Famous Horse Races Uk

This list was originally published in January 2010, last update was January 2020, let is know in the comments if you think anyone should be added.

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Phil Bull

Phil Bull made a massive amount of money from betting, but not only was he a successful gambler he was also a breeder, owner, writer and publisher. It is estimated he made millions during his career.

In 1948 he launched the now internationally renowned organisation Timeform.

Phil had a shrewd attitude towards betting. He looked at the season as a whole and his form study was the same for every race.

How To Make A Book by Phil Bull
Phil Bull: The Biography by Howard Wright

JP McManus

Multi millionaire JP McManus is a renowned gambler and race horse owner.

Originally from Limerick in Ireland, McManus started betting as a schoolboy before working in his family’s plant hire business. He had his own betting stand for a while at Limerick’s greyhound track and it wasn’t long before he moved into owning horses as well as betting and laying. These days JP owns the largest number of National Hunt’s horses.

His first ‘big’ win (rumoured to be around £250,000) was at Cheltenham with a horse called Mister Donovan who was 2nd favourite but ended up winning the race. He also won over £1 million from famous Scottish bookie Freddie Williams in 2006 at Cheltenham.

Although McManus is a high level gambler a large part of his wealth is said to have come from international financing and money dealing which he overseas from his base in Geneva.

Still a big player and maybe he should be at the top of this list as he is still very active. If there is a book to read about JP let me know in the comments, I’d love to read it.

Alex Bird

The late Alex Bird made a considerable amount of money from betting after the war. It is estimated he had an annual turnover of £2 million from gambling.

His interest in gambling began when he was a child. He learned a lot from his father who was a bookmaker. However, he decided there was more money to be made from the other side and he become one of Britain’s most well known professional punters of all time.

Bird had several methods for getting one over on the bookies but his most famous was probably his success on betting on photo finishes which in those days took about 5 minutes to develop. This process earned him a fortune over a period of around 20 years and only stopped when the modernisation of technology meant there was no longer the delay in photo developing.

Alex Bird made his own mind up when it come to betting and rarely listened to anyone – he stuck to his rules and systems. Even now, almost 30 years after his death, there are current systems available that are based on the practices he used.

His biggest bet was on the well known horse Mill Reef at Gimcrack. The season after this Mill Reef won the Derby, again backed by Bird who had by then backed 7 Derby winners in 8 years.

One of his last bets was on a horse called Final Shot in 1990 when it won the Ayr Gold Cup.

Patrick Veitch

Patrick Veitch is one of Britain’s most successful gamblers who has won over £10 million from betting.

At just 15 years of age this mathematical genius got a place at Cambridge although he never completed his degree, instead he turned to gambling and started his own tipping line.

By his mid 20s Patrick Veitch was already making a lot of money but then came a turning point in his life. He become the target of a criminal and was forced to live in hiding for many months putting his career on hold and leaving him broke. However, following this episode he become more successful than ever and was soon making £1 million a year from his strategic betting methods.

Veitch is a strong believer that there is no short cut when it comes to betting – the only way to win is by working hard at it to get it right.

It is very rare to see Patrick at the races. He uses agents to place his bets and spends most of his time watching and analysing events from his computer.

Harry Findlay

Harry Findlay is a larger than life gambler who has not only made a fortune but also lost a fortune from gambling over the years.

He has always had a love for greyhounds and worked with them for a while after leaving school. Then aged just 20 Findlay spent 11 months in prison convicted of credit card fraud.

These days bets from his home office which is fully equipped with a number of TV screens and monitors often with different sporting events on at the same time.

As well as being a professional gambler Harry is also an owner. He jointly owns the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Denman who also won two Hennessy Gold Cups. Big Fella Thanks was another of his co-owned horses who he named after his beloved greyhound 1999 Coursing Derby winning Big Fella.

Barney Curley

Barney Curley is a professional gambler and trainer from Northern Ireland who has a reputation for being one of racing’s most colourful characters.

During his childhood he watched his Father run up huge gambling debts but still took up betting himself.

In 1975 he famously organised one of the biggest betting scams of all time – Yellow Sam which made him over £300,000. He has also appeared in court for illegal lottery after raffling his mansion for £1.5 million.

More recently Barney organised big coups in 2010 and 2014 and 2016.

Terry Ramsden

Terry Ramsden originally made his fortune from investment company Glen International in the 80s. He was worth millions and, amongst other things, owned a string of race horses.

He was also well known for his betting and in 1985 won £2 million on one horse. The following year he had another big win on Motivator in the 1986 Coral Golden Hurdle Final.

Towards the end of the 80s however, Ramsden’s company collapsed and he started losing massive amounts on bets – he reportedly lost £1 million on one bet alone. This lead to him going bust at which time he fled to America. He had won but also lost millions of pounds.

In the late 1990s he was jailed for concealing assets during his bankruptcy – one of which was rumoured to be a £70,000 plus win on the horses.

Despite returning to public life a few years later Ramsden has failed to recreate his earlier success and has since been involved in a number of arguments over money.

Pro gambler or rich man who lost it all on the horses? Many think the latter but he was a big player all the same.

Dave Nevison

Dave Nevison became a professional gambler in 1993 after he lost his job working as a currency trader in the City.

He now has an estimated six figure income made up largely from gambling but also from journalism columns he writes. Dave has also written 2 books and has his own horse racing tipping service.

A Bloody Good Winner: Life As A Professional Gambler by Dave Nevison
No Easy Money: A Gambler’s Diary by Dave Nevison

Alan Potts

At the age of just 14 Alan Potts started betting on horse racing and become a full time professional gambler after being made redundant from his office job in 1991.

He has admitted it took him many years to become a regular winner and despite making an estimated £50,000 a year from betting in the past, he has also suffered losing runs. Although he is also an owner, author and pundit Potts’ main source of income is from gambling.

In 1999 he jointly formed The Golden Anorak Partnership and this is the banner under which his horses now run.

Alan has written 2 books and also wrote for the betting exchange WBX until it closed in 2015.

Against The Crowd by Alan Potts
The Inside Track by Alan Potts

Clive Holt

Legendary punter Clive Holt was first shown that money could be made from betting by his father who kept a couple of greyhounds during the 1960s.

In the early part of 1975 Clive decided he was ready to quit his job working for the Electricity Board and take up gambling on a full time basis.

He started out using a fairly random approach dictated by his finances and he kept no proper records of bets he had placed. He soon made the decision to start recording his bets and this was the first of two business methods he implemented in order to make a better profit. The second was to setup a betting bank.

His first bet was £67 to £30 on Western Jewel who won comfortably and within 6 weeks he had made more money than he was earning in a year working in electricity. Over the years, although rarely winning more than £1,000 at a time, Holt’s profits from betting provided a lifestyle of luxury cars, exotic holidays and a listed country house with acres of land.

A number of books have been written by Clive Holt who was also the man behind Fineform.

Profitable Winners Always Back Winners
Be A Successful Punter
Fineform Winners Guide
Profitable Betting Strategies

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Is online horse betting legal in the US?

Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, many forms of online gambling were promoted. While this act stopped the operators of poker sites, casinos and sportsbooks from accepting wagers from the US, horse racing betting sites got a carve-out.

Betting online is allowed via pari-mutuel pools in any state, which provides horse race betting within its borders. There are 30 states that allow betting online.

More recently, individual states have been regulating sports betting within their borders. Horse racing has not been part of this legislation since the federal law already allows it. When it comes to on-track betting, simulcast wagering, and off-track betting offices, this is under the jurisdiction of the individual states.

In most states, you need to be 21 or older to place a bet.

How to bet on horse races online

Betting on horse races is different than betting on sports. Instead of the betting sites offering lines, bets are pooled into a system called pari-mutuel betting. As you’ll read below, there are many ways to bet.

The total wagers on different bets (win, place, show, trifecta, and so on) are collected, and then the pool is divided between the winning tickets.

Any last-minute rush to bet on a horse will divide the prize pool between more tickets. Pari-mutuel betting sets the price of each bet, not the betting sites.

There are three main types of bets. You can bet on an individual horse, on several horses in the same race (and the order they will finish) or on the outcome of multiple races.

Here is an explanation of how each bet works.

Single horse bets:

• Win: This is the most straightforward horse racing bet. You are wagering that your selection will win the race.
• Place: Your horse needs to come in first or second for this wager to be successful.
• Show: Adding an extra spot, you’ll receive winnings if your selection finishes first, second, or third.

Multiple horse bets:

• Exacta: This bet involves picking two horses. To win, both horses need to finish first and second in the correct order. You can “box” all multi-horse bets, essentially betting twice to cover both finishing orders.
• Trifecta: Pick three horses to finish in the correct order, and you’ll potentially have a big payout. Again, it is possible to box these bets, covering the six possible finishing combinations of three horses.
• Superfecta: This wager involves picking four horses to finish in the correct order. While it is hard to win this bet, the potential payout can be huge.

Multiple race bets:

• Pick 5/6: These bets involve picking the winner of several races at a specific track each day. It is harder to win than many bettors imagine, with one outsider winning a race upsetting a lot of people’s wagers. If a pick bet loses, the prize pool will roll over to the next day. If a pick’s prize pool rolls over more than once, it can create a considerable jackpot, which incentivizes many people to join the betting.
• Futures: You can combine futures bets for the most significant race meetings. A popular example would be to pick a horse to win the Triple Crown.

How horse race betting sites work

You can access horse betting sites on your mobile phone, tablet, or via a desktop computer. While there are differences between the brands, they work in much the same way.

Apps are available, too, though they are not required. The websites will adjust automatically to fit your screen size, putting the navigation icons and links behind menu buttons to save space.

Registering for a horse race betting site requires only a minimum amount of individual information.

Firstly, the sites will detect your location to ensure you are within a legal jurisdiction. You will also need to provide the last four digits of your Social Security number to prove you are old enough to bet (21+).

Here are the main sections you’ll find at horse racing betting sites:

• Today’s Races: The default view will show the latest races. You can scroll through this list or use the menu on the left to narrow your search by type of race or track. If you are looking for an individual horse or venue, then the search button is the fastest way. You’ll find basic information on the runners, along with the latest win, place, and show prices. Clicking on these betting lines will move a selection to your bet slip.
• Bet Slip: After selecting runners from the day’s races, you can organize your wagers using your bet slip. Some sites have a “quick bet builder” to simplify this process. You can remove selections, bet on single horses, or organize your choices into exacta or trifecta bets.
• Video Streaming: Once you have placed a bet, you’ll be able to enjoy the action via video stream. TVG is part of the Television Games Network, which offers additional media content.
• Results Databases: There are two levels of research possible at the horse racing betting sites. Primary data on each horse is freely available to help you make the best selection. You will also find the pro-level past performance data, which is free (site dependent) as long as you place a wager at the meeting.
• Account Information: This is where you will find your account info, balance, and progress toward clearing any bonuses or collecting loyalty rewards.
• Cashier: The cashier section will include your balance and an area to deposit and withdraw your winnings. We cover how to deposit at a horse racing betting below.
• Bonuses and Promotions: It is worthwhile to keep an eye on the promotions pages of all the major sites. You never know when a deal will appear, covering the type of bets you were about to place. We explain the types of incentives in more detail below.

How to deposit at a horse race betting site

Depositing any of the major betting sites is both straightforward and safe. While you won’t find the long list of payment methods available at the state-regulated sportsbooks, it is easy to get your money on board.

The primary method is your bank card, which can be your Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card. You can also use prepaid debit cards, including Visa gift cards.

Bank transfers are available under various names, including ExpressFunding or Expressfund.

Many sites will accept wire transfers, as well as old-fashioned paper checks. For cash deposits, you can use PayNearMe at your local 7-Eleven stores.

Finally, PayPal is available for both deposits and withdrawals. While many bettors welcome this service charge fees, the added security for online purchases.

Bonuses, promotions at horse race betting sites

You can take advantage of bonuses at the major horse racing betting sites. These range from small, completely free bets to matched welcome deals. You should also consider ongoing promotions and incentives; these can make a big difference to your bankroll over the long term than the initial welcome offers.

Here are the forms of bonuses that the significant sites have in common:

• Matched Deposit Bonus: As an incentive to new bettors to deposit, the horse race betting apps will match your first deposit with free bets. With $100 in free bets up for grabs, the standard match is at 100%. You will need to wager your winnings, and typically complete the required betting within 30 days.
• Risk-Free First Bet: Removing the risk from your first wager is used in place of the matched deposit method at TVG. Here, your stake gets refunded (as a new bet) if your initial wager loses.
• Promotions: Look out for promotions where your stake gets returned for second-place finishes, enhanced odds, and other one-off deals for specific races. Promos are often themed around the most significant events, for example, the Kentucky Derby or Breeders’ Cup. Some sites have regular promotions, while others change their lists all the time.
• Free Past Performances: You can get pro-level datasheets, and expert selections at TwinSpires via its free past performances offer.
• PicksContests: Here, you’ll compete against others at your site to pick the winners of multiple races.
• LoyaltyRewards: Collect points based on the bets you place, and then exchange them for extra bonuses or free bets.

Most popular horse races in the US

There are hundreds of races every day, especially during the summer. The main distinction is between thoroughbred and quarter horse (flat) racing and standardbred (harness) races. Furthermore, these races can take place on dirt, turf, of artificial surfaces. There are other formats, including endurance races.

The best horses compete in graded races. There are different levels of these with stakes races at the top. Some of these have multimillion prize pools, which attract the top equine talent from around the world.

You can also bet on international races at US horse race betting sites. Some of these, like the Epsom Derby, the Saudi Cup and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, are huge events.

On a day-to-day basis, you’ll have access to races from the UK, South Africa, Australia, and beyond.

Most prominent horse race events

With hundreds of tracks and various types of racing, there is a lot of action when it comes to the domestic horse racing calendar. The highlights of the year will vary, with each state having its big meetings. When it comes to the biggest races of all, the three components of the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup are as big as it gets.

Here are the details:

• Kentucky Derby: The first leg of the Triple Crown takes place on the first Saturday in May at the famous Churchill Downs racetrack. This race is known as “the Run for the Roses.” It is open to 3-year-olds and run over 1¼ miles.
• Preakness Stakes: The second leg of the Triple Crown occurs two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and is held at the Pimlico Race Course in Maryland. Attendance is traditionally huge, only beaten by the Kentucky Derby.
• Belmont Stakes: Three weeks later, the final leg of the Triple Crown takes place at Belmont Park, NY. If a horse has won the first two legs, expect colossal media coverage of this race. The Belmont Stakes is nicknamed “the Test of the Champion.”
• Breeders’ Cup: This series of thoroughbred races with huge prize pools that move from track to track. It attracts the best horses from around the world each year. The biggest purse (at $6 million) is for the Breeders’ Cup Classic race.

Most popular racing events outside of the United States

In addition to the domestic calendar, there are major races from around the world available for betting. Here are some of the richest:

• Epsom Derby: This was the original derby that inspired the Kentucky event. It takes place on the first Saturday in June each year over one mile and four furlongs at the Epsom Downs Racecourse near London. This race was first run in 1780.
• Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe: France’s most prominent race takes place at Longchamp, near Paris, on the first Sunday in October each year. It is considered Europe’s second most prestigious horse race.
• Dubai World Cup: This race meeting is more recent, starting in 1996 in the United Arab Emirates. It is broadcast live on TVG and features the biggest prize pools of any race meeting around the world. It attracts the best global thoroughbred talent.
• Japan Cup: On the last Sunday in November, the biggest prize horse race in Japan is run at the Tokyo Racecourse, which is more than 2,400 meters. With a significant purse, this race attracts the best talent from Europe, as well as the US.

Thanks to a carve-out in the federal laws concerning online gambling, horse race betting is available in the majority of states.

As long as you can legally bet on a race in person in your state, you are also allowed to place a bet online. These bets join with the pari-mutuel pools operated at the tracks, which gives everyone a fair payout based on the weight of wagers for each contender.

Three horse race betting sites dominate the scene: These are TVG, BetAmerica, and TwinSpires. And though FanDuel Group owns TVG, it started its own offshoot called FanDuel Racing.

Additionally, as an online sportsbook operator for horse racing bets, Xpressbet features more than 300 tracks so bettors can view odds and wager many different horse races. Derby Jackpot, powered by Xpressbet, is for a much less serious horse bettor and operates more like a social casino where players can win real money.

There are quite a few options to explore and each site gives you access to hundreds of racetracks around the globe. However, bonuses and incentives vary between these sites. You can enjoy deposit bonuses, risk-free bets, free past performance data, and plenty of promotions.

Whether you bet at the top-rated stakes meetings or regional, daily events, there is a wide range of betting options. You can bet on single horses to win, place or show, pick multiple horses in the right order or bet on several races in a row.

Major Horse Races Uk 2020

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