Luxembourg Open Women Doubles | Badminton

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports to bet on at betFIRST. Horse racing is one of the most exciting sports all over Europe and we are proud to offer the best online horse racing bets. From midweek meetings to all the big races, betFIRST is the place for the biggest and best horse racing bets!

The Origins of Horse Racing

Horse racing originated in the 12th century, when English knights returned from battles with Arabian horses that were fast and strong. Over the course of the next 400 years, more and more Arabian horses were imported to the UK to breed horses that had the perfect mix of speed and stamina for racing.

You can go back even further to see where horse racing originated. Horse races may have existed in ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Rome, Babylon and Syria.

In Rome, the Spring Carnival was a hugely popular event from 1450 to 1882. Each year, the Spring Carnival ended with a horse race. Fifteen to twenty horses without jockeys were let loose on the famous perpendicular streets of Rome. This race normally lasted two to three minutes.

Along with horse racing, chariot racing was also popular in ancient Rome and ancient Greece. Chariot racing was also part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games but was considered extremely dangerous for the horse and rider.

Horse racing today

In the United Kingdom there are five Classics around the Flat Track racing season. These are the St Leger, Derby, Oaks, 1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas. The St Leger is the oldest of these, dating back to 1776 with the first Derby in 1780.

Other notable horse races in the UK include the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Ascot Gold Cup, Eclipse Stakes, King George VI Stakes, Champions Hurdle and Champion Chase.

But the most famous race is the Grand National. Held every April in Liverpool, this is the most revered yet gruesome test in horse racing. Just over seven kilometers long and with 30 fences, this is not a race for beginners!

In Europe, the Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe is the jewel of the sport. Held in Longchamp, Paris, on the first Sunday in October, it is the best middle distance flat track race in the world. The course is almost two and a half kilometers long.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the Breeders Cup is organized every November. This meeting takes place over two days and is between the best horses in Europe and the best horses from the United States. Along with this brilliant event, there is also the American Triple Crown. This includes the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes. Only 13 horses have so far won the Triple Crown in horse racing history.

Some of the best horse racing jockeys in the world on the Flat include Frankie Dettori, Joel Rosario, Ryan Moore, Christophe Lemaire, John Velazquez en William Buick.

When looking at jumps, the best jockeys in the world are Harry Skelton, Paul Townend, Rachael Blackmore, Bryan Hughes and Twiston-Davies.

Horse racing betting

Horse racing is a super easy sport to bet on and easy to navigate on our fantastic betFIRST site. There are many ways to bet on horse racing. The easiest way to do this is to choose a winner and what kind of bet you want to place. But there are also other ways to win at horse races on betFIRST!

You can also bet each way on a horse. That means that depending on the number of participants, your fireplace could end up in the top four or five and you would still win more than your bet.

Other ways to win include doubles or trebles. A double in horse racing means betting on two horses to win and a treble means betting on three horses. For a small bet this can give you a huge profit but if one of the horses loses the bet is void.

Tricasts and forecasts are also hugely popular in the world of online betting on betFIRST. Tricasts are bets where you try to predict first, second and third place in a race, in the exact order you selected them. Forecasts are a bit easier as you only need to select the first two horses in the correct finishing order, but you still have a lot of options. Sounds good? Betting on horse races is very easy on BetFIRST!