Picking the right horse is the problem every punter has when betting on a major horse race. Everyone thinks that they have the right answer, but when it comes down to punch, only a lucky few walk away with a profit. People have their own systems and methods for selecting a horse or horses.
Some bettors will opt for a single bet, attempting to strike lucky on one horse winning a particular contest. Others may feel even more bullish lining up accumulator bets for a particular race meet or a day of action across several tracks.
Those accumulator wagers can cater for near misses with doubles, trixies and Heinz bets provided by the leading bookmakers. They are often an attractive proposition for bettors for an extended accumulator, especially those at major events such as Cheltenham Festival when races can be so unpredictable.
Put The Kettle On has done it!
The 17/2 shot clinches the Queen Mother Champion Chase!
The favourite Chacun Pour Soi finishes in third.
Live Cheltenham updates #CheltenhamFestival— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 17, 2021
The expert bettors may line up an exacta or trifecta bet to guess the correct order of the top two or three horses in the contest. Picking one horse to finish in the top two or three can be difficult enough, but those wagers take punting on racing to the next level. The risk-reward element is enticing for those confident bettors, who believe they know the race and the competitors inside out.
Knowing the form of the horses involved and their trainers can make all the difference, while other factors such as distance, course and ground are also vital components of a bet. If you’re a devoted horse racing fan you will know all the major runners and riders down to the fine details. However, casual fans make up a large proportion of bets on the races. For those bettors, the odds are doubly against them as their bank of knowledge will not stretch as deep as purists.
They can supplement their hopes by using innovative technology. For example, the Beth prediction tool aids horse racing bettors in breaking down which competitor has the best chance of winning the contest. Beth provides insight into all the factors that go into deciding the outcome of a horse race, including the weather, track, pedigree and past performances.
The human eye can be useful, although we all have our own levels of bias. If a certain horse has performed well for you in the past you are likely to pick it again, even if it has not performed well in certain conditions or over a particular distance. Beth removes the bias from the situation and focuses on the facts of the matter. It raises the interesting proposition of whether artificial intelligence might be better than human rationale for betting on racing.
In one-off races such as the Grand National, form can count for very little. We’ve seen in the past that 100-1 outsiders can triumph at Aintree. You can argue that algorithms may overlook these factors, but for a standard race meet across seven races when you’re lining up an accumulator or an exacta/trifecta wager, it could certainly prove itself. These meets tend to be more predictable and are decided by the fine details such as ground, form and pedigree. The analytics provided by sophisticated new technological systems may well be ground-breaking for those bettors seeking consistency in their success.
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