Sport Place

The sport of Steeplechase racing dates back to 1752 in Ireland when two, half-crocked, friends settled the argument over who owned the best horse by racing to the nearest Church steeple after returning from Fox hunting. The winner actually rode right through the church where the vicar was holding a solemn funeral. Soon it spread to England, where in 1792, the first recorded race was held. This sport then crossed over from the Atlantic to the US, where it has became very popular.

In the early 19th century nine prominent men from New York – August Belmont, H. DeCourcy Forbes, Samuel S.Howland, James O. Green, Frederick Gebhard, A.J. Cassatt, Foxhall P. Keene, John G. Follansbee and Frederick H. Prince founded the National Association for Steeplechase. When it was first founded, its mission was to make the sport popular in the US and help it grow across the Atlantic. For membership details and other small tidbits about the Association, you can visit their website at http://www.nsfdn.org/membership.html.

Steeplechase races are held at 12 states across the country and the cumulative purses for these events are $5 million annually. The horse races are a place to see and be seen at. It’s seen across the country by millions of fans and admirers and is a major sponsored event where corporate sponsors vie with each other for sponsorship of the events. It attracts the best talent for horses, horse owners, and riders and also raises millions of dollars in charities. Thus it also attracts the most powerful and the influential men and women. If you have seen Pretty Woman, you pretty much have got the idea.

Some of the oldest and the most prestigious steeplechase horse racing events are Montpelier Hunt Races, which was started on the estates of Former President James Madison since 1929. For more information you can visit their site http://www.montpelier.org/races.htm. Others are The American Grand National that began in 1899 and the The National Hunt Cup in Radnor, Pa., which was started in 1909. For more information on steeplechase racing across the country, you can visit http://www.steeplestakes.com/links.html, which lists all the races, their schedules and the prize monies.

In Virginia, you can visit the Virginia Steeplechase association at http://www.vasteeplechase.com/. The big races in Virginia are Virginia Gold Cup, FoxField races at Charlottesville, Virginia, Fairfax Hunt races at Great Falls, Middleburg Spring races at Middleburg, Montpelier Hunt Races at Montpelier Station, Morven park Steeplechase races at Leesburg, Mountaineer chest track in Chester etc.

You can also visit these websites for further information on racing in Virginia.http://www.ctownraces.com/ http://www.colonialdowns.com/ http://www.fairfaxhuntraces.org/ http://www.montpelier.org/ http://www.foxfieldraces.com/ http://www.vagoldcup.com/ http://www.middleburgspringraces.com/

There are numerous types of horse racing bettings which are included in the horse races. Horse race is a very popular sport nowadays. You can select a team of your favorite horses and bet on them, so as to earn some handsome cash prizes. The entire sport is full of thrill and excitement. Most of the people that visit the horse race fields enjoy the entire race to the fullest, by drinking, celebrating and cheering their horses.

Various types of the horse racing bettings are mentioned below. If you are a beginner, then this information would prove to be very useful for you. You can even use an online horse racing betting system like the F P systems, if you are new to the horse racing.

1. Win: the win is the first type of the horse betting. Betting with the win type is very simple. You have to choose a horse that is capable of winning the race. If the horse wins the race by landing up in the first position, then you would win the jackpot amount.

2. Place: In the Place type of horse race betting, you have to choose the horse that is capable of coming second in the horse race. If your chosen horse comes second or lands up first in the race, then you would win your bet.

3. Show: In the show type of horse race betting, you have to choose a horse that is capable of winning the third position in the race. If your horse wins the race by landing into first, second or third position, you would win your bet.

4. Across the Board: Across the Board is one of the most admired types of horse race bettings. In this type of horse race betting, you are allowed to choose a horse that can land into either the first, second or third position in the horse race. By selecting this option, you are actually playing three bets in one particular horse race. Therefore, you can win the bet whether your horse lands into first, second or third position.

5. Exacta: Exacta is a very difficult type of horse race betting. Here you have to quote an exact bet on the horses and even make an exact guess on their winning positions. Exacta is not preferred by most of the punters.

6. Quinella: In the Quinella type of horse race betting, you are allowed to bet on two horses. And if whichever one the two horses that you have chosen, comes first and other in the second position, you would win your bet.

7. Trifecta: here, you have to choose three horses and also guess their order to come in the first, second and third position. If your guess in correct, you win your bet.

Oftentimes, your horse racing systems adapt to the new conditions of new races. Indeed, there is no such thing as “same old, same old” races in horse racing. Weather conditions, post positions, jockey and trainer combinations, ground conditions, and horse class and fitness are just a few factors in horse racing.

Thus, adapting your systems according to the type of race can be a logical move. Here then are the types of horse races.

Stakes and Handicap Races

These are the highest level of horse racing, which offers the highest purse winnings amongst all types. Thus, if you win here, you win big! Adapt your horse racing systems to allow you this advantage.

Also, stakes races are participated in only by the best horses in the stables, the creme de la creme of the horse racing world. The racing adrenaline alone is enough motivation to bet on these horses.

On the other hand, horses in a handicap race carry varying weights. This is supposed to level out the racing field such that a better horse will have about the same chances of winning as an inferior horse; usually, the former is assigned heavier weights.

Thus, you might want to bet on the horses with heavier weights on the assumption that they are superior. Also, take into consideration that weight breaks are also assigned to younger horses, fillies, and other handicap conditions as the Racing Secretary sees fit.

Allowance Races

In allowance races, conditions are set by the Racing Secretary. These conditions limit the qualifications by which a horse can enter the race. Thus, you will hear of qualification requirements like non-winner of two races other than maiden, or non-winner of three races other than maiden.

In these types of races, you have to reconfigure your horse racing systems to account for these horse requirements. Expect that your favorite horse can perform differently in a different class.

Maiden Races

Maiden races are participated in by horses who have never won a race. In a sense, it is the horse’s initiation to the professional world of horse racing. These races are further subdivided into two types. The maiden allowance is generally participated in by the best bred and youngest horses on the track, with consequently higher purses than the maiden claiming race. This second type differs from maiden allowance because the horses can be bought after the race.

Your horse racing systems would have to take into account the unproven winning ability of the maiden horses. You have to possess higher risk tolerance, acceptance of speculative losses, and a formidable knowledge of horses and horse racing, among others, to find the thrill of betting on maiden horses an exhilarating and rewarding experience.

These are the stages of racing that a horse must go through – from maiden races to stakes races. If you are an avid punter in horse racing, you can adapt your horse racing systems to reflect the changes (or non-changes) in a horse’s racing career.

Try not to stick to one system in all the types of races. This would be foolishness and foolishness has no place in successful gambling.