Having been a trainer and driver of racehorses; having witnessed 1000’s of races over the course of the past 30 years, anything can occur before the race starts. With this knowledge, here are some tips that may assist you in making a good bet, while using your brains instead of your gut reaction.

Although ante-post racing has been a huge market with betters or punters, you should be very careful when placing your bet before race day. Here is my thought on this subject. I never bet on a horse before the horses warm up or parade. I want to see if the horse I am betting on is sound e.g. healthy, not lame on the track. Thoroughbred horse racing is completely different from standardbred horse racing. 

Thoroughbreds parade for approximately 10 minutes before the race. Watch for traits indicating lameness. Your horse should not exhibit any limping or favoritism to one leg. White foam, or sweat, observed on the horse’s neck is indicative of nervousness or the horse being “washed out.” Washed out is a term used for a horse that may not race well due to excessive nervousness. A positive indicator that you have a good horse to bet on occurs when the horse “empties out,” another term for “pooping” before the race. I find this to be an advantage, as the horse is relaxed and free of excessive bulk, thereby permitting him to run more quickly. 

Harness horse racing is different, as you are able to watch the contenders warm up. Typically the horses are warmed up 60 minutes before the actual race time. This is a perfect time to watch your horse travel around the track. You can see if they are limping or sore. If you observe any incongruence in their running pattern do not bet on them. 

An aspect to look for in both thoroughbreds and standardbreds, when determining your winning horse is, “equipment changes.” This alteration in equipment can change the way the horse runs that day. For example, if you see a horse go from blinkers to no blinkers, that horse may be prone to the distraction of his competitors and may try to outrun a horse when they see a competitor coming up, on the outside or inside of the track. There are so many variations of changes of equipment. The track must list equipment changes week to week. Make sure, if you are a serious better, that you check for changes and evaluate how this may alter the outcome of the race.

The last variance I would like to cover is track condition. Imagine you bet on a great horse that cannot lose, in your mind. On race day it rains and the track is muddy. This horse does not like the mud. Those betters who have followed the conditions as it pertains to their winning horse know about this disadvantage and pass on the horse. If you placed the bet days earlier, without this knowledge, you may have bet on a great horse that cannot triumph in mud. This great horse loses and you lose your money. You could have prevented this by not making your early bet. On the other hand, your identified winner may be a horse that loves the mud and under such conditions, may be your winner. You have no way of knowing this if you have not vetted your horse, checked the conditions, examined for equipment changes, and personally seen him parade or warm up. 

As you can see, I never bet ante-post for these reasons. A common adage which I frequently refer to is, “You can beat a race, but you cannot beat the races.” However, that has never stopped me from taking the time to exert my knowledge and pick my winner! Horse racing especially races like the Grand National are exciting events that combines skill, talent, and of course - Luck!

With the Grand National well and truly over for another year, thoughts turn to the other big races in the UK. Summer in England normally means flat racing, whilst I’m not the biggest fan for the flat scene it still holds my interest until the National Hunt jump season restarts in full.

The next major flat race is the Derby from Epsom, this year all eye’s are on the Queens runner -  Carlton House. The Queen will be taking nothing for granted. As she famously witnessed her mother’s horse Devon Loch collapse just yards from the finishing post in the Grand National in 1956.

You can get the very latest live horse racing odds from all the major races from www.horseracingodds.me.uk.

A £2 Tote Jackpot bet by novice Steve Whitely scooped a fantastic rollover jackpot of £1.4m at Exeter on Tuesday. Mr Whitely had taken advantage of a free promotional entry ticket and arrived at the course by public transport. Intending to have a some small bets and a few drinks with some friends, die hard gamblers would have been dismayed at his ‘method’ of random selection.

Despite odds of 368,639 - 1 he managed to pick all six winners. His selection for the last race was Lupita at 12-1 it looked unlikely she could win however in the last furlong she passed ‘Only Hope’ and created an instant millionaire. The four leaf clover he had taken with him certainly came in handy.

Mr Whitely from Devon admitted he was “shaking like a leaf” during the last race when he realised he had the only qualifying ticket left. Since the win his life has certainly changed , already he has been inundated with requests for interviews and photographs. Partner, Jill, who had received no birthday present from him wisely said “you cant stay mad at a millionaire for long”.

Off on a pre planned holiday to Australia next week [an upgrade on the ticket perhaps?] he has said he intends to carry on working as a heating engineer but maybe a few more days at the races? could be on the cards.

I might have to start betting on this Tote, the biggest win I’ve had is £5 on the local pub fruit machines.