Are you interested in getting in on the fun and excitement of online horse racing? If so, you are certainly not alone. Online horse racing has made it possible for many people to enjoy all of the thrill of horse racing even if they do not live near a race track. If you have never previously placed an online horse racing bet, then you may find yourself wondering exactly how to go about it. Read on for more details on how to get started.

Online horse racing takes place on websites that are specifically dedicated to that purpose. You can get started by setting up an account on the website. Although different sites vary, the process is basically the same. The account that you set up on the site will allow you to make electronic deposits to fund the bets that you will place.

The website will provide important information about upcoming races which you can bet on. If you do not have a lot of previous experience placing bets on horse races then it is a good idea to review this information carefully in advance. Some of the information that will typically be provided on the website includes the horses that will be racing in the upcoming racing, the odds for those horses, the name of the jockeys that will be riding each horse, the distance of the race as well as other information.

Once you have some information regarding the upcoming race, the next step is to determine which horse or horses you would like to bet on. Make sure that you take into consideration the information that is available on the horses when you are determining which horses may present you with the best odds.

Finally, you will need to determine the type of bet that you would like to place. When placing online bets you will find that there are the same types of bets offered with online horse racing as there are with placing bets right on the track. In fact, there are often more types of bets available that can make the process of off track betting even more fun and exciting.

Once you have determined which horse you will bet on and the type of bet that you will place, all that is left is to sit back and wait for the race to take place. You can even enjoy the benefit of watching the race results as they come in online to find out how your horse fared in the race.

As with any sport involving animals, horse racing has a long history of accidents. However, unlike other man-animal sports (say, bull fighting), the sport of kings exacts both human and animal lives before and during the races.

Before the Races

Even before a race is seen by track spectators and television audiences, there are practice races that are as ferociously fought as the actual races. After all, the practice results can mirror actual results and gaining a psychological advantage over other jockeys can be useful.

When a horse is scratched from a race, accidents happening to the horse and/or jockey might be a factor. Even if your horse racing system is foolproof, it is impossible to account for future accidents, unless the results were rigged from the start.

Collusions between trainers, owners, jockeys, and bookmakers have been known to happen, and pre-race accidents might very well be well-planned. Monetary considerations are often involved in these cases.

During the Races

In your career as a horse racing punter, you will encounter many accidents on the race track. Both humans and animals are very susceptible to injuries, most of them deathly fatal.

To cite a very recent example of a sad accident, filly Eight Belle was euthanized on the track due to two broken front ankles. Even the euphoria that surrounded her second-place win was quickly erased when the decision to euthanize her was settled. And this is not an isolated event! Many more have preceded Eight Belle and many more will come after her.

As for jockeys, it is estimated that about 25% to 40% will suffer serious injuries during a year of horse racing. They are thrown off horses, trampled upon by hooves, slammed into barrier posts, and other fatal mishaps, many leading to a painful death.

Indeed, with their petite frames riding hulking horses, jockeys have one of the most dangerous jobs in the sports world! And the fact that average retirement age for jockeys is 33 tells a lot of stories.

Recommended Changes

Many changes have been recommended to make horse racing safer for both horse and jockey. One of these changes is the use of synthetic tracks in place of the traditional dirt tracks. Though the results are inconclusive, it seems that the former is safer than the latter.

Other racing pundits suggest that race horses be bred for durability rather than speed. The horses of today run lesser races than their earlier counterparts, which compared to the legendary Seabiscuits’ 35 races is an understatement!

Others recommend that the use of drugs for horses during race day should be ceased immediately. This is the equivalent of using performance-enhancing drugs for human athletes, which is now banned, and it should be too for horse athletes!

Some also propose that race fields be not filled for the mere reason of having a filled track. Though this leads to more excitement and more wagers, this also leads to more accidents, especially among horses that are not ready for a race.

Whenever you see horse racing accidents, try not to be fascinated by the gory details. There are careers and lives involved. These are ultimately more important than the wager you lost or the amount of money you won.

The allure and the excitement of the race track….

I wanted to find out once and for all what separates the winners from the losers at the race track?

When asking avid horse betters, “What does it take to pick a winner here at the track?” most answered “skill.” When asking, “What finally makes you lay your money down?” most answer, “guts.”

If you go to the track on any given day, you will see hordes of people enjoying a day at the races; making bets and yelling their hearts out in hopes that their “pick” will be the first to the finish line.

If one looks closer you will see another kind of better; a handicapper. A handicapper stands out in the track crowd. The handicapper has come to the track prepared to win. Between races, you won’t see them getting up for food or drink. Their faces are buried deep into the horse better’s bible; “The Daily Racing Form”. A true horse handicapper derives much of their skill for picking winners from studying “The Daily Racing Form”.

The Daily Racing Form is the only daily publication that is strictly geared to the horse racer. The Daily Racing Form has been around since 1894. Its headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois. The first publication printed on November 17,1894 was only four pages long. It was and remains today the number one “America’s Turf Authority” publication. Over 112 years later, the Daily Racing Form has evolved into a complex newspaper which publishes all the needed statistics for handicap races across the United States, along with insightful editorials on the world of racing. The paper publishes daily with the exception of Christmas day.

When polling several handicappers on what kind of race they prefer to bet on, all agreed: “a stakes race.”

Stakes races occur annually, like the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes. These races carry large purses, so they ultimately attract the cream of the crop in horses, jockeys, and trainers. As one handicapper told me, “There are fewer surprises…the talent is there…ripe for the picking.”

Other forms of races include claiming races. Claiming races are the most common types of races at the local track. In a claiming race, every horse on the field is up for sale. A price is pre-established by the owner(s) before the race begins. A horse may be claimed for its entered price by any other licensed horse owner. This transaction is done through a racing secretary. Once the race is over and a horse has been “claimed”, the ownership of the horse is then transferred to its new owners. A claiming race evens the running field, as an owner would not enter a horse that is worth a greater value where the horse could be claimed at low value.

When handicapping a claiming race, I was told it is important to review past performance, jockey, and track condition. Does the horse prefer a dry track verses wet? Has the jockey been doing well with the horse?

Another type of race is the maiden race. This is the handicappers least favorite. A maiden race is made up of horses that have never before won a race.

Last but not least is the allowance race. The allowance race is where the Track Handicapped (Track Secretary) sets the conditions and the type of horses that can be entered into the race.

The handicappers I had the pleasure of spending the day with strongly advise: “Collect information, rely heavily on the performance of a horse, get to know the better jocks and trainers, and always refer to the Daily Racing Form. Oh yeah, and have the guts to put your money on the nose.”