Seeing the Horses and Placing a Bet

The Pre-Parade Ring and Saddling Boxes

Pre-Parade Ring is where the horses are walked around by their handler prior to saddling. This gives an opportunity to see the horse before it comes into the main ring and before it is saddled. After a few minutes of walking around the pre-parade ring, each horse will be led away to the adjacent saddling boxes where the trainer saddle up the horse in preparation for the race. Once saddled his handler will lead him through into the main Parade Ring (Paddock).

The Parade Ring

The horse will be led around the main Parade Ring (Paddock) to warm up for the race as well as give a further and last opportunity for racegoers to look at.  The jockeys do not come out straight away as they are being weighed in the weighing room.  When the jockeys enter the parade ring, they will talk to the owner and trainer of the horse who will be telling them how to ride the horse. Each horse will race differently, some like to run at the back and some like to run in the front. In many cases, the jockey may not have ridden the horse before, so it’s necessary for the horse’s trainer to tell the jockey its likes and dislikes before the race. When the bell rings, the jockeys are helped up onto their horse for the race. When all the jockeys are on their horses, they head on to the track and canter down to the start.

Placing your Bet

After seeing the horses circling in the pre-parade ring and parade ring, you may want to take the chance to compare the odds on the horse/s that you think will win. Bookmakers will offer different prices so shop around for the one that will give you the best return on your money. The tote, on-course bookmakers and the on course betting shop all offer the facility to place your bet.

The Race

There are two different starting methods for different types of racing. For Flat racing, the horses may circle at the start whilst waiting to be loaded into the starting stalls by the Stalls Handlers. Once all the horses are loaded, the Starter will push the button to release the stalls gates and the horses will leap out in a line.

For Jump racing (chase or hurdles), the horses will circle around, and when given the go ahead by the starter, they will line up behind a tape or walk/trot towards it and will be started when the tape goes up.

There will be lots of positions to view the race, and you should try and get a variety of viewing positions over the day (looking down on the race from the stands, the finish, the start, in the crowd, at a fence or hurdle)

The Winners’ Enclosure

Whether you pick the winner or not, when the race has finished everyone will head to the Winner’s Enclosure. Usually the first 4 placed horses go to the Winner’s Enclosure where their equipment is removed by the jockey who goes to be weighed again. If horse’s did not get placed, they will go from the track to the unsaddling area to take their equipment off. The horses will be walked around to cool off whilst the people connected with the winning horse (i.e. owner, trainer, jockey etc) gather ready for the presentation of the prize. When 'weighed in' is announced, the results are final as all relevant jockeys have been weighed correctly after the race.

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