“Horse racing” (CC BY 2.0) by Paolo Camera
Spread betting is a popular area for most traditional sportsbooks. Like any area of the industry, there are events that attract more attention than others and horse racing is no exception.
The UK is a big focal point for the sport. This is where it all originated and many of the world’s oldest organised sporting events were incepted here. While looking at the calendar, racegoers and bettors alike will focus on big meetings such as these.
The Grand National
This is the biggest day of all for the betting industry. The Grand National is the greatest spectacle in the sport and it’s a time when serious bettors and casual punters combine to stake millions every year.
The Grand National is traditionally run on the first Saturday in April and it is held on the Aintree course in Liverpool. Over a series of high fences on a lengthy track, this is as much a test of endurance as it is of jumping ability.
The place to follow the spreads or the conventional markets is at SBO.net where the best horse racing betting sites link in. For big races such as the Grand National, the betting will appear some months in advance of the off. Figures will adjust so readers have plenty of time to assess any changes.
Additional information is provided by news stories, blog articles and betting guides, so there’s a lot to take in. Anyone wishing to put their knowledge to the test is also able to do so.
All bookmakers on the SBO.net panel receive an extensive review and, if they look interesting, it’s possible to sign up. In return for completing a swift and secure registration process, many of those betting operators have a generous welcome offer waiting on the other side.
Various funding methods are in place to help cover qualifying bets while there are other benefits to look forward to. Most operators will also have ongoing promos, efficient customer service, in-play markets and mobile betting.
It’s the site to follow for those staking on the Grand National or any of the other major events on the UK horse racing calendar.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Festival takes place in mid-March every year and the Gold Cup is the showpiece event. It’s another long race over the jumps and serious racegoers place more prestige on the Gold Cup than the Grand National.
This will be another busy time for the betting industry with lots of spreads and conventional markets available. Run over three miles and two furlongs of the Cheltenham course, this race has certainly matched the National for drama and it is a fitting end to the four-day festival.
The Epsom Derby
We’ve taken in National Hunt races so far so it’s time to take a look at the biggest Flat racing group one on the calendar. The Epsom Derby started way back in 1780 and is therefore one of the oldest sporting events still on the schedules.
Frequently abbreviated to ‘The Derby’, this is a race for the best three-year-old colts and fillies of the year. It runs over one mile, four furlongs and six yards of the Epsom course and, while there are no fences to negotiate, this is a tricky track with banks and undulations.
Due to the rules on age, there will never be a multiple winner of the Epsom Derby but many of the biggest names in flat racing have finished first past the post.
Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is a meeting rather than a specific race but it’s worth mentioning in isolation. It carries the highest density of group one renewals of any festival and that’s why it attracts so much attention from racegoers.
Included in the last of top class races at Royal Ascot are the Commonwealth Cup, the Coronation Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. There are multiple group ones on every single day so this is another big event to watch out for.
Those are some of the biggest UK horse races but there are many more to enjoy. Just head to your nearest race course or check the TV scheduling to discover some of the top class meetings right through the sporting year.
