Outsmart the Bookmakers.

If the Betfair exchange price drifts to say 3.50, then at least one of the bookmakers may go 9/4 (3.25) or a new bookmaker may come in at 9/4 (3.25) or even 5/2 (3.50). Later, the Betfair exchange price may swing back the other way, down to 3.20 again.

I would then take the 5/2 (3.50) straight away and probably the 9/4 (3.25) too, remembering that my lowest value point is 6/4 (2.50).

Often, it is better to wait than to immediately snap up the best current bookmaker price, especially if only two or three firms have opened their markets.

Best racing bookmaker for accumulators - BOYLE Sports

If he finished second you would still be 16 over and make a £32 profit. This allows for greater returns when finishing in place positions than with fixed odds betting where all places return the same odds. Like all forms of betting, you just have to be wary that you could also lose, and if Tiger Roll finished outside the top four places and gained zero points, you would be down £28, as the market would have settled 14 points below the price you bought at. If you thought perhaps Tiger Roll would struggle in the race, you could sell at 11. If you sold at 11 for £5 and he finished outside the top four, you would make £55.

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However, if he finished third and gained 20 points, you would lose nine times your stake. There are various permutations, and this really adds to the excitement you feel when watching a horse race. A great way to have an interest in every single race at a meeting, without having to study the form for each one, is to bet on the Winning Distances. We will assign a point for every length the winner of a particular race wins by, up to a maximum of 12 lengths for Flat races and 30 lengths for National Hunt. A short head counts as 0.1, a head is 0.2, a neck is 0.3, half a length is 0.5 and three-quarters of a length is 0.75. Heavy support for a runner, particularly when it occurs over a short period of time during the early stages of a market, can result in its price being cut to an artificially low level. Once that burst of support has dried up, the price will begin to drift back out again as layers recognise that it has become too short. The very top price for any bet will almost always appear on the Betfair exchange, rather than with a bookmaker, but recognising when that peak has been reached is difficult and you can never know for sure when it has arrived.

Implied Probability: What Odds Really Mean

You might then see a Winning Distances spread of 70-75 at a four-day meeting like the Cheltenham Festival. If you think the total will go over 75, you buy at that price. If you think it will go under you can sell at 70. You can bet betting joining offers look at historical data and check out how long and how fiercely contested each race is set to be. If you buy at 75 for £20 and the winning distance points ends up at 84, you would make a profit of £180 (84 – 75 = 9 and 9 x £20 = £180).

3. Verify your account

However, if the total distances only came in at say 73, the same bet would have lost you two times your stake for having settled two points under the price at which you bought. This is an exciting option because it means you are just as interested in the listed handicap at the end of the day as you are in the prestigious Grade 1 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Sporting Index has many more horse racing markets similar to the Winning Distances market, such as the Favourites Index, where you wager on how well the favourites will perform at a particular meeting. You can also bet on how well your favourite jockey will do in our Jockey Index, as we will assign him or her a spread for a meeting and give 25 points for each win, 10 points per runner-up finish and five points for a third-placed finish. There have been many famous clashes in racing, such as the famous Gold Cup rivalry between stable mates Denman and Kauto Star, and another great option to look at is match bets between two particular horses in a race, wagering on who will come out on top without worrying about whether one of them wins the actual race. For this reason, many investors like to make their bets in stages. You don't always need to stake your intended amount in one go. The trend graphs at the Betfair exchange (Price/Volume over time) are useful when you can't sit and watch price developments. The reason I prepare my bets very early (they are ready, at the latest, in the early evening for the following day's racing) is to give investors every chance of hitting the top prices. Bookmakers are now pricing up virtually every race the night before, thereby presenting investors with more opportunities to exploit.

The Benefits of Placing a Bet with Trustworthy Horse Racing Betting Sites?

This situation cries out for the 9/4 to be taken. It is likely to disappear shortly, and so might some of the 2/1 (3.00). Sometimes it is far from obvious that a bookmaker's early price is the best you are likely to be offered. The night before the race there are two bookmakers offering 2/1 (3.00). The Betfair exchange market is reaching a reasonably well-formed state (less than 110%) and is currently showing a Back price of 3.20. Being ready early provides options of going in straight away, waiting, or betting in stages. Utilising these techniques, then assessing the wisdom of your decisions with the benefit of hindsight, will improve your performance greatly. Your anticipation will become much keener and you will start to hit bigger prices on a regular basis. Come race time, everyone likes to be sat on the biggest price that was ever available, especially if the horse is going off at far shorter odds.

Key Horse Races to Bet on This Week

Find out more about our most popular horse racing spread betting markets in our Sports Spread Betting Training Centre. Hints to help you secure the top bookmakers' prices Before you even look at the live markets, you should have calculated the minimum price you are prepared to accept for your intended bet. Never be tempted to bet at shorter prices than your minimum value point. Wherever possible, use Best Odds Guaranteed bookmakers. If you take an early price and the subsequent SP is bigger than the price you took, you will be paid at the bigger price.

What are the most popular horse racing betting markets?

Best Odds Guaranteed bookmakers for each event are highlighted at Oddschecker. These are crucial in comparing the prices on offer. The main odds comparison sites are: Oddschecker, Easyodds, Betting.com. However, don't click through to place your bets directly from odds comparison sites. Bookmakers can monitor this behaviour and may penalise you if you consistently hit their top prices using this method, so open a new window to log into your chosen bookmaker's site. However, the important thing is that you have secured a price which is bigger than your minimum value point. Regardless of whether that happens to be the very top price, if you are achieving this basic but crucial objective consistently with virtually every bet you make, your investment will thrive in the long term. The odds below are for the 2026 Grand National. Click bet new betting sites with free spins no deposit on the odds to be taken to the betting site.

Check Out Our Expert Horse Racing Tips

Once a Betfair exchange market is reasonably well-formed (ie the Book% is less than 110%), then the behaviour of bookmakers' prices can be confidently anticipated. Generally speaking, bookmakers' prices will mirror trends on the Betfair exchange. If a Betfair exchange price starts to shorten, bookmakers' prices will follow suit and vice versa (or at least when a Betfair exchange price drifts, bookmakers' prices will either be bet free sports bet when you sign up held or lengthen, but they generally won't shorten). Betfair exchange trend graphs (Price/Volume over time) are useful for monitoring exchange price patterns and fluctuations. Knowing when to snap up an early price Sometimes you can be confident that a bookmaker's early price is unlikely to get any bigger and may, in fact, shorten fairly soon.

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Here's an example: You have decided to bet at 6/4 (2.50) or bigger. The Betfair exchange market is reaching a reasonably well-formed state (less than 110%) and is currently showing a Back price of 3.10. In addition, there is plenty of backers' money waiting to be matched at 3.15, 3.20, and 3.25. Three of them are offering 2/1 (3.00) and the other is offering 9/4 (3.25). The Betfair exchange trend graph (Price/Volume over time) shows a recent downward trend (price contracting). Many bookmakers will offer a free bet or sign-up offer, so as well as looking for the best odds on your selection, you may want to check out our list of available Grand National free bets. Became an Aintree legend when winning his second Grand National last year.

• Comparison is crucial for securing the best each-way terms, not just the win price.
• Different bookmakers offer varying place terms (e.g., 1/4 odds vs 1/5 odds for 2nd place).
• A site should clearly display the place terms and number of places paid alongside the win odds.
• This can significantly impact the expected value of an each-way bet in large-field handicaps.
• Some sites have a dedicated 'Best Each-Way' filter for this purpose.

Can he emulate Red Rum and win for the third time in 2027? Just ran out of gas last year when finishing third Facile winner of last year's Irish National Finished fourth two year ago and runner-up last year. Third two seasons ago but fell at the first fence last year Ran a great race to finish fourth last year Still going ok last year when unseated at the 19th fence Impressive winner in this race two years ago and a late non-runner last year Well fancied when an early faller last year Opt in, bet £10 or more on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds within 7 days of registration. Get £30 in Free Football Bets, selected markets. Which horse is favourite to win the Grand National? The favourite for the 2026 Grand National is changing frequently at the moment, with I Am Maximus, just shading the top of the market from Grangeclare West and Panic Attack The favourite for the 2026 Grand National is changing frequently at the moment, with I Am Maximus, just shading the top of the market from Grangeclare West and Panic Attack How do you get the best odds on the Grand National? Grand National Guide will provide you with the best odds from reputable bookmakers. This page updates automatically with the latest odds from a selection of bookmakers. By comparing bookmaker odds, you will be able to get better odds than just going to one betting site. Are each way odds different to win odds?

• Price history graphs show how a horse's odds have shortened or drifted in the lead-up to a race.
• This data helps identify market movers and potential insider confidence.
• Comparing opening prices to current odds reveals where the smart money is going.
• Historical trends can indicate which bookmakers are often slow to adjust their lines.

The grand national odds listed on this page are for the horse to win the race. Each way odds are calculated using a fraction of the win odds.

• Leading sites in the UK include Oddschecker, Timeform, and Racing Post's comparison service.
• Specialist racing sites often provide more depth than general sports betting comparators.
• Some platforms are integrated with tipping services or form analysis tools.
• Free access is standard, with premium tiers offering extra features like alerts.

So if you bet £1 each way, you will have £1 on the win at the win odds and typically in the Grand National, you will have £1 on the place at 1/4 or 1/5 of the win odds.