Top Tips - Horse Racing

Time is a precious resource for those betting on horse racing. Evaluating the various form components of a large field can take a very long time. Multiplying this by 7 races per meeting, 4 meetings per day and 7 days per week gives 196 multiplied by "a very long time," so it is easy to recognise that most average punters do not have time to study racing form effectively. Furthermore, even the most intensive, detailed study does not necessarily generate winners, since horses are not machines and can have off days, the same as the rest of us. Sadly, the time spent weighing up racing form is not directly proportional to the resultant number of winners. Indeed, there may be no correlation at all between these variables and a full evening`s work may produce a nil return. Bearing these points in mind, it is unremarkable that numerous horse racing punters try to find a trusty source of reliable tips for horse races. Discovering a consistent purveyor of horse racing tips reduces the work involved in attempting to find the winners of horse races and may well improve the winning strike rate to boot.

Numerous sources in both the offline and online "worlds" provide horse racing tips. Some of these are free, while others require payment for supplying tips. The latter sources generally require payment by one of two main methods. These comprise a pre-determined monthly subscription or a certain amount bet on each selection on behalf of the tipster. Monthly contributions must be paid to keep receiving tips, regardless of the success or failure of previous selections. Betting on a horse for the tipster is a better option, assuming that the amount required to be staked is not prohibitively high. This approach means that the tipster is only paid out of winnings, so can be viewed as a "win-win" situation.

Should I Buy Horse Racing Tips?

The short answer is "no." The longer answer, as discussed below, is "yes," but with about a hundred-and-one caveats. Horse racing punters considering paying for tips need to adopt a very guarded approach and be aware of the potential pitfalls. The Internet is choc a bloc with advertisements promising "guaranteed" winners and infallible betting systems. These ads attempt to play on the greed of potential customers, promising overnight riches for a minimal outlay. These false claims are abject nonsense, as the "glorious uncertainty" of the horse racing game means that there can be no assurances.

However, this does not mean that every tipster that requires payment for his selections is dishonest. Amongst the plethora of advertisers, a few may have valid grounds for wishing to sell their advice. Some professional punters make their living from betting on horse racing. Since it is their job, these backers are frequent visitors to the "payout window" and rapidly become renowned as "faces" by the principal bookmaking firms. As a result, they may experience difficulty in "getting on" their selections, either to the requisite stake, or at the appropriate price. Given these circumstances, selling tips for the chosen horse(s) is an indirect method by which a tipster can back his or her selections.

Even allowing for genuine vendors such as these, the best racing tips, assuming they are relatively trustworthy, are free, such as those at www.freeracingtips.co.uk.