Premier Information: Going to the races

Do you love horse racing?  Do you love to watch horse racing?  Are you beginning to get interested in the sport?  If so, a day at the races is a good place to start!

There are 58 racecourses throughout the UK, so if you’re interested in horse racing there is sure to be one near you to visit to get involved in the action. If you're looking for a list of the racecourses, you can look at this page on the Brians Betting website.

What’s involved in horse racing?

If you have never been to watch horse racing before you may not know what’s involved but don’t worry, anyone can simply turn up and enjoy racing.

Reasons to go horse racing

There are a million and one reasons why you should consider going horse racing, here is just a few of them: -

• If you are planning a stag do horse racing is a great alternative to what many people get up to on the stag do 
• A hen do is a great excuse to go horse racing, as you can start your day dressed all glamorous for the races and continue right through the night at a local bar or nightclub 
• If you have a special birthday coming up then a trip horse racing is sure to impress your friends and family and will be much more enjoyable than a regular party 
• Do you have kids?  Watching horse racing isn’t just for adults anymore.  Most courses allow kids in for free and even run family friendly days 
• Horse racing, or visiting a race course is great for a corporate event.  Corporate hospitality at most racecourses is a great way to impress new or existing clients or even to treat your staff

Even though there are lots of reasons to go horse racing we believe you don’t need a reason, a day out to watch horse racing is something everyone should try as we know you will love it.

Premier Information: Whats Happening At Warren Place

Since the sad death of Sir Henry Cecil, there has been much uncertainty of the future of the training operation at Warren Place. Those of you who have followed the fortunes of Sir Henry will be interested to read the article below which is reproduced courtesy of the Racing Post.

THE long-running debate about the future of Warren Place in Newmarket came to a conclusion on Monday when Lady Cecil revealed to the Racing Post she is to carry on training at the famous yard from which her late husband Sir Henry enjoyed incredible success for nearly 40 years.

The destiny of the historic stable had been the subject of intense speculation in racing circles ever since the ten-time champion trainer, for whom a memorial service was held just a week ago at Ely Cathedral, died in June.

Following Cecil's death, Lady Cecil was granted an emergency licence by the BHA and with the help of 'Team Cecil' has carried on the success story by sending out 31 winners including two emotional Group 2 victories at Royal Ascot with Riposte and Thomas Chippendale.

Rather than Warren Place being sold off, Lady Cecil will carry on the dynasty. She said on Monday: "I have spoken to our owners and our staff and confirmed that it is my intention to carry on as trainer at Warren Place.

"I have also talked to the BHA about plans to continue and have signed up to complete the training modules through the winter."

Regarding the past few months, she added : "It has been a difficult time but everyone has pulled together so well, which has enabled us to continue to get the results people associate with Warren Place. We've all wanted to make Henry proud and that will continue to be the case."

Premier Information provide up to date information on the latest in horse racing advice. If you want to find out more, you can follow us on the Premier Information LinkedIn page. 

Premier Information: Different Types of Bets

At Premier Information, we know how important it is to make sure you are making a profit whilst betting and ultimately making a return on your investment. This guide is intended to let you know the different types of bets available and to give you a clear overview of what is available to try out. If you're looking for more guides like this, follow us on the Premier Information Twitter account, or on LinkedIn.

Win Bet

There are a number of different types of bets you can place and the simplest and probably most common is the win bet. This is one bet, on one outcome and you are backing the horse to win the race. Told you it was neither rocket science nor brain surgery!

Each Way

Another hugely popular bet is to back a horse each way. This is effectively two bets, with one going on the horse to win and the other going on it to “place”. The place terms vary according to the type of race and number of horses in it, although it’s normally for your horse to finish in the top three. The place portion of your bet pays out at a fraction of the main odds and again this varies but is usually 1/4.

So, if you have a £10 each way bet on a horse at 4/1 that will cost you £20, with £10 on the win and £10 on the place part of the bet. If it wins both bets win, so you get £10 x 4 = £40, plus your £10 stake back for the win portion. You also get your each way bet too, so ¼ of 4/1 is 1/1, or evens, so you get £10 plus your stake of £10 so £20 in total. Overall you get £70 for a profit of £50. If the horse finished second, third or fourth you would lose your £10 win bet but make £10 profit from the each way win to leave you level overall.

These can be a great way to back an outsider and still profit if it makes the places with a huge bonus should it really cause an upset and win. Its also a means of insurance in that you can ensure you do not lose your stake or part of your stake if you are placed but fail to win.

Single Bet

This is where you are backing just one, single event. So if you back Blue Boy in the 2.30 at Fontwell that is a single bet. This could either be, as above, to win (a win single) or each way.

Mutliple Bets

There are numerous different types of multiple bet. Starting from the most simple, a double, up to the complex, almost ridiculous Goliath, which actually includes 247 separate bets in one single wager.

A double involves backing two separate events, for example Big Banana to win the aforementioned 12.30 at Bangor (hypothetically at 2/1) and Synaptic Explosion to win the 15.00 at Wetherby (at evens). Both bets must win for you to succeed. A £1 double would cost you £1 and if both horses deliver you would get £6 back. After the first horse wins you effectively have £3 (£1 stake plus £2 profit) on the second horse at evens, resulting in a payout of £6 and profit of £5.

A treble is the same concept but with three selections. As well as being called multiple bets these are also known as accumulators, or accas for short. You may hear the terms fourfold, fivefold and so on, referring to accumulators with that number of selections.

In addition to these simple multiples you also have various combination bets such as the previously mentioned Goliath. With these you have multiple selections (for example a Yankee has four) and you cover the various doubles, trebles and, in this case, a fourfold. A Yankee is 11 bets in total: six doubles, four trebles and one fourfold. You need at least two picks to win to get anything back and as it is 11 bets, a £1 Yankee would cost £11.

Straight Forecast

This requires you to pick the top two horses in a race, in the correct finishing order. The odds will be set for that particular outcome, so the forecast of Lucky Jim (first) and Bad Luck Bob (second) might be 12/1 and to win you need that exact outcome. For this reason the bet is known in the US as an Exacta.

Reverse Forecast

Similar to the above but the horses can finish in any order. This is effectively two bets, so a £10 reverse forecast would cost £20.

Tricast

One for the brave – pick the top three horses in the correct order. Big rewards await the successful here.

Rule Four Deductions

We would have included this with the explanation of the odds but didn’t want to confuse things. One thing to look out for when betting on the horses is that if there are late withdrawals your odds can sometimes change slightly. The odds are set based on the horses running at that time but if one or more withdraw, for example due to a late injury or the ground being deemed unsuitable, then your odds may be subject to a rule four deduction.

If there is a non-runner announced after the final declaration for the race your odds are reduced in accordance with the odds of the horse that was withdrawn. This allows for the fact that stakes are refunded on non-runners and the odds on all the other runners winning become shorter if there are fewer horses in the race.

The amount of the deduction varies according to the odds of the withdrawn competitor. If a strong favourite at a very low price, say 1/5 or 5/1 on (same thing) is withdrawn the deduction will be high as all the other horses now have a significantly better chance of winning, whereas the non-running of a 100/1 shot will have much less impact on the likely winner and so the deduction is far less.

Rule 4 Deduction Table

Below you'll find a table of the relevant Rule 4 deduction based on the odds of the horse that has pulled out of the race. Each deduction is provided as pence in the pound and is based on any payouts you may have.

• 1/9 or Shorter - 90p
• 2/11 to 2/17 - 85p
• 1/4 to 1/5 - 80p
• 3/10 to 2/7 - 75p
• 2/5 to 1/3 - 70p
• 8/15 to 4/9 - 65p
• 8/13 to 4/7 - 60p
• 4/5 to 4/6 - 55p
• 20/21 to 5/6 - 50p
• Evens to 6/5 - 45p
• 5/4 to 6/4 - 40p
• 13/8 to 7/4 - 35p
• 15/8 to 9/4 - 30p
• 5/2 to 3/1 - 25p
• 10/3 to 4/1 - 20p
• 9/2 to 11/2 - 15p
• 6/1 to 9/1 - 10p
• 10/1 to 14/1 - 5p
• Over 14/1 - No Deduction

Rule 4 Examples

So if you bet on a race where the favourite was withdrawn at odds of Evens (2.0), you would lose 45p for every pound won. Therefore if your horse had come in at 10/1 and you had placed £10 to win, you would have £45 of your £100 profit removed resulting in an adjusted payout of £55 (plus your £10 stake).

If, on the otherhand, the horse that was withdraw also had odds of 10/1, you would only have £5 removed from your winnings - leaving a profit of £95.

Some bookmakers, particularly those with a strong online presence, have chosen to scrap the 5p Rule 4 deduction. This means that, for those bookies at least, no deductions are made if the horse that has been withdrawn had odds of 10/1 or higher.

Premier Information: Best Odds Guaranteed

Getting the best possible deal from the bookmaker.

BEST ODDS GUARANTEED

In such a competitive market bookmakers will provide a plethora of incentives to gain punters custom and Best Odds Guaranteed is a terrific allurement.

Bookmakers will allow you to take the price of your selection and if the starting price is bigger than the price you have taking when staking your bet they will pay out at the bigger odds.

If you take the price and the starting price is shorter you will still gain the odds you bet your selection at, and so Best Odds Guaranteed nullifies any trepidation you may have when taking an early price.

Paddy Power, in particular, are one of the major bookmakers who offer Best Odds Guaranteed as they look to attract trade. Over the last few years bookmakers had only offered Best Odds Guaranteed on selected races, but Paddy Power are one of a number of bookmakers who now offer Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse racing.

In the betting ring punters are always looking for the best price on offer for their selection and there's always that gambling element to taking a board price. However, with the Best Odds Guaranteed service being offered by online bookmakers, that worry is quashed as you will be certain to gain the starting price if it is bigger than the one you originally took when placing the bet.

Bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed at the time of writing are:

Hills, Coral, Ladbrokes, Bet365, Stan James, Paddy Power & Betfred.

Premier Information: The St Leger Festival

As with a number of race meetings in the UK, the St Leger Festival is the highlight of the social calendar in Doncaster and a source of immense pride for Yorkshire.  The four day festival is run every September starting on a Wednesday and culminating on Saturday with the big one itself – the St Leger Stakes.  The ‘Leger’ is the last of five classics in the British racing calendar and the oldest classic of them all having been run since 1776.  Famous winners of the Leger include household names Nijinsky, Ribero, Dunfermline, Nedawi and of course, in 1985, Oh So Sharp who was the only filly to win the fillies’ Triple Crown.

Other hugely important races on the card include the Park Hill Stakes, a Group Two race for fillies and mares and the equally important Doncaster Cup over the long trip of two-and-a-quarter miles.  The Portland Handicap is another big betting race attracting interest from all around the country.  Tremendous hospitality and great entertainment are offered by Doncaster Racecourse to make the experience of the St Leger a memorable one.

Racing highlights on day one include the Listed Scarborough Stakes, run over a flying five furlongs, and the Leger Legends race.  Run over the trip of one mile, the Leger Legends Classified Stakes was introduced in 2010 and has become immensely popular with race goers, backers and the racing media.  This is a truly unique race in as much as it is for ex-professional jockeys and run for charity.

Day Two (Thursday) is Ladies’ Day and quite a spectacle if the Yorkshire sun is shining! Appropriately enough, the two racing highlights of this day are for the females, namely the Park Hill Stakes and the Sceptre Stakes.  The Sceptre is a Group Three run over seven furlongs while the Park Hill is an important Group Two race run over the St Leger distance of a mile and three quarters.

Friday is an important day on the racing calendar with three Group Two’s and a Listed race on the card.  The Listed race is the Flying Scotsman Stakes (seven furlongs) while the Group Two’s start with the fast five furlong Flying Childers Stakes for the two-year-olds.  The Doncaster Cup and the May Hill Stakes make up that line-up.

Saturday is of course the big day featuring the main event itself, the St Leger Stakes.  Although the Group Two Champagne Stakes and Park Stakes are quality races in their own right, it is all about the St Leger here.  Naturally a rich event with well over £500,000 in the purse, the St Leger can provide an opportunity for a horse to win the much coveted ‘Triple Crown’ of British horse racing should a horse have already taken the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby.  Big betting event the Portland Handicap is run on the final day also.

Tickets are at a premium for the St Leger Festival but with a capacity of 50,000 on ‘Town Moor’ there is always a very special atmosphere.

For more information about upcoming events, follow Premier Information on LinkedIn.

Premier Information: Live Horse Racing

Many of those who in joining Premier Information find themselves betting and taking an interest in racing for the first time want to watch the races they find themselves involved with.   This article explains that in this day and age, coverage is very extensive.

Never has horse racing been so accessible for the armchair viewer as racing from all over the UK & Ireland is available from two dedicated horse racing channels.

Before the introduction of At The Races and Racing UK the only live action you would see would come from Channel Four Racing and BBC, generally on a Saturday afternoon, whilst RTE would provide Ireland with live coverage of some of the major meetings in Ireland and the UK.

Even though the two terrestrial channels still show action on weekends, with Channel Four still providing racing every Saturday afternoon and the BBC broadcasting the major meetings like Royal Ascot and the Grand National it is the emergence of the subscription channels who have enhanced racing's accessibility.

Both channels give viewers up-to-the minute analysis before and after the racing with both offering an array of additional programmes, to both inform and entertain the general public.

Before the racing even gets underway both Racing UK and At The Races have aired some informative shows which utilise various pundits and gives the viewer a better insight into the day's racing ahead.
No race is too small for the channels and they treat a seller from Market Rasen with the same respect as a Group One from Newmarket.  With knowledgeable presenters giving their views along with the occasional controversial thought adding an edge to a programme, both Racing UK and At The Races have improved racing coverage no end.

At The Races in particular, have enhanced the reputation of Irish racing, as they cover all 26 racecourses in their live coverage.  Before, Irish racing was never really shown in the UK but ATR's coverage has now opened the racing viewer's spectrum and has allowed the punter out there to watch their flutter.

Bookmakers have also recently offered the facility of watching live racing online as they look to entice customers.  Paddy Power for instance, offers customers the chance to watch any race live in UK & Ireland as long as they stake a £1 bet on that specific race.  So, you don't have to hold a subscription to the aforementioned TV channels, you can just place a small bet and watch your chosen race online.

Premier Information: Non Handicap Racing

Introduction

Non Handicap Horse Racing or condition Racing as it is sometimes called, is Horse Racing where, unlike Handicaps, the weights are not set to as to give each horse an equal chance of winning. Instead the weights each horse is set to carry are determined by certain "conditions" laid down in advance by the racing authorities. These conditions are often stated in the description of the race that is printed on at the top of the card.

Non Handicap Horse Racing can be a little confusing when you first start following horse racing, so at Premier Information, we thought we'd put together a quick guide which should help simplify things!

Examples Of Conditions

The kind of conditions that might apply in a race could be things like:

• None of the horses must have won a race - this would apply in a maiden 
• Horses which have won 1 race in the last so many months are set to carry an extra 5lb 

As should be fairly obvious from the above many of the conditions are fairly obvious. However this is not always the case and there are a number of "quirks" best known to the racing authorities who determine what the entrance conditions are to be for the races in question
Examples Of Non Handicap Races

A large number of Non-Handicap or conditions races take place every year both on the Flat and the Jumps. These include: 

• Sellers 
• Claimers 
• Maidens 
• Novice 
• Juvenile 
• Apprentice 
• Ladies 
• NH Flat 
• Conditional Jockeys 
• Hunters 
• Listed Races 
• Group Races 
• Graded Races 
• Listed Races

A special set of races at the very top of the sport, in terms of difficulty and ability, is Listed Races and Group or Graded Races. The difference between Group and Graded races is that the former applies to the Flat and the latter to Jumps

In the main most Listed and Group/ Graded races are non-handicap or conditions races. Generally speaking most weight allocations are dropped and horses run off their true weights. This is because races at the very top of the sport are about showing the ability of the horses in question, and not about giving horses with less ability any allowance for the fact that their form is less noteworthy. There is some minor adjustment for weight, but the difference between the top weights and the bottom weight is generally insignificant, particularly over the kind of distances the race is run to

Favourites In Non-Handicaps

As a general rule of thumb, more favourites win in non-handicap races than in handicaps. If you are struggling to work out the difference between handicaps and non-handicaps, then simply consult the racing card for the day. Handicaps are always clearly labelled i.e. the word "handicap" will always appear in the name of the race e.g. handicap hurdle as compared with a maiden hurdle

It will also be observed that statistically speaking, more favourites win in jumping races, steeple chases etc than over the flat. This is largely because there is no effect of the draw when racing on the national hunt courses

So overall it is not a bad strategy when at the course for raceday, you take careful note of the declared favourite in non-handicap races. You will probably find a reasonable number of winners from favourites or 2nd favourites