Choosing your Fancy

It is a common misconception that betting is an essential part of going racing. It is not, and racing enthusiasts can have a highly enjoyable day - reveling in the atmosphere and spectacle - without betting at all. However, most race goers like at least to dabble in betting, and before you bet you will want to decide what to bet on. A baffling amount of information in newspapers and form summaries in the race card is available to illuminate - or confuse! - as you make your choice, do not be shy of going back to the most basic starting point of all: looking at the horse.

In the paddock and going down
There is ample time, both in the pre-parade ring and in the parade ring itself, to indulge in 'paddock inspection' of each runner. Beyond general admiration for the magnificent sight of a well-turned out thoroughbred, what should you look for?

With horses, as with humans, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and fitness in a horse is easy to spot. But generally the encouraging signs in a horse before the race are a coat with a good sheen to it, an intelligent and alert countenance, high head carriage with big ears pointing slightly inwards, a well-muscled body and a springy step.

A horse which is well muscled may be said to 'carry plenty of condition' whereas one with a lean and ribby look will have 'run up light'. Be cautious of a horse sweating up but not necessarily dismissive, as some horses run better when they are on edge. Sweating around the eyes and ears is not a good sign.
Consider how the horse walks. An easy, loose stride is ideal, and a little jig-jogging suggests that he is on good terms with himself - whereas the horse that will not be led round calmly is getting agitated and wasting valuable nervous energy.

Take account of the equipment the horse is wearing. Blinkers - a hood fitted over the horse's head to prevent backward vision - focuses his concentration on what is going on ahead, and can transform the performance of a horse with a sort attention span. A visor is similar to blinkers, but has a slit in each eye-shield to allow some lateral vision. It is commonly thought that the fitting of blinkers or a visor suggests an ungenuine horse, but this is not the necessarily the case, so do not be put off if all the other factors appear to be in his favour.

But the most beautiful and sweetly moving horse in the world is not much of a betting proposition if he cannot run fast enough, so at some point you need to get to grips with the basics of that mass of information which, once interpreted correctly, should yield the winner - form.

Form - What to look for
Form is simply information about horse's past performances, and by amassing data from each past performance about the going, the course, weight carried, style of running, jockey, time the race took to run, distance of the race, distances between the horses at the finish, and so on, and then relating that information to the same information about every other runner in the race, the form student can work out which horse is most likely to win.

The study of every last nicety of form is highly complicated and hardly necessary for other than the most serious and dedicated punter, but you can grasp the basics by considering the broad headings:

DISTANCE OF THE RACE: Most horses have an ideal range of distances over which they run, and a horse running significantly out of that range may not do himself justice, through lack of stamina or lack of speed.
GOING: The 'going' is the state of the ground - ranging from hard to heavy - and many horses run better on one particular surface than on others. It is not necessarily the case that the firm-ground specialist will never win on the soft, but the firm will suit him better.
CLASS: Form is relative, and running fifth in the Derby would be better-class form than winning a very minor race. Is the horse you fancy going up or down in class?
TIME: Although horses do not race against the clock, the time of a race can be highly significant when measured against the standard for course and distance.
COURSE: The old theory of 'horses for courses' - that is, that some horses perform particularly well at certain courses - is borne out again and again; if a horse has won before at the course, the terrain suits him: that can be an important indicator of his chance.
TRAINER AND JOCKEY: Have they been among the winners recently, and are they in form? A trainer out of form may indicate illness in the yard, while a jockey going through a purple patch can be guaranteed to have that extra ring of confidence which could make the difference between victory and defeat.
WEIGHT: Has the horse a chance at the weights - that is, the weight it has to carry in relation to the weights carried by its rivals?

But if all this study of form is just too complicated, why not fall back on the age-old system of choosing your fancy by its name?!

Backing your fancy
Having made your choice, how do you put your money where your mind is?

GETTING ON
There are three ways of having a bet on a race course:
- on the tote
- with a book maker
- in the racecourse betting shop

THE TOTE
The tote - whose selling points are to be found in every enclosure, including Members - operates on a pool basis, whereby all the money bet in a particular pool is shared out among the winners, once a standard percentage has been deducted. This percentage covers the Tote's operating costs and is also used to support racing in numerous ways.

That's the principle. The practice is very simple. You go to up to one of the counters or kiosks, state the number (not the name) of the horse you wish to back, the nature and amount of the bet, and hand over your stake. You will be given a ticket which, if successful, you take back to any counter to exchange for your winnings (including stake). For Jackpot, Placepot, Quadpot, Triopot and multibet wagers you fill in a 'Mark Sense' card and take that to the counter. Full instructions are on the back of the card.

The big difference between betting on the Tote and with a bookmaker is that at the moment of making your bet with the Tote you cannot know for sure what your return will be should your bet win, since the final amount in the pool (and thus the amount to be divided) cannot be known until the race has started and the pool has been closed. Television screens near the Tote counters will give an indication of the current odds of each horse, and by that means you will have a very good idea of the return that you can expect.

A Tote Course- to-Course service is also available. This allows you to bet at any Tote point on races at both the 'home' course and any other track where racing is taking place at the same time.
Remember:
 With Tote betting, you will not know the exact amount of your winnings until after the race
 State the course, race number, stake and type of bet
 State the race card number of the horse, not his name
 Check the ticket before the race as mistakes cannot be rectified after the start
 You can collect your winnings at ant Tote counter or kiosk
 If you forget to cash in a winning ticket, send it to the address on the back and you will receive a cheque by post.

THE BOOKMAKERS
Betting with bookies, who are to be found in the Grandstand Enclosure, is very simple, but it's as well to be aware of the basic distinction between a bet to win and an each-way bet (which some, but not all, bookmakers will take).

A bet TO WIN means just that: if your horse wins, you do; if it doesn't, you don't; and if it dead-heats, you receive half what you would have received for an outright win.

An EACH-WAY bet is in effect two separate bets: one to win, one for the horse to be placed (that is, to finish in races of five or more runners, the first three in races of eight or more runners, the first four in a handicap of sixteen or more runners). Since an each-way bet is two bets, you hand over twice the unit stake: a bet of £1 each way costs £2. The odds for a place are normally one fifth the win odds: the bookmaker will advertise the fraction on his board.