To make money from your betting, you need know your form and the best way to gather that knowledge is to rely on a good horse racing form guide. The layout of Australian horse racing form guides may differ, but they all provide the same essential information. A comprehensive form guide will incorporate details about a horse's winning record, its career earnings, ability on different racetracks, and record on varying types of going. Some more detailed form guides will also make it possible to view all of a horse’s races, together with video replays, enabling you to build up a clear picture of a horse’s ability and preferences.
These days, Aussie punters expect more from their horse racing betting tips than mere speculation. Modern horse racing betting tips are based on detailed technological work combined with the skill of the professional race tipster to offer high quality advice. Punters looking for horse racing betting tips can select from a huge range of paid or free tips online. There are tipping services that focus on every aspect of handicapping, from form study and trends to detailed pace figures, and all can help punters improve their winning chances.
In the days before the internet, punters depended on variable newspaper coverage to get their news, but these days, they can turn to a wide range of horse racing news sources. All of the main racing papers have online sites and there are hundreds of racing news pages, blogs and outlets. Many Australian trainers also regularly update their web sites, and these can provide useful details while many high profile bookmakers offer an in-depth racing news service that will ensure punters stay up to date with injuries, race analysis, jockey and trainer interviews and important developments in the horse racing industry.
The days when Aussie punters had to rely on their daily newspaper for the latest racing results are definitely in the past! The modern Aussie punter can get the most recent horse racing results within seconds of the race finish, via news sites, social media and online bookmakers. Horse racing results are available in a range of different formats, but usually feature the same basic information, such as race time, official going, prize money awarded, the distance beaten for each horse, barrier position, weight carried and the horse’s starting price, while some results pages also display the Tote dividends.
The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most important horse race. It was first held in 1861, and is a fiercely-fought 3,200 metre contest staged at Flemington Racecourse during the first Tuesday each November. One of the richest horse races in the world, it attracts a global audience of race fans keen to catch the Melbourne Cup results and the Melbourne Cup field will often include a number of the world’s leading staying horses. In the build-up to the race, all of the leading Aussie racing sites will display Melbourne Cup betting tips and Melbourne Cup odds are scrutinised by race fans and punters around the world.
There are over 400 racecourses in Australia. These courses are divided into categories: Metropolitan, Provincial or Country. Metropolitan tracks stage the main Group races and will offer the very top class racing action. Provincial racecourses are based outside the main cities and they stage some Provincial Cup races that are categorised as Group or Listed standard, while Country tracks are where you will find the lower quality contests, which are not usually covered by mainstream bookmakers or the TAB. The most prestigious Australian racecourse is Flemington in Melbourne, the site of the annual Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Few other sports require the level of determination and stamina that horse racing demands of its riders. Only the very strongest individuals are able to stick to the strict diet and exercise program that is necessary to be a professional jockey. Some of Australia’s most successful jockeys have become world-wide legends. It was Australian riders such as Tot Flood and James Barden, who, in the late 1800s, came up with the crouching riding method that is now standard in the sport. Great modern riders such as Blake Shinn, Damien Oliver and Glen Boss continue to fly the flag for Australian jockey professionalism.
Australia has been home to some of the world’s most successful horse racing trainers. Perhaps the best known was Tommy J Smith, the man who dominated Australian racing for thirty, picking up an incredible 282 Group Races. Bart Cummings, who tasted success in the Melbourne Cup twelve times, was another renowned Aussie training legend, along with Colin Hayes, whose Barossa Valley training facility turned out champions such as Almaraad, Beldale Ball and Unaware. Skilled modern trainers including John O’Shea, Chris Waller, Darren Weir and Gai Waterhouse continue to maintain the best standards of Australian horse racing training, sending out brilliant runners season after season.
Horses were first established in Australia in 1788 and in the 240 years since, Australian thoroughbreds have numbered among the world’s most beloved race horses. The first star of Aussie racing was Malua, foaled in 1879; a horse versatile enough to claim classic flat races and the VRC Grand National Hurdle. Tulloch, who at one time held three speed records, and was successful from 1,000 metres to 3,200 metres was another Aussie equine great, along with triple Cox Plate winner Kingston Town, and Australia’s legendary Wonder Horse, the incomparable Phar Lap, who ruled the roost in Aussie racing between 1928 and 1932.