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At the time of writing, Durham-born Connor Beasley lies eighth in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, having ridden seven winners from 23 rides at a strike rate of 30%. A graduate from pony racing, Beasley joined Spennymoor trainer Tracy Waggott straight from school and, at the start of 2012, joined Denton trainer Michael Dods, who has been his principle employer ever since. He rode his first winner, Osetopathic Remedy, trained by Dods, at Ayr on September 21, 2012.

Beasley added just one more winner to his tally in his debut season but, in 2013, increased his seasonal tally to 34 winners and was dubbed ‘the brightest young jockey in the country’ by TV pundit Mick Fitzgerald. The following season he rode 61 winners, thereby riding out his claim, but in his first full season as a professional jockey, in 2015, suffered a horrific fall at Wolverhampton.

On July 7 that year, his mount, Cumbrianna, clipped the heels of the horse in front, suffering a fatal leg injury in the process, and throwing him under the hooves of the pursuing pack. Beasley suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, fractured vertebrae and a brain haemorrhage, requiring extensive surgery and lengthy rehabilitation. Remarkably, despite being partially immobilised by a full neck and back brace for several months, he recovered sufficiently to resume race riding in 2016.

Fast forward to 2021 and Beasley enjoyed his most successful season so far, with 72 winners, including Commanche Falls in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, and over £823,000 in prize money. In the last few years, he has formed a fruitful association with Dakota Gold, aboard whom he recently equalled the modern day record, set by Copper Knight, for six wins at York. His six victories, achieved from 11 starts on the Knavesmire, include the Listed Garrowsby Stakes in 2019 and the Group 3 Bengough Stakes in 2020.

Similar to the novice chasing division, the novice hurdling division is restricted to horses that begin a National Hunt season having never won over hurdles. The 2021/22 National Hunt season was extraordinary insofar as it produced a novice hurdler who was awarded the highest rating ever in the history of Timeform. The previous highest rating for a novice, 176, was awarded to Golden Cygnet, who toyed with his rivals when winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, impressively, by 15 lengths in 1978.

However, the 2022 winner of the same race, Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, was awarded a rating of 177p after a 22-length rout of his hitherto unbeaten stable companion – and subsequent Grade 1 winner – Jonbon. Indeed, his level of superiority was such that it left Timeform handicapper Martin Rigg struggling for superlatives; eventually he settled for, ‘To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like it. He really could be anything.’

He could indeed. To put his rating in perspective, after three runs over hurdles, he is rated 12lb superior to Honeysuckle, who is 16-16 over hurdles, including the Champion Hurdle in 2021 and 2022, and already on a par with Lanzarote, who won the Champion Hurdle in 1974. With further improvement likely, it does not require a leap of faith to envisage Constitution Hill succeeding Night Nurse (182) as the highest rated hurdler in Timeform history.

In a ‘normal’ season, the second and third highest rated novice hurdlers of 2021/22, namely Sir Gerhard (152p) and Jonbon (151p) – who both fall into the ‘smart’ category, according to Timeform – would merit lengthier discussion. However, while they are both Grade 1 winners, their achievements pale almost, if not entirely, into insignificance when compared with Constitution Hill.

Nowadays, Milton Harris is a dual purpose trainer based at Sutton Veny, near Warminster, Wiltshire. Harris sent out the first winner in his name – Quick Response, in a maiden hunters’ chase at Folkestone – from his original base in Paxford, near Chipping Camden, Gloucestershire, in September, 2001. In his first stint in the training ranks, he held a licence until June, 2010 and saddled 139 winners, amassing over £1.3 million in the process.

However, in the middle of what was, at that stage, his most successful season so far, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) objected to him holding a licence on the basis that he was not a ‘fit and proper person’ to do so. He was found guilty of deliberately concealing business debts and judgements against him from the regulatory body and, having declared himself bankrupt, was not permitted to take out a licence again until 2018.

In the meantime, Harris moved to his new home, in the Wylye Valley between Salisbury and Bath and, when he restarted his training career, did so with just two staff and a dozen or so unremarkable horses. Having saddled just six winners in each of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 National Hunt seasons, he increased his seasonal tally to 18 in 2020/21. In 2021/22, he emjoyed by far his most successful season so far, with 56 winners and just shy of £600,000 in prize money. Knight Salute, who has won six of his seven starts over hurdles, including the Grade 1 4-Y-O Juvenile at Aintree im April, 2022, has proved to be his standard-bearer. For all his success, Harris maintains a realistic outlook. He said, ‘I’m under no illusion, we haven’t made it, but we’re on the path.’

Have you ever wondered if horse race betting has a correct path? There isn’t one correct way to bet on horse contenders. If there is, what’s the need to bet on the stakes? Like other sports bets, the best thing about horse race betting is its unpredictability.

Horse races challenge your ability to predict the winner of the race correctly. In addition, it challenges how well you can read up different information, observe the contenders and jockeys, and apply what you learned in your betting decisions.

If you want to enter the horse race betting arena, you may want to use this 2022 guide in your journey. It includes why you need to find a good betting website, what bets you can place, how to research crucial information and the frequently asked questions about horse racing.

You Need To Find a Good Betting Website.

When horse race betting, you want to ensure that you’re registered on a legitimate, well-reputed betting website. It’s the key to a smooth-sailing betting experience. So how do you know if a website is perfect for your betting journey? It should at least have the following qualifications to help guide you when betting.

• It should be a registered betting site. Avoid registering on websites without a license. It’s dangerous for your bets and personal information. You want to ensure that the site is 100% legal.

• The website should contain helpful information about horse races and bets. It’s so that bettors can learn more about the race and how they can improve the outcome of their bets and ensure that their bets are ready.

• It should have good payment and withdrawal options.

• The website should be user-friendly. Mobile accessibility options are another perk many reputable betting websites offer.

• It should also have good reviews from other bettors, both experienced and novices.

Get To Know the Horse Racing Bets You Can Place

It can’t be a guide to horse racing without introducing you to the horse racing bets. The following is an introduction to the bets you can place in the next horse race.

• Win – It’s the most simple and popular bet you can bet in horse racing. You are simply placing money on who you think will win the race. By nature, the horse must win the race to get your payout. If your bet doesn’t place first, that means that you’ve lost your bet.

• Place – In this bet, you’ll predict which horse will finish first or second in the race. It’s a much safer bet.

• Show – You’ll get your payout if your horse finishes first, second, or third in the race.

• Exacta – You have to pick two horses that you think will finish first and second place. You’ll get your payout if they win in the same order you predicted.

• Trifecta – It’s like an exacta, but with an added third horse. Again, the three horses should finish in the places you predicted.

• Superfecta – It’s like exacta and trifecta; however, you’ll bet on the top four horses in the superfecta. You should predict the exact order they’ll finish.

How to Research Horse Racing Betting Needs

As with any sports betting, you should research before placing any wager is essential. Thankfully, there are numerous sites on the Internet you can use to research the horses, jockeys, trainers, forms, styles, and previous races.

Read up on the comprehensive horse racing statistics covering horses, trainers, and jockeys. It’s also important to stay updated on the news about the contenders. You can search for this information by typing the above things in your search bar.

Frequently Asked Questions About Horse Betting

As a horse race bettor, you have to consistently research information regarding the contenders and races. As such, the following are some of the frequently asked questions by fellow bettors.

How does horse race betting differ from sports betting?

Horse race betting is a type of sports betting. However, in horse races, you’ll be betting on, obviously, horses. But, unlike sports betting, you have to consider other factors that affect the outcome of the races. It includes a horse’s form, position, track, jockey, and coach. While sports heavily rely on the players.

Is horse race betting legal?

To know this, you must search if gambling is legal in your country and state. In most states in the United States, it’s legal, even in Nebraska!

What horse races can I bet at?

The Diana Stakes in Saratoga last July 17 just finished, and the Triple Crown series. But don’t fret since you can bet on November’s most awaited 3-year-old thoroughbred race, the Breeder’s Cup Championship.

Final Thoughts

Betting, especially in horse races, is a complex yet fun thing to engage in. Yet, there are numerous things you have to educate yourself in to win your bets. In horse race betting, it’s always advisable to read and analyze different informational tools, whether a helpful piece or a statistical analysis. So, ensure that you use this guide to help you in your path.