How Do I Bet on International Horse Racing?
In addition to betting on daily horse racing meetings taking place in the United Kingdom and Ireland, there’s also the chance to bet on international horse racing and many countries regularly have race meetings where you can place bets with the leading bookmakers and try to pick out some winners.
When you visit the Horse Racing section of a bookmaker website, scroll down beyond the United Kingdom and Ireland race cards and you will find an International section where you can see the latest race meetings that are taking place and the time of each race. Sometimes the race meetings are ordered by country and you can choose the ones that interest you the most.
Are International Horse Racing Odds Different?
Every country has its own way of creating betting odds for horse racing and you might be familiar with the Pari Mutuel in France or the American odds that are available for customers in the United States of America. However, when it comes to betting on international horse racing with a UK bookmaker, then the prices are exactly the same as you would find for UK and Irish race meetings.
That means it’s a simple case of picking out a horse and viewing it in either fractional or decimal odds before going ahead and placing your bets. There’s the option to either bet each horse as a single or alternatively consider a multiple bet where you can combine a number of selections to best effect.
Can I Get Best Odds Guaranteed on International Races?
Some bookmakers will offer you the chance to enjoy Best Odds Guaranteed when it comes to betting on international meetings, although you should always check to see if this option is available or not. For example, one bookie might have the BOG offer when it comes to all French horse racing but not allow customers to enjoy this betting promotion for South African racing.
It’s sometimes worth visiting the Promotions page at a bookmaker website to understand what races Best Odds Guaranteed applies to. You might find that there’s a general policy applied so you can immediately know where to get Best Odds Guaranteed for American horse racing or Australian horse racing. It generally follows that the more obscure a race meeting is, the less likely we can get BOG for it.
Which Countries Offer Horse Racing Betting Markets?
There are a wide range of countries that host international horse racing meetings. It’s great to be able to visit a bookmaker website on a daily basis and find a wide range of choice available. You can find information pertaining to each race and work out the best betting options whether you are betting on racing that is close to home or further afield.
United Kingdom
There’s at least one horse race meeting taking place virtually every day in the United Kingdom. Whether that’s in England, Scotland or Wales, you can find an opportunity to place horse racing bets, with a number of all-weather tracks now in existence which means there are racing betting opportunities even if some of the courses are waterlogged.
The UK racing season is usually split between Flat and National Hunt, although the two seasons often overlap and punters especially enjoy placing bets on the Cheltenham Festival, Grand National Meeting, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and the Epsom Derby meeting among others.
Ireland
It’s open to question as to whether Ireland is regarded as international, although it still counts as overseas from a UK perspective and this is a country with a long and proud history when it comes to horse racing. You can bet on the big meetings that take places at National Hunt tracks such as Punchestown and Leopardstown, while The Curragh hosts a number of popular Flat races including the Classics.
France
French horse racing meetings are popular with customers all over the world and there are usually some eye-watering amounts of prize money up for grabs. This includes the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe where you can watch some of the leading runners compete at Longchamp for an enormous purse, although there are several other Group 1 races that take place in France during the calendar year including racing at Deauville and Chantilly.
United States of America
The United States is another huge centre of thoroughbred horse racing and there are big meetings that take place in the USA throughout the year, with the Breeders’ Cup taking centre stage and this is two days of top class action, while there are also several other notable races including the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes. Horses either run on dirt or turf and the prize money can be colossal.
Australia
The Australian horse racing meetings are popular throughout the year although there’s little doubt that the Melbourne Cup remains the biggest meeting and race by far. It’s a race with huge prize money and the Flemington heat attracts horses from all over the world, with many other big racecourses dotted all around the country including Randwick. The majority of races take place on dirt tracks and you can often access live streaming.
Germany
There are several high-profile horse racing tracks in Germany which predominantly hosts flat horse racing and that includes Hamburg, Munich and Dusseldorf. It’s not uncommon for big race meetings to take place at Baden Baden either, with the race meetings keenly attended and a number of bookies will be able to offer betting odds on some of the leading race meetings.
Hong Kong
Many Chinese people love to gamble on the Hong Kong horse racing and there are often big money meetings that are hosted at Happy Valley and Sha Tin. There are usually lots of meetings on the cards and you can get on the Hong Kong Derby, Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Champions Mile among other races. It can be great fun betting on the latest HK racecards.
Japan
There is a long and proud history of horse racing in Japan, with the Japan Cup among the most popular races and Tokyo Racecourse is often seen featuring on bookmaker racecards so you can go through the card and place your bets. The Tokyo Yushun is another popular race and is equivalent to the English derby, with live streaming often available for Japanese horse racing.
South Africa
You will regularly find horse racing betting opportunities to wager on South African horse racing, with Durbanville, Vaal, Flamingo Park and Kenilworth among the leading racecourses in this country. There is also the Gauteng Summer Cup that takes place at Turffontein Racecourse and that’s a wonderful betting opportunity to select the winner of a prestigious horse race.
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