The basics of harness racing

Unlike the usual horse racing events, harness racing has its own twist wherein the horses need to pull a carriage with jockeys on them.

There’s nothing quite like the spectacle, and a lot of people love betting on it. Harness racing takes place across America and has spread into the regions of Canada and even Australia.

Are you thinking about betting on harness racing tournaments? Here’s everything you need to know about harness racing and why you should start betting on it.

What is harness racing?

There are two types of harness racing: pacing and trotting. The horses pull a sulky, light, two-wheeled carriage, with a ‘driver’ inside of it, and the sulky is pulled by the driver.

Two wheels and an aerodynamic design for optimal speed make the sulky a popular name in harness racing. It is linked to the horse’s saddle and towed behind the horse, while the driver steers.

Prix d’Amérique

The Prix d’Amérique is a race between the world’s greatest harnessed trotters and was first held in 1920 as a homage to the American dedication to France during World War I.

Originally held over 2500 metres, this G1 race is currently run over 2700 metres, which is considered the traditional distance by the racing community.

A crowd of roughly 40,000 people gathered each year at Vincennes Hippodrome de Paris for this occasion.

Since it is televised in 36 countries and more than 500 journalists are granted accreditation each year, it is a global phenomenon. The Prix d’Amérique has attracted 40 million Euros in bets and more than 6 million tickets have been sold.

Betting on harness races

Most horse races use a wagering system known as pari-mutuel, which has been around since the turn of the 20th century and is now the de facto norm for all forms of horse racing. Pari-mutuel wagering is vastly different from fixed-odds betting systems utilised in other sports.

The odds are never finalised until the race is ready to begin in harness racing wagering. Odds are determined by the amount of money gambled in each race, which is then divided among the bets. There is less money in a betting pool, which means less money goes to the winners.

As a consequence, your odds may shift significantly between the time you place your bet and the start of the race.

Pari-mutuel wagering is the most democratic of all betting systems. In the absence of a single oddsmaker, the outcome of a race is decided by the whole betting community. Even with this, it is still best to set a betting limit to avoid overspending.

Most important races in harness racing

There are a few races that you should pay attention to when betting on harness racing. Here are a few that you should keep a close eye on:

Hambletonian

This race is for 3-year-old trotters

Little Brown Jug

This race is for 3-year-old pacers

Breeders Crown

This series of twelve races covers each of the traditional categories of age, sex, and gait.

Inter Dominion

This special Australasian marquee event only takes place in Australia and New Zealand which includes the pacing and trotting series.

Just like horse racing, harness racing is increasingly becoming more popular in regions like Asia and Europe. Slowly creeping its way into the top sports in the world, harness racing provides a unique flair to horse racing as a whole.

There’s no doubt about it that you should be betting on harness racing and have the most spectacular time watching horses race with their might. Win big and be a pro harness racing punter!