Why the Bet365 race card can be an invaluable tool when betting on the horses!
Even if you do not bet on the horses that often, the likelihood is that you will have seen a bet365 race card.
A race card is hugely important to you if you intend to bet on a race. That’s true if you gamble on races every day, or just take an annual punt on the Grand National!
And online versions, such as the bet365 race card, have several advantages over the race cards that you can purchase at racetracks the length and breadth of the country.
In this article, we are going to examine exactly what you can find out from a bet365 race card.
We’ll explore the different information it contains and what that means to you as a punter. Then we’ll conclude with a look at some other aspects of the bet365 Sports site that can aid your betting experience.
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So, let’s begin by taking a look at a typical bet365 race card.
Bet365 Race Card – An Overview
Outlined below is an example of a full bet365 race card.
A standard Bet365 race card
Let’s now break down the bet365 race card into its component parts, working our way from the top of the bet365 race card, down to the bottom.
In this section you can see general information about the race itself.
At the very top, the time and course at which the race will take place is shown (3.10 Market Rasen).
If you click on the down arrow next to this information, this brings up a list of the other races being run in the country on the same day.
Directly under this is information about the race. It includes
- The race number at the meeting (in this case, race 5),
- The estimated start time (15.10),
- How long is left until the race goes to post,
- Details about the race (distance and the type of race),
- The class (class 4) and finally
- The going (good to soft)
On the right-hand side of the card, there is a bell icon. You can highlight this to get notifications about this race on your desktop or mobile device.
Directly underneath this key race information are details about the bet365 services and promotions that are available for this race.
The first icon is the Live Streaming icon, which is available closer to the start time to customers with a funded account or that have placed a bet with bet365 Sport in the previous 24 hours.
Clicking on this icon near to the race start time will bring up the stream for you to watch.
Next to this are listed the bet365 promotions and/or rules that are available for this race. In the example show, there is a Rule 4 deduction in place for some bets, (R4), the Best Odds Guaranteed offer is available (B.O.G) and lastly the Enhanced Places offer is also available (2 >> 3 Places).
At the foot of the top menu bar are the direct links to a variety of different bets available at bet365 Sport on this race.
The bet365 Racecard is the default option (and the focus for this article). But you can find other betting options under the Each Way Extra, Forecast, More Markets, Tote, Exotics, Fixed, and the Win, 1-2, 1-2-3 links too.
The Each Way Extra option is directly linked to the Enhanced Places offer. But the bet365 race card will show the Each Way Extra prices as default when it is available.
Bet365 offers a range of bet boosts on its site for a wide variety of sports and markets. If the race has any boosted prices for any runners, then they are shown in this section.
In the race we are previewing, we can see two runners have had boosted odds applied.
- Charles St has been given a better price of 9/4 from 2/1 on the win and each way markets.
- Haafapiece has been given improved odds of 6/4 from 11/8 on the betting market to win without Charles St and Homme D’Um Soir.
If you like the look of any of these boosted price bets, simply click on the odds to add it to your bet slip.
Most races at bet365, certainly the most popular races, will have at least one bet boost option. Additionally, many races will have several bet boost options across different betting markets.
- Runners And Riders Information
The main part of the bet365 race cards is the section that details each of the different runners and riders. But before we get to that section, there are some icons to note at the very top of the list.
On the left is the sort option icon. You can select to have the runners displayed in their race number order (which is the default setting) or by their current price.
Next to this is a Star icon and this is a neat feature for serious horse racing punters who like to follow one or more horse over the course of the season. By clicking on the star, this will bring up a star logo next to each of the runners in the race shown.
Click on a star next to the horse’s name and you will add that horse to your stable. This means you will then be notified when the horse is running next when you access your stable of horses in the main horse racing menu on the site.
Finally in this section is the Show Info option. Selecting this option will give you expanded details on each of the runners in the race.
This will include links to the live streams of their last five races. Also displayed are where those races were run, how the horse finished the race, when the race was contested, the class and type of race, number of runners and the distance of the race.
Additionally, you are given information about the horses last run. A Spotlight section gives you an appraisal of the horse’s chances in this race.
You can select or deselect the Show Info option to display this extra information, or not. But for those that like to research their bets, this is a fantastic feature to have available.
We now move on to the list of runners in the race. This is the part of the bet365 race card that most people will be familiar with.
It contains a huge amount of information about each of the runners in this race including all of the following.
- Horses name and number for the race.
- The owner’s colours that the jockey will wear for the race.
- The jockey riding the horse. (The number in brackets shows the weight in lbs that they are claiming for that race).
- The horse’s owner.
- The weight the horse is meant to carry in a handicap race.
- The horses age
- The horses form (see below for more details on what this means).
- The price history for the horse (how much they have drifted in or out in the betting over time)
- The current price for the horse with bet365 for the win market (shown in yellow).
Click on a runner in the race and this will bring up the extra information for that runner. It is the same information that you can get by clicking the Show Info option.
Reading a Horses Form
One of the most important pieces of information for a punter is reading a horse’s form.
While the mix of letters, dashes and numbers may seem very complicated, it isn’t. It is actually very easy to understand a horse’s form using the following key.
- 1 through to 9 – The position the horse finished in that race.
- 0 (Zero) – The horse finished outside the top 9 in that race.
- P – The horse was pulled up by the jockey and didn’t finish.
- F – The horse fell during the race.
- S – The horse slipped up in the race.
- R – The horse refused to jump a fence in that race.
- B – The horse was brought down by another runner in the race.
- U – The horse unseated its rider (usually following a hurdle).
- A dash – separates the form from one year to the next. (For example 142-2U would mean that last year the horse finished 1st, 4th and 2nd. Then this year finished 2nd and then unseated its rider).
- A slash / separates racing seasons. This is only used when form shows the season before last.
Form us always arranged chronologically. Thus meaning that the race shown on the left is the earliest race shown. While the form on the right are from the most recent races run.
Understanding form is a key point for punters when studying the bet365 race card. The form can provide a insight as to which horses are likely to do well, or not, in the race.
- Bottom of the bet365 Race Card
The bottom section of the race card shows a small number of options.
Favourite and 2nd Favourite allows you to place a bet on the future favourite or the second favourite. The bet will be placed at the starting price.
This feature means you don’t have to be online before the race starts to get the SP. Either of these options can do that for you automatically.
Underneath this the Non Runners in any race are listed (In this race, number 2 – Sizing Pottsie is a non-runner).
Lastly, if you want more information about the race, click on the Race Overview for details. Here the resident tipster (name in brackets) will explain who they think will do well in the race.
This is the standard bet365 race card. It is very easy to follow, even for novice punters, but don’t overlook the wealth of information available here.
This can really help inform your betting and make your wagers more focused!
