soon as it is ready.
FAQ for Horse Racing Betting
Is Horse Racing a good sport to bet on? Yes. It is one of the oldest known gambling sports. Horse Racing is very simple and intuitive to grasp, making it a good sport for beginner punters. It is also a quick sport, as some matches can end in a few minutes. So, it is a great option for a busy person who wants to place a few bets quickly.
Another factor that makes betting on horse betting fun is that it is not actually pure gambling. According to most laws, online horse racing betting is actually a game of skill. Therefore, it is not restricted or banned in many places.
Is there any opportunity to make a good profit within Horse Racing? Yes. As long as you can do your research properly and study up on the horses and their performance, you can predict a lot of the bets and wager accordingly to maximize profit.
How do I best get started by betting in Horse Racing? First of all, get up to date with the latest news about horse racing. Find out which horses and jockeys are playing excellently. After that, create an account at one of our recommended betting sites and start wagering.
Is Horse Racing a safe and fair market to bet on? Yes. It is hard to rig horse racing in a particular direction, unlike video games. Every horse race actually happens in real life. So, it is fair and safe to bet on. Simply play at a legal casino to ensure this.
The Stars in Horse Racing
If you want to bet on horses, you need to know which ones are the best!
Forest Flame
Forest Flame came second in the Bangalore Derby and third in the Indian Oaks. However, she is still capable of winning the 2.4-kilometre race with a little luck.
Lagarde
Lagarde is one of the top Indian horses at the moment. He won first place in the Bangalore Derby, 2000 Guineas and several other tournaments.
Immortality
Immortality is a newcomer to the 3-year-old thoroughbred racing scene, but she has won plenty of other races before.
Mystic Guide
If you want to bet on a non-Indian horse, there is only one top contender: the American horse Mystic Guide, who is the top-earning horse currently racing.
The Best Clubs
In India, Horse Racing revolves around several major clubs. These clubs actually host horse races and keep the track organized. The Best Clubs are:
Bangalore Turf Club
Located in Bangalore, it is one of the best horse racing venues in the country.
Royal Calcutta Turf Club
This Club is one of the remainder of the British horse racing traditions. It was set up by them back in the 17th century when the British people in India wanted a venue for Horse Racing. Today, it still retains its prestige as one of the best Horse Racing locales in the country, located in Kolkata.
Royal Western India Turf Club
This is yet another club that was set up by the British, as you might guess from the name. This club is located in Mumbai and Pune. This club’s track is a shorter, less predictable one, making it one of the most challenging in India.
Mysore Race Club
Located in Mysore, their claim to fame is that it is one of the most scenic attractive clubs in the country.
Summary of Horse Racing Betting Review
Horse Racing Betting is one of the most popular types of sports betting in India. Hopefully, this guide has given you a good idea of where to go for online horse racing betting and how to choose a good market and a good horse!