Horse Racing Betting Sites
We look at the best betting sites for horse racing in New Zealand and explore what the pros and cons are for each. Read on for advice on how to bet on horse racing, the types of horse races which you can bet on and where you can watch them live. We help make things easy to understand by bringing an extensive glossary of the key terms, and answering all the most frequently asked questions.
List of the Horse Racing Betting Sites
Is Betting On Horse Racing Legal In New Zealand?
Yes! It is absolutely legal to bet on horse racing in New Zealand. Horse racing is a very popular sport in New Zealand, so it is only natural that it is also a popular sport to bet on. Of course, the law states that individuals must be over the age of 18 to place a bet on horse racing.
The Racing Act 2003 provides effective governance arrangements for the New Zealand racing industry, and facilitates betting on all different types of racing, including horse racing.
TOP 5 Horse Racing Bookmakers
Bet365
Bet365 is known for its quality the world over. They offer an excellent horse racing betting product with all the bets you could want. The races are divided into several categories based on location, primarily there is the UK & Ireland, but you also have Australia & New Zealand, North America, South America and then the rest of the world (Japan and South Africa).
On any typical UK race you can expect to find Early price odds as well as Starting price, Tote betting options, and potentially also more exotic bet types such as Exacta, Trifecta, First Four, Forecast, and Tricast. You can also obviously bet each-way as well as to win and they sometimes add extra places to feature races. For the big competitions, a “More Markets” tab is added where you can find extra options such as winning distances and Horse A vs Horse B bets.
Bet365 offers extensive analytics for every UK race, which is of great benefit to anyone wanting to study the form.
Interesting features at Bet365 include a huge amount of video streaming and the option to add a horse to your “favourites” list. This means that in future races with this horse you will be notified that they are running. Bet365 also has regular horse racing betting offers notably a Free bet on the next race when you have a 4/1 winner at televised meetings.
Betway
Betway’s horse racing section allows you to bet on who will either win or place but that is usually it. They focus on the major horse race meetings which mean from the UK & Ireland, USA, Australia, and South Africa. Unfortunately for players from New Zealand there is no local race betting here.
However, if you’re betting on the above listed races online then Betway is clearly not a bad option. The bookmaker has video broadcasts of races (mostly for UK & Ireland races) and each event is accompanied by a detailed information summary from Timeform. This includes a brief preview, horse scores, and statistical information on each competitor – horse form, weight, jockey, and trainer.
The betting line-up includes bets on the winner, Top 3 Finish, Top 4 Finish, Insurebet (3 & 4 Places), To Finish 2nd and H2H horse matchups (who finishes ahead of the other). In addition, Betway always offers Odds Boost. This option is possible for almost all races.
TAB
TAB is a legal New Zealand bookmaker whose main focus is racing. The lineup covers competitions from many regions: New Zealand. Australia, Canada, USA, Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, UK, Chile, and Brazil. The coverage in TAB is above average.
The strengths of TAB include the amount of information provided to bettors. If you open the “Extended Form” of the selected sporting event, you will get as much data as any competing bookmaker. You will find information on the horse, jockey, and trainer statistics, as well as infographics of their performances. That’s enough to keep you from having to look at the information on third-party resources.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes has a solid horse racing betting section, although it may not seem so at first glance. All due to poor event filtering, especially on mobile devices. The website consists of just two tabs – “AUS / NZ / HK” and “Rest of World”.
Poor navigation is the main drawback of Ladbrokes. The bookmaker has an excellent spreadsheet, detailed statistics, and there are useful tools like Bet Tracker, Yard, Speedmap, and video streaming of most races.
Betstar
Another good bookmaker for horse racing betting Betstar has the same betting software as Ladbrokes. This can be judged from the particular division of the competition into Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and all others.
The company offers a good spread of Fixed & Tote Odds, with video streaming for most races. A serious drawback is the lack of any analytics for the upcoming races. Players will have to turn to third-party services for this.
Horse Racing Betting Sites: How to Choose
There are always a number of things to consider and what is going to be the best choice for someone will not necessarily be the best choice for someone else. It will depend on what each individual is looking for in a betting site, how they intend to use it, and how much they value each attribute. Some of the criteria to consider when making your decision are:
Odds – For some people having very competitive odds is the only thing that matters, and at the other extreme some people hardly even look at them! If you are taking your gambling very seriously and want to find value in every bet then the odds are going to be the difference between a bet that you place and a bet that you let pass by. At the other end of the spectrum some people will gamble purely for “the juice”, by this we mean basically the excitement and the feeling of not knowing if you will win or lose. Then the odds are not particularly relevant, those bets will be placed regardless. Most people are somewhere in the middle, and of course it is not just the odds themselves that provide value but any extra other special offers will have an effect.
Existing user promotional offers – When you are horse racing betting online there are a lot of bonuses on offer which dramatically increase the value of the bets which you place. It is worth looking out for offers such as:
- Extra Places – Where if the industry standard is paying the first two horses to finish you may be able to get paid on the first three instead at some horse racing betting sites. Defintiely worth checking when you place each-way bets.
- Free bets “If” – These offers pay you Free bets if certain things happen during the race or for certain results. The thing to trigger the “If” can be anything at all, from falling at the first fence, falling at the last fence, failing to finish in the places, finishing second, even actually winning!
- Best Odds Guaranteed – If a bookmaker offers to be Best Odds Guaranteed (known as “BOG”) this does NOT mean that they will have the best horse racing odds! It means that if you take an Early Price (EP) on a horse but the Starting Price (SP) is larger, then you will get paid the SP instead. It is an excellent offer and definitely one of the best horse racing betting promotions.
Range and number of bets available – Some people may just stick to the basics, and at one extreme just bet on who will win the horse race but other people will be interested in placing more complex bets such as a trifecta and if that is what you want then a bookmaker providing it is important. As well as the type of bets the range of countries is also a variable that will set one bookmaker apart from another, as well as how many meetings a day they offer horse racing odds for.
Loyalty Programs – If you are someone who will be betting more than once a week or if you bet a lot when you do, then betting sites that have a decent loyalty program are going to be very much sought after. Not every horse racing bookmaker will have one but some do and the additional bonuses and Free bets that a loyalty program offers can be something that turns average horse racing betting sites into good ones.
Welcome Bonuses – There is a lot of noise around the different welcome bonuses that betting sites offer and they can be very nice, but it is probably not as important an issue as it appears. These Free bets will soon be gone but the other attributes of horse betting sites will be with you each and every time you log in and each and every bet you place, and is probably a much more important thing in the long run. That being said some people do nothing but skip between all the online betting sites doing just enough to get the welcome bonus and then never bet there again, so for them the welcome bonus is all important and the largest Free bet offer available will be the best horse racing betting site. Always carefully check the terms and conditions of any welcome offer before depositing though as there are often a lot of conditions that make them not suitable for a lot of bets.
Testimonials – When betting online there will be times that you have problems, and there is a good chance that you will let the world know about it. Other people will do exactly the same. By checking out what is being said about a company online, perhaps through Twitter or a more official source. Generally what is true is that if there are a lot of complaints and negative comments, then do not be surprised if your experience is the same. When looking for the best horse racing betting service, check other testimonials as these will help.
Horse Racing Bookies: How to Place a Bet
Placing a bet will vary slightly between all horse racing betting sites but they will all follow the same similar pattern.
- Select an online sports betting site that offers horse racing odds.
- Register an account, this may involve confirming your ID
- If there is a welcome bonus Free bet use the relevant bonus code and familiarise yourself with the T&C’s.
- Deposit money into your account
- Navigate to the race you want to bet on, the races are usually listed in chronological order for the horse races taking place that day on the main racing page and you can scroll through from left to right. If it is a race further away then you can find it by narrowing down the country, race meeting, and then race time.
- Once you have opened the horse race card you will see all the horses you can choose from and the betting markets that are available.
- Choose a horse by clicking on the odds next to their name. If there are no odds then it may say “SP”, which means you will get the starting price odds. A new bet slip will appear.
- Enter the stake amount that you wish to bet, by default it will be a single bet to win, make any changes that may be necessary like ticking the box to say it is an each-way bet perhaps, when you are happy with everything, then submit.
- If all has gone well you will get a confirmation message. If there is no confirmation message then it is always worth going into your account section and looking in the “my bets” section to check if the bet is there OK. If it is not there and you still have your balance, go to place it again. If it is not there but your balance has gone down, contact customer services.
Horse Racing Bookmakers: Betting Types
There are various different bet types when it comes to horse racing in New Zealand. We have listed them here with a brief description of what they are, so you can make an informed wager.
Win Bet
A win bet is the most common type of horse racing bet, and probably the most straightforward. It allows bettors to place a bet on the horse they believe is most likely to win the race outright.
Place Bet
A place bet is where you are betting on a particular horse to finish the race in either first or second place. It allows for a little leeway in the accuracy of your prediction of the winning horse but does have slightly less favourable odds as a result.
Show Bet
A show bet has even less favourable odds still, because it allows the punter even more breathing space than a place bet. With a show bet, punters are betting on a horse placing either first, second or third in a given race. This allows the greatest chance of your bet coming up trumps.
Bet Without The Favourite
There may be times when you want to back a particular horse, but you think that it’s impossible for the favourite to be beaten. In this instance, you can place a bet without the favourite which gives revised odds, as though the favourite horse were not taking part in the race. Therefore, if you back a horse to win without the favourite and your horse finishes in second place to the favourite in first, your bet will be successful.
Distance Bet
With a distance bet, you are betting on a horse to not only win, but to win by a certain distance. For example, you might get longer odds by betting on a horse to win by more than 2 lengths.
Ante-Post Bet
Ante-Post horse racing bets can be very lucrative because there are often much bigger odds. Of course, there is a catch; because in an Ante-Post bet you can be placing your bet well before the starting date of the race, there are risks involved. You run the greater risk of your horse being a non-runner, and with an Ante-Post bet that will result in a lost bet.
Daily Double Bet
In a Daily Double bet, the punter chooses the winner of two horse races in a row; often the first two races on a race card.
Exacta Bet
An Exacta bet (also know as a Perfecta bet) is when a bettor wagers on horses finishing first and second in exact order.
Trifecta Bet
This is where a punter bets on three horses finishing first, second and third, in that exact order.
Quinella Bet
A Quinella bet is a bet on the first two horses to finish in a race, in either order.
In-Play Bet
An “In-Play” bet (also known as live betting) is where you can place a bet after the race has started. Because both the punter and the bookmaker has a better idea of which horse might win as the race progresses, the odds change in real time, making it much more exciting due to the odds swings in a short space of time.
Horse Betting Sites: Key Terms and their Meaning
There are many different terms used in the world of horse racing, which can often sound unfamiliar at first. Fear not, as we have got you covered with this handy glossary of horse racing terms.
- Also-ran: A horse who finishes in fourth place or worse without ever looking like winning.
- Backstretch: The straight part of the track, on the opposite side from the grandstand.
- Backside: The stable area of the facility/racecourse.
- Blinkers: These cover the sides of a horse’s head in order to limit their peripheral vision, enabling them to stay focused and avoid swerving during the race.
- Break Maiden: This is when a horse gets their first career win. This phrase can also apply to jockeys.
- Bridle: A bridle is also know as the “headgear” and it is what jockeys use to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the “bridle” includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. If a horse is said to be “off the bridle” this means the jockey is not holding the horse back and he is now going flat out.
- Chart: An important research tool for bettors, a chart is a detailed summary of a race, including a description of field requirements, tracking of each horse’s position at specific points in the race, the purse breakdown, jockeys, trainers and owners for each horse, and betting payouts for all wagers taken.
- Chute: A part of the track that extends the backstretch, where the starting gate can be placed to accommodate different lengths of races.
- Classic: A classic race is a group one race involving three year olds, and they are generally the most prestigious race to win.
- Clubhouse Turn: Usually the last turn of the race, so-called because the horses tend to finish in front of the clubhouse.
- Disqualification (DQ): This is when a horse is disqualified from a race, invalidating their results and changing the finishing order of the race.
- Dropdown: When a horse fares less well than usual in a race.
- Fast Track: A description of the best horse racing track surface.
- Field: All horses taking part in the race.
- Filly: A female horse aged four years and under.
- Four Furlongs: A half-mile, or 880 yards.
- Fractional Time: The times recorded at specific intervals in the race, these are generally at quarter mile increments at the head of the stretch.
- Furlong: One eighth of a mile, or 220 yards.
- Good Track: A description of an intermediate horse racing track surface, which is not up to fast track standards.
- Handicap: This is where the prior performances of the horses is analysed and a score calculated for each horse. Then depending on how good each horse is thought to be using that scale they must carry extra weight. This handicap means that horses of very different abilities can still compete together.
- Head: A description of the distance between horses during a race, or at the end of one.
- Head of the Stretch: The start of the last straight part of the race, leading up to the finish line.
- In the Money: When a horse finishes first, second or third (which would result in payouts for win, place or show bets).
- Infield: An enclosed area by the track, where spectators can gather.
- Inquiry: When the race is examined to see if there are any issues that could change the order of the finishers.
- Juvenile: A two-year-old horse.
- Length: A distance that is equal to the length of a horse; roughly eight feet.
- Maiden: A horse that has not yet won a race.
- Maiden Race: A race that is available to horses that haven’t won a race before.
- Muddy Track: Used to describe a racetrack which is saturated with water, creating a poor racing surface.
- Non-Runner: A non-runner is a horse who was at one time listed to run in the race and then for whatever reason does not. A horse can pull out of a race at any time right up to being declared “under starters orders”.
- Oaks: An event for three-year-old fillies.
- Official: A sign on the results board that is lit to confirm the race result, allowing winning bets to be paid out.
- Off Track: A track condition that is in worse than good condition, usually due to wet weather.
- On The Board: Horses that finish in the top four in a race.
- Photo Finish: The process of reviewing a photo or video taken at the finish line, to determine which horse has won, due to the finish being so close.
- Place: A second-place finish.
- Pole: Actual poles in the ground that indicate the distance to the finish line. These are usually placed in quarter mile increments.
- Post Position: The starting position of a horse in the starting gate, with number one being closest to the rail.
- Post Time: The scheduled start time for the race.
- Quarter Pole: The pole which is one quarter of a mile from the finish line.
- Scratch: When a horse is announced as and entry, then taken out of a race before it starts.
- Seven Furlongs: Seven eighths of a mile.
- Show: A third-place finish in a race
- Six Furlongs: Three quarters of a mile.
- Sixteenth: One sixteenth of a mile, or a half furlong.
- Turf Course: A grass racecourse.
Where to Watch The Race
There are several ways that you can watch a horse race taking place in New Zealand, the main ones being:
- On track – The traditional way to watch horse races, ever since the very beginning has been to go to a horse racing meeting and spend the day in one of the viewing stands watching the races. This is still possible today, you just need to pay a small fee on the day to enter, or for more popular events it is advised to book in advance online.
- Via simultaneous transmission – If you are at any horse racing events in person you will notice that they have TV screens dotted about the public galleries. This is because Racetracks are linked together so you can watch the races at other venues and you can also place bets on them.
- On TV – If you are watching from home on your television then “tab trackside” is the best channel to watch bringing you up to date coverage.
- Live Streaming – Many online bookmakers will allow you to stream a race over the internet if you have placed a wager on the race. If you just want to watch without having a horse racing bet then Sky Racing World and the Racing New Zealand website have racing from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa available.
Betting Sites For Horse Racing: Breeds
There are several breeds of horses used for different types of horse racing. The main three are:
- Thoroughbred – They are best known for their use in horse racing they are considered “hot-blooded” horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit. The Thoroughbred was developed in the 17th and 18th centuries in England, when native mares were crossbred with imported Arabian stallions. Fascinatingly today every thoroughbred horse can trace its family tree back to just three stallions imported into England from the Middle East in the late 17th and early 18th centuries: the Byerley Turk (1680s), the Darley Arabian (1704), and the Godolphin Arabian (1729).
- Quarter Horses – The Quarter Horse traces its roots back to the 1600s as well, but developed in America rather than in England. It excels at sprinting short distances and its name comes from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile (or less). The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed in the United States today.
- The Standardbred horse – This horse type is best at harness racing which is run at a trot or pace. In fact another name for this type of horse race is trotting. The breed is recognized worldwide and can also trace its bloodlines back for quite way, back to 18th-century England.
Types of Horse Racing in New Zealand
In New Zealand, there are four types of horse races: Group races, Maiden races, Listed races, and Handicap races. Each type is slightly different and we will explain the specifics of each type now.
- Group races – These are the most prestigious races and they can be either Group 1 (Which includes the Classics) or Group 2 which is very good also, but not quite as good as Group 1 races. Group 3 also has quality horses competing as these are often used as trials in order to move up into Group 1 and Group 2 races.
- Maiden races – Maiden races are open to horses that are yet to win a race. This does not mean that they are not good horses though, and there are very successful maidens who win a lot of prize money by regularly finishing in the places.
- Listed races – These are below group race standard but they have many horses who still have a lot of positives and may be improving. Regardless since all the horses are approximately the same ability still the races are usually very exciting to watch.
- Handicap races – As the name suggests horses in this race will have a handicap and have to run with weights, how much weight will depend on quite how good they are deemed to be. The objective is to level the playing field. These races tend to involve pretty large fields of 16 or more horses and do not involve jumps, they are just flat cavalry charges.
Betting Sites for Horse Racing In the New Zealand: Deposit and Withdrawal
There are three groups of payment methods for deposits and withdrawals:
Credit / Debit Card. These include VISA, MasterCard and Maestro. Credit and debit cards are the most common payment method at the betting shops. New Zealand players can also use them and make payments in NZD.
Electronic wallets. These include methods such as Skrill and Neteller. These E-wallets work with many bookmakers around the world. Be careful though because sometimes a deposit with these methods is not elibible for bonuses from a bookmaker. Skrill and Neteller accept NZD, so payments to and from the bookmaker go through without conversion fees.
Debit electronic systems. These include PayPal and EFTPOS. Debit e-systems allow you to fund your bookmaker’s balance from your bank card. In doing so, you leave no “traces”: the transactions go through the system as an intermediary. This guarantees the security of your card or bank account data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best horse racing betting site?
There is no one answer to this question, different sites will have different qualities with some having the best horse racing odds, some the largest number of horse racing betting markets, another will give away a lot of Free bets and another might have horse racing live streaming. Depending on what you value highest will decide which online betting site is best for you.
Are horse racing betting sites reliable?
Overall the answer would have to be “yes”. The majority of horse racing sites available in New Zealand are all large brands with considerable financial backing and a large team of staff to keep things running smoothly. Nothing is totally risk free but all in all NZ horse racing betting is reliable yes.
How do I bet on horse racing?
It is very simple to make a horse racing bet but the exact methodology will vary from one betting site to the next. In the article above we go through each of the likely steps you will be required to complete at all online bookmakers.
How do I choose a horse to bet on?
This, even more than what betting site to join, is totally a matter that only you can decide in the end. Some people choose horses because they like the names, other people study the form and look for value, other people choose the horses that are favourite with the most chance of winning. You can make any racing bets that you want to just always be sure to never gamble more than you can afford to lose.
Can I watch live horse racing online?
Yes, you can watch live horse racing online, the best horse betting sites will provide you with live horse racing streaming but often only if you have placed a bet on the horse race in question.
Can I bet on a horse to lose?
You can definitely bet on a horse to lose at a betting exchange, and these are known as “lay bets”, and you are taking somebody else’s bet on the horse to win. At a racing betting site, the closest you can get is to back every other horse in the race to win instead which would have the same effect but because of the bookmaker margin, if there are more than three or four horses in the race you will almost certainly just lose money.
What does SP mean in horse racing betting?
Horse race betting has been going on for hundreds of years and in that time has developed and horse racing bets are now normally at fixed odds but in the past before computers and complex databases to manage risk a form of tote betting was used. SP stands for Starting Price and this is the average odds that could be obtained on each horse at the track.