BEGINNER'S GUIDE
For a Great Day Out - Come Racing!
You can’t beat the spectacle and colour of seeing racehorses and jockeys close up, the bustling activity that surrounds the betting and the lively excitement of the race itself.
As with any sport the more you know about what’s going on, the more fun you’ll get out of your day. Our introductory guide to racing is designed specifically to increase your enjoyment, so before you come racing with us read on to find out our top tips and essential advice.
What to wear
How to dress for the races is completely up to you, though we do recommend smart/casual dress for the Hospitality areas (see Dress Code). For a lot of people (especially ladies) dressing up is all part of the fun of going racing and you can be sure that there will be some sights to be seen!
Top tip: To enjoy a day’s racing to the full may require a good deal of walking around, so give particular thought to your footwear!
What to take
Colour Race Programmes (a guide to the days action with details of each race) are available at all of our racecourses. You will of course need some cash –which can be as little or as much as you wish to spend. Tote betting vouchers can also be obtained with credit/debit cards at the Tote information points.
Take a camera to capture the memories of your day but you must disarm the flash, as flash photography can upset the horses. Except for Family Days, you will not be allowed to take food and drink into the enclosures but you will find a large selection on sale inside the racecourse.
Top Tip: If you want to eat in a restaurant on the day, you will need to book in advance as they tend to be very popular.
Getting there and getting in
The closer you get to the time of the first race, the busier the traffic will be so aim to arrive about an hour and a half before the first race. This will give you time to get to know the geography of the track and check out the racecourses facilities. The action will commence about half an hour before the advertised time of the first race, when the runners will be taken in the pre-parade ring to be saddled up.
Don’t watch every race from the same position, however good it might be. Go down to the rails for a race or two and experience the thrill of a close finish - hooves pounding, jockeys urging, cheering voices. Try to get to the start of a race-especially a flat race started from stalls, to experience at first hand the loading and the explosive moment when the gates fly open and the runners are released. At a jumps meeting, stand by a fence or hurdle as the horse comes over to get the true spectacle of the sport.
Top Tip: Children under 16 (accompanied by an adult) get in free!!
Backing your fancy
There are three ways of having a bet on the Racecourse:
- On the Tote
- With a Bookmaker
- In the Racecourse Betting Shop
Betting with the Tote couldn’t be easier. There are Tote betting points clearly signed and located all over the course. The Tote staff (usually dressed all in red) will be pleased to help you if you need any information on the range of bets on offer. Television screens near the Tote counters give an indication of the current odds that will be paid on each horse.
Popular bets are:
- WIN - You bet on the horse to win the race
- PLACE -You bet on the horse to be placed - first or second in races of five, six or seven runners; first, second or third in races of eight runners or more; first, second, third or fourth in handicaps of sixteen runners or more. (An EACH-WAY bet on the Tote, as with a bookmaker, is two bets - win and place)
- EXACTA - In races of three or more runners, pick two horses to finish first and second (in correct order)
If you’re feeling adventurous more complicated bets are:
- TRIFECTA - You pick three horses to finish first, second and third, in correct order in races of eight runners or more
- JACKPOT - You pick the winners of the first six races at the designated Jackpot meeting (not Saturdays)
- PLACEPOT - You pick horses to be placed in each of the first six races (or to win any race with fewer than five runners)
Betting with bookmakers, who are to be found in the Grandstand and Paddock Enclosure is very simple. The bookmakers in the Betting Ring offer fixed odds betting which means if you place a £2 Win bet on a horse marked on the bookmakers board at 6/1 you will receive £14 (inc stake) if the horse wins.
So how do you make that bet?
Go into the betting ring and 'shop around' by looking at the boards on which the different bookmakers will be displaying the odds of each horse. Each bookmaker will advertise the minimum stake he will accept, and you will soon find one happy to take even a very small bet.
Say you want to have £5 to win on your fancy. (Having the right money helps speed things along.) Most bookmakers have him marked up at 6-1, but one has him at 7-1, which seems to you to be a good price. Go up to that bookie and ask for '£5 to win on your fancy'. The bookmaker will then give you a slip which details the name and number of your selection and your potential returns should the horse win. If you have placed an Each-Way bet the slip will also detail your returns should the horse be placed. The slip will also have the bookmakers name printed at the top. If your horse wins take your ticket back to the same bookmaker who will then pay you your winnings.
Betting in a racecourse betting shop (some courses have more than one) is very similar to placing a bet in your local betting shop. You can have a variety of bets (including combination bets such as doubles and trebles) at much smaller stakes than a ring bookmaker would appreciate. You can also bet at the day's other meetings and other events including sports and numbers betting.
Top Tip: Never throw away what you might consider a losing bet until the 'weighed in' signal has been given as results can sometimes be amended.
Racing Phrases
- Accumulator: bet involving two or more selections in different races - winnings from one are placed on the next
- Ante-Post: betting (usually on the most important races) days, weeks and even months before the race is due to take place
- Clerk of the Course: official in charge of all aspects of running the actual raceday
- Colours: the racing silks worn by the jockeys
- Colt: male, ungelded horse up to four years old
- Course Specialist: horse which tends to run well at a particular track
- Draw: for flat racing only, describes a horse's position in the starting stalls, drawn randomly the day before
- Evens or Even Money: when your stake exactly equals your winnings - thus £5 at evens wins a further £5
- Filly: female horse up to four years old
- Furlong: 220 yards (one eighth of a mile)
- Going: the description of conditions underfoot on the racecourse. Official Jockey Club going reports progress as follows: Heavy - soft - good to soft - good - good to firm -firm
- Jolly: betting parlance for the favourite in a race
- Judge: official responsible for declaring the finishing order of a race and the distances between the runners
- Juvenile: two-year-old horse
- Maiden: horse which has not won a race
- Mare: female horse five years and over
- Monkey: betting slang for £500
- Objection: complaint by one jockey against another regarding breach of rules during a race
- Odds On: odds where the winnings are less than the stake (which is of course returned to you): thus a winning £2 bet at 2-1 on wins you £1
- Open Ditch: steeplechase fence with an artificial ditch on the take-off side
- Pace: the speed at which a race is run at different stages. The expression 'up with the pace' means close to the leaders; 'off the pace' means some way behind the leaders. The quality of the form for a race is often considered in relation to the pace at which it was run, particularly in the early stages
- Paddock: area of the racecourse incorporating the pre-parade ring, parade ring (where horses are paraded before each race) and winner's enclosure
- Photo Finish: electronic photographic device which determines which horse has won a close finish
- Pony: betting slang for £25
- Sire: father of a horse
- Springer / steamer: a horse which shortens dramatically in the betting
- SP / Starting Price: the official price of a horse at which bets are settled in the betting shops. The starting price is an estimation of the odds generally available at the moment the race starts
- Stewards: the panel of men and women - usually a total of four - who are responsible for ensuring adherence to the Rules of Racing
- Stewards Enquiry: enquiry by the Stewards into the running of a race
- Tic-Tac: the bookmaker's method of relaying odds information on the racecourse, by means of hand signals. (Normally a man with white glove on)
- Under Starters Orders or Under Orders: occurs when the race is off; an announcement that the horses are 'Under Starter's Orders - they're off' is made as the horses leave the stalls (or start in jump races): if a horse is withdrawn by the starter all bets are refunded
- Weigh In / Weigh Out: weighing of jockey before and after a race to ensure that the correct weight has been carried; the announcement 'weighed in' signals that the result is official, and all bets can be settled
