Choosing a Horse Racing Site
Deciding which horse racing betting site to use can be tricky so I’m going to share with you the method I use to find one.
Mainly, it’s about establishing which aspects are most important to you and the type of punter you are - whether that’s someone who chases the best odds, loves regular promos, or wants to watch the race on the app.
- 🆓 Free Bets
It’s probably why you’re here anyway so sites that give you a bunch of free bets for horse racing as a welcome bonus are always going to score highly.
- 🏷 Ongoing Promos
Best Odds Guaranteed, Extra Places, Faller Insurance, and Non Runner No Bet are all popular promos for existing players.
- ➗ Odds
Better odds means better returns on winners and places, obviously. Best Odds Guaranteed has sort of put paid to needing to hunt around like in other sports, but if you’re betting on races outside of the UK and Ireland then odds could be a factor for you.
- 🎥 Live Streaming
It’s easier than ever to watch the race you just placed a bet on, even if it’s not on TV, as many sites offer live streaming of worldwide races.
- 🏇 Races Offered
There’s regular races all over the world as well as just the UK and Ireland, including France, USA, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand.
- 📋 Market Choice
Some sites stick with the standard winner, each-way, and forecast betting, whilst others give more options like insurance betting, place betting, and betting without the favourite.
How To Claim Horse Racing Offers
After you’ve chosen a site, all that’s left to do is register and claim the horse racing free bets.
It’s a pretty simple process but if you get stuck, then refer to the guide below.
Company | bonusText | Action | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 |
Bet £20 get a £20 free bet |
Register and deposit £20 within 7 days of registering at min odds of 2.0 to qualify for the promotion. A £20 free bet will be credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#2 |
Bet £10 get £30 in Free Bets |
T&Cs apply. New cust only. Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Stake not returned. 18+ BeGambleAware.org | |||
#3 |
Bet £10 Get a £30 Surprise Bet |
Register and deposit £10 after registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. Receive a £30 surprise bet upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#4 |
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets |
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. | |||
#5 |
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets |
Register and deposit £10 within 14 days of registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. 2 x £10 free bets credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#6 |
Bet £10 get £20 in free bets |
18+, New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 on any sports market (odds 2.00+) in 7 days. No cash out. Get 4x£5 sports free bets for set markets, which expire in 7 days. Offer is valid from 16:00 UK time on 21/02/2023. Card payments only. T&Cs Apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please Gamble Responsibly | |||
#7 |
£30 Matched Free Bet + 50 Bonus Spins |
Register and deposit max. £30 within 7 days of registering on a football/horse racing multiple with 3+ selections at min. combined odds of 3.0 or more. Up to £30 matched free bet credited on bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#8 |
Bet £10 get £40 in bonuses |
New UK 18+ only. Register (excl. 13/04/2024) with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction within 7 days of registering. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 free spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply. | |||
#9 |
Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets |
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit card / Apple Pay payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly | |||
#10 |
Bet £10 get £20 in Free Bets |
Register and deposit £10 within 7 days of registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. 2 x £10 free bets credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#11 |
Get £40 in bonuses (7x £5 free bets + 50 free spins) |
Register and deposit £25 within 28 days of registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. 5 x £5 free bets credited upon bet settlement, plus a free spread bet provided you have opened a full spread betting account. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#12 |
Bet £10 get £20 in Free Bets + £10 casino bonus! |
Register and deposit £10 within 7 days of registering at min odds of 2.0 to qualify for the promotion. 1x£20 free bet and £10 casino bonus credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#13 |
Bet £15 get a £10 Free Bet |
18+. New customers only. Min wagering on sport €15. Max one €10 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as bonus token with min 4/5 odds req. PayPal, Neteller, Paysafe or Skrill not eligible. Bet expires after 14 days of being credited. Please play responsibly, www.begmbleaware.org or www.problemgambling.ie. T&C's apply. | |||
#14 |
Bet £5 get £20 in Free Bets |
Register and deposit £5 within 14 days of registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. 4 x £5 free bets credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. | |||
#15 |
Bet £5 get £20 in Free bets |
Register and deposit £10 within 14 days of registering at min odds of 1.5 to qualify for the promotion. 4 x £5 free bets credited upon bet settlement. New UK customers over 18 only. Full T&Cs apply. |
Horse Racing Betting Promotions
Betting sites don’t just offer free bet bonuses to get stuck into. There’s also a multitude of exciting promotions available as each sportsbook tries to one-up each other, which is perfect for punters as we get to reap the benefits.
Of course, most sites try to be unique with their horse betting offers, but there’s a few promos that are pretty common and you can read about these below.
Best Odds Guaranteed
Best Odds Guaranteed, or BOG, is one of the best and most popular promos in the UK. Simply put, if you back a horse and the odds are longer when the race starts, you get paid out at the bigger price.
So if you decide you like the look of a 10/1 (11.0) shot and have a £10 bet on it, but then when the race starts it’s out at 12/1 (13.0), you’d get £130 back if it wins.
Should the opposite happen and your 10/1 (11.0) gets cut to 8/1 (9.0) by race off, you still get the original odds you backed it at.
Each site has different restrictions but, generally speaking, BOG is available from the morning of a race and only on UK and Irish meets.
Bookies With Best Odds Guaranteed
Site | Time Available From | Races Available On | Other Info |
8am | All except Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
9am | UK and Ireland | Includes greyhounds | |
9am | UK and Ireland | Includes greyhounds | |
9am | UK and Ireland | Applies to singles and accas | |
10am | UK and Ireland | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
8:30am | UK and Ireland | £250 max BOG winnings per bet | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
9am | UK and Ireland | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
9am | UK and Ireland | Open to Sky Bet Club qualifiers only | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Max £2.5k winnings per day | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Applies to win and each-way bets | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Max £25k winnings per day | |
10am | UK | Max £25k winnings per day | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Max £20k winnings per day | |
8am | UK and Ireland | Max £50k winnings per day |
Extra Place Races
There are standard terms for places in each-way betting, with non-handicap races of eight or more runners seeing three places paid out at 1/5 odds.
Given that it’s three places whether there’s eight or 28 runners, some sites offer extra places on select races so you have a greater chance of being paid out even if your horse doesn’t win.
It’s common to see up to eight places on big races like the Grand National, whilst even normal races can see punters get an extra place or two if the sportsbook fancies it.
Faller Insurance
There’s not much worse than watching your horse fail to get over a jump, especially if it’s in with a shot of winning. That’s where Faller Insurance comes in.
Not as common as BOG or Extra Places, Faller Insurance is still a nifty promo that gives you your money back if your horse falls. It’s usually money back as a free bet but some may return it as cash
Most Popular Horse Races
Bigger events usually means better horse racing betting offers, whether it’s for a single race, a day, or an entire meet.
Some of the most popular races and meets are listed below, as well as their usual dates, so keep an eye on betting sites to see what offers they’re throwing your way.
Grand National
The Grand National is run annually at Aintree in March or April and is the most valuable horse race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million to play for.
A quintessential part of British culture, the Grand National is famed for attracting bets from millions of people who otherwise never bet. Over £250m is wagered on the race every year, so it’s not a surprise to see so many horse racing betting offers.
Extra places is the most common Grand National betting bonus, with some sites paying out as many as eight places, whilst there may also be money back or ‘bet and get’ offers.
Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham is the biggest horse racing festival in the world and is held over four days in the middle of March. An incredible £1 billion is wagered across the 28 races.
Betting offers for Cheltenham are very competitive at the start of the festival, with the first day usually seeing bags of generous bonuses like money back as cash, extra places, and boosted odds.
These bonuses continue throughout the four days and although they do usually get progressively weaker, the Cheltenham Gold Cup - held on the last day - usually has plenty of offers.
Horse Racing Betting Sites FAQs
There's lots of excellent choices out there for UK punters, with sites like bet365 and LiveScore Bet amongst my personal favourites.
Many UK betting sites offer Best Odds Guaranteed, which pays you out at a higher price if the horse you back has longer odds at race off. The full list of bookies with Best Odds Guaranteed is further up this page.
Live streaming of horse racing is extremely popular and many top UK betting sites have this feature, including Sky Bet and William Hill.