How to Bet
Here are the tools to make your night out at the races a SUCCESS! Learn the basics of betting and more!
How to Read a Race Program
WAGERING IS AS EASY AS 1-2-3
Pick a horse… any horse! Maybe you like its name or it has your lucky number
Decide where you think it will finish – 1st (Win), 2nd , 3rd
Go to any Mutuel teller to make your bet–just say: London, Race #_____; $2 on horse #______ to _______ (Win, Place or Show)
WIN = Your horse must finish 1st | PLACE = Your horse must come 1st or 2nd | SHOW = Your horse must come 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Why not bet as a GROUP?
Print this card and submit it with your choices, and payment, to any ticket seller on your night out at the races!
How to use it:
Play as a team or on your own to explore these 4 exotic wagers.
Exotic Wagers:
Exactor: Your 2 horses must finish 1st and 2nd in exact order in the same race.
Exactor Box: Your 2 horses can finish either 1st or 2nd
Triactor: Your 3 horses must finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the exact order, in the same race.
Triactor Box: Your 3 horses must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Superfecta: Select the first 4 horses in exact order of finish.
Pick your favourite horses or just pick your favourite numbers! The goal is that they finish in the top 4 in the race!
Play as many times as you want! (TIP: a new card is required for each race, so print off/pick up as many copies of the Group Bet Card as you want!)
Pacer vs. Trotter
Gait: the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals
Pacer: Pacer’s move both legs on the same side forward in unison. Most wear hopples – straps connecting front and rear legs on the same side. Hopples help the horse keep stride without limiting speed.
Trotter: When a horse trots, he moves diagonally paired legs simultaneously. That means he’s moving his back left leg at the same time he is moving his right front leg, and his front left leg in unison with the back right leg.
Drivers NOT Jockeys…Who’s Who at the Track…
Drivers, trainers and horses are the most prominent figures in the sport of harness racing. However there are many jobs in the industry that are essential to the success of any racehorse.
A Trainer is responsible for the conditioning and care of a horse. Trainers are hired by owners to get their horses ready to race, and to help them perform at their best. Trainers are also in charge of fitting the horses with the right equipment to maximize their racing potential, and making sure they stay healthy and strong throughout the season.
A Driver sits behind the horse in a race bike, or sulky, and steers the horse around the track. A driver must have a special license from Standardbred Canada that gives him or her permission to drive a horse in a race.
Drivers have uniforms, specific to them, called “colors.” Each driver’s colours has a unique pattern and arrangement of colours and must be registered with Standardbred Canada or the USTA. Unlike Thoroughbred racing, where each jockey wears the horse owner’s “silks,” drivers wear their individual colours regardless of the owner of the horse.
The Judges are like the referees of harness racing. Their job is to make sure that all the rules of racing are being followed. They watch for rules infractions such as interference and breaks (which occur when a horse gallops instead of maintaining the trotting or pacing gait). Judges can assess fines or penalties, and they even have the power to overturn race results.
What are you wearing???
What does THAT mean?
Exactor: Your 2 horses must finish 1st and 2nd in exact order in the same race.
Exactor Box: Your 2 horses can finish either 1st or 2nd
Triactors: Your 3 horses must finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the exact order, in the same race.
Triactor Box: Your 3 horses must finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Superfecta: Select the first 4 horses in exact order of finish.
Daily Double: Pick the horses to win in 2 consecutive races (Hint: look for the “Daily Double” written at the TOP of the race page to see when it is available to bet!)
Super Hi-5: Select the first 5 HORSES in the exact order of finish (HINT: Look for the “Super Hi-5” at the TOP of the race page to see which races it is available in!)
Win: Your horse must finish 1st
Place: Your horse must come in 1st or 2nd
Show: Your horse must come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
Dam: The mother of a horse
Sire: The father of a horse
Colt: A male horse 3 years of age or younger
Filly: A female horse 3 years of age or younger
Mare: A female horse 4 years of age or older
Gelding: An altered (neutered) male of any age
Horse: An unaltered male horse 4 years of age or older
Trainer: is responsible for the conditioning and care of a horse. Trainers are hired by owners to get their horses ready to race, and to help them perform at their best. Trainers are also in charge of fitting the horses with the right equipment to maximize their racing potential, and making sure they stay healthy and strong throughout the season.
Driver: sits behind the horse in a race bike, or sulky, and steers the horse around the track. A driver must have a special license from Standardbred Canada that gives him or her permission to drive a horse in a race.