WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BETTING ON A HORSE:

There are certain things a punter needs to know when betting on a horse:

The horses previous race history: This allows the punter to see what kind of races the horse has taken part in before (taking in to account flat/jumps/trip) and where it placed to see if it is a suitable candidate to win.

The grade/class: There would be no point on betting on a horse in a higher grade race just because its won at lower grades before. The step up might be too much for it to handle.

The ground: Some horses prefer good ground, others prefer soft, and some prefer artificial surface. Just because a horse has won on good/firm ground before does not mean it will win on soft/heavy.

The trainer: A lot of trainers relish particular ground. for example, Venetia Williams' horses often do well on soft/heavy ground over the winter, but will sometimes struggle on better ground in the summer. Some will also train horses more successfully to chase rather than hurdle and vice versa, and some trainer's horses will be better at staying than others.

The jockey: Punters will often have a favourite jockey who they trust to make the most of their horse. Just because a less experienced jockey is riding a good horse, it does not guarantee a win if the jockey has not got the skill needed. Alternatively, an experienced jockey may be able to squeeze more out of an ordinary horse than others.

The weights: In some races the horses are handicapped. For example, if a horse comes into a winning streak, the handicapper will add weight to the horse to make the race more fair. A horse may have won easily in its previous races, but if it has had 7lb added by the handicapper, it might stuggle to be on the same form the next time.

The track: Tracks/courses vary significantly with some travelling clockwise/anticlockwise, some have steep ascents/descents and others have particularly sharp corners. A horse will often have a favourite track and a horse that travels well at one may not enjoy another.

The odds: The odds/SP on a horse can tell you a lot about the horses chance of winning. Officially, the shorter the odds, the more chance the horse has of winning, however there are so many other factors as shown above that betting based just on the official odds needs to be done with caution.

Other factors: There are many other factors that can affect the outcome of a race. The horses age, experience over jumps, new headgear, fitness, time off for injury etc. This means that betting on a horse is often more down to luck than judgement.