You’ll often find the professional punters at the Parade Ring just before the race. But what are these guys looking for? Well, simply they are looking for clues to how a horse will perform in the race.

You don’t need to be a horse whisperer to tell when a horse is in good condition. Just look for tell tale signs that can save you wasting money on ‘no hopers’.

So what are the signs that can have you backing a winner?

Firstly you’ll need to get down to the parade ring about 20 minutes before the race is due to go off.

The horses will come into the ring and parade for a couple of minutes. This is your chance to give them a quick once over.

Look at the horses coat, this will give you the best information on the general condition of the horse. A dull coat is not a good sign, look for coats that have a good shine on them. Also some trainers will keep the horse covered during the parade - are they trying to hide something?

Is the horse calm and alert? Horses that are unhappy may well have their heads down or be very agitated. You want a horse to be calm but alert.

Go with your gut feelings, if you get a good feeling watching one particular horse then go with your gut and get a few quid on it.