How to Pick a Horse

Learning how to pick a winning horse is a complex skill that requires an in-depth understanding of numerous factors. While it’s impossible to guarantee a winning bet unless you’ve mastered the art of time travel, appreciating how recent form, ground conditions, betting odds, jockeys, and various other circumstances impact the results will significantly help your chances. 

HorseRacing.net is determined to provide our readers with an effective guide on how to pick the best horse possible. Our years of experiences have given us extensive expertise that can help other punters sharpen their horse racing betting acumen. 

Keep reading for a breakdown of the most important factors to bear in mind. Afterwards, claim one of the horse racing betting offers at our recommended bookmakers by clicking  the “Free Bets” button in the top right-hand corner. The bonus funds will give you a great opportunity to put some horse racing tips into practice without cutting too far into your bankroll. 

Understanding Horse Racing Basics

Acknowledging the different types of races is first on the list for how to pick a horse. For example, the two main categories for horse racing betting — National Hunt (jump racing) and flat racing — are entirely different events that will favour certain horses over others. Let’s look at these categories in more detail:

• National Hunt: If you’re a fan of jump racing events, National Hunt is the horse racing category to pay the most attention to. These jump races come in various sub-categories depending on the grading, handicap, and fence size. Steeplechases, which feature the largest fence sizes compared to smaller hurdle races, are the most significant. The Cheltenham Gold Cup (a graded top-level race) and the Grand National (a handicap race where horses wear weights depending on their rating) are the most famous examples. 
• Flat Racing: Flat racing is an altogether different environment than National Hunt events. These races usually involve younger horses bred for speed over shorter distances and don’t contain any jumps. Group 1 flat races like the British Classics are the most distinguished and popular, with only small variations in handicap weights carried depending on the horse's gender or age. Group 2 and 3 classes have more progressive handicap rules depending on past successes (a horse who has won Group 1 or 2 races before will be given extra weight). Picking winners in Group 1 races can often depend on a horse’s performance in smaller Group 2 and 3 “trial” races, so punters should consider all racing classes. 

Horse Racing Bet Types

The next most important factor to appreciate while learning how to pick a winning horse is the different types of bet available. Punters can improve their overall chances of winning by tipping a horse to finish in the first few places or double-down and go for a multiple bet requiring several successful predictions. The most common horse racing bet types include: 

• Win: A straightforward single bet on the winning horse.
• Place: A place bet covers your horse to finish in the top few places. 
• Each-Way: An each-way wager covers two possibilities: your horse winning and placing. 
• Double: A double bet covers two scenarios that most both happen for the bookies to pay-out. 
• Treble: A treble bet is the same as a double, only it covers three predictions. This makes it even riskier but boosts the potential profits. 
• Acca: An accumulator bet covers four or more selections, with the odds multiplied across all predictions to create much larger but less probable payouts.
• Lucky 15: A Lucky 15 is among the more complex types of bets, featuring six doubles, four trebles, four singles, and a four-leg acca. 
• Lucky 31: A Lucky 31 is even more multifaceted, with five singles, ten doubles, ten trebles, five four-fold accas, and a final five-fold accumulator. 
• Yankee: A Yankee wager is similar to a Lucky 15 but without any singles: six doubles, four trebles, and a four-leg acca.

Racecards and Form Guides

Racecards and form guides are vital tools to help you analyse recent performances, often giving a good indication of which horses to keep an eye on. As long as you know how to read a racecard, you can learn the most crucial information in seconds. 

A series of numbers, dashes, slashes, and letters (for jump racing) represent the horse’s form. These indicate a runner’s performances, with each number showing where the horse placed. A dash shows a calendar year break, while a slash means a year. Letters like F (fell) or D (disqualified) can also be used. Checking form is essential to learning how to pick a winning horse, so make sure you understand how it works. 

The race card also has a few other pieces of vital information. For example: 

• Date of birth 
• Jockey 
• Weight 
• Sire 
• Trainer 
• Owner 
• Breeder 

Taking these into account before deciding on a prediction can considerably improve your chances of selecting a winning horse. 

Evaluating Horse and Jockey

Grasping how to pick a winning horse largely depends on your skill at discerning each runner’s advantages and drawbacks. The best bettors examine various traits and characteristics: 

• Temperament: Learning about a horse's temperament can indicate how it will perform under pressure, giving vital clues to its finishing position. 
• Fitness: Examining horse fitness is another key factor. No matter how good a runner has been in the past, they aren’t likely to perform so well if they’re not 100% fit. 
• Breeding: Some of history’s most successful horses have also had impressive offspring. Checking the sire and dam of a runner can give an indication of its ability. 
• Age: Horse age is arguably one of the main factors. For example, young horses can have more energy but less experience, so considering this is crucial for multi-age races. 
• Style: Horses’ racing styles can differ. For example, stayers like the legendary Stradivarius excel at longer distances and often win races in the last section. Knowing this can give you invaluable betting tips, especially for live wagers. 
• Track Bias: Horses can have favourite courses where they excel compared to others. Check the archives to find out whether any runners stand out on particular courses. 

Don’t forget about the jockey either. Just consider someone like the legendary Frankie Dettori, who has won over 250 Group 1 races during his illustrious career. Check past results and expert analysis to learn about jockeys' styles and their connection with each horse. One example of an almost unbeatable partnership was Dettori and Stradivarius, who picked up three Cheltenham Gold Cups and twelve other Group races together.

Considering Track Conditions

Track conditions will also significantly influence how to pick a winning horse. For example, challenging and unusual tracks like Aintree Racecourse or Newmarket’s July Course will demand different attributes from a winning horse and jockey. Considering the length of a race is also essential, as stayers and more experienced horses often do better on longer tracks.

You should also check the track conditions on the day of the race. For example, firm or muddy surfaces can throw up different challenges for runners. Analysing past results can help you identify where each horse excels and place more accurate predictions. 

Monitoring Betting Trends and Odds

Monitoring betting trends and fluctuating odds can considerably aid the decision-making process. The difference between the ante-post (in the build-up to a race) and starting price (final odds at the beginning of a race) can be significant and drop certain clues as to how to pick a winning horse. 

Watch out for odds shortening on a specific horse, as this generally indicates an increased probability of winning according to betting sites and fellow punters. Sometimes this is driven by concrete factors like the weather conditions, but it can also indicate tipster favourites or inside knowledge. 

Analysing the underdogs and favourites to see whether you believe the overall public perception reflects the true likelihood of success is also a key tactic. The favourites are often heavily tipped for a reason, but is there an in-form horse with longer odds that could cause an upset? Identifying these opportunities takes dedicated research but can pay serious dividends. 

Utilising Horse Racing Tips

HorseRacing.net has exhaustive daily horse racing tips and Naps (best bet of the day) that can help you make the most accurate predictions. It’s not always easy to find all the relevant information in one place when conducting your own research. But don’t worry, we’ve compiled tips from authoritative publications like The Racing Post, The Sun, and The Daily Mail alongside our own experts Raceolly, Steve Chambers, and Billy Grimshaw.  

Setting a Budget

Setting a budget before betting is an underappreciated part of learning how to pick a horse. This is key to responsible gambling and can also help you place more tactical bets rather than going in all guns blazing. We highly recommend creating a betting budget in a separate bank account, e-wallet, or prepaid card to help you keep these funds separate from day-to-day finances. For more tips on staying responsible and budgeting effectively, visit information sites like BeGambleAware.org. 

Sign Up at a Top Horse Racing Betting Site

Now you know some key tips and areas of concern when learning how to pick a winning horse, check our odds page to compare prices and make a selection. Check our recommended sites and free bets section for the best bookies and bonuses.