The Epsom Derby Festival brings the best 3-year-old equine stars together for a chance at horse racing immortality.
Friday sees the fillies take center stage in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks, and are then followed on Saturday by the colts in the Group 1 Epsom Derby.
With such a prestigious event comes many betting opportunities, and here I will give you all the betting tools you need to enhance your horse racing betting experience with this ‘How To Bet on The Epsom Derby Festival’.
Epsom Derby Festival is on a par with any of the major horse racing festivals and with that brings you many ways to place a horse racing bet. From the simplicity of placing a bet on course to the world of placing a bet on the exchanges, I will cover it all.
Here is what to expect from this in-depth Epsom Derby Festival Betting Guide.
- Online betting sites
- Place a bet at the track
- Betting in shop
- Tote betting
- Betting exchanges
In case you need it, here you can find a guide on how to read a horse racing form, an essential skill that provides vital information about the horses, their past performances, and other key details that can influence your betting decisions.
1. Online betting site
As you may know, there is no end to the variety of betting sites that are available to you the punter, and no more than today.
You have a multitude of online horse racing bookmakers fighting it out to get you in as their newest customer with new sign-up offers, free bets, special promotions and so much more.
Once you have narrowed down your online bookmaker whom you would like to open a new account with, you then need to know the correct way to place a bet online. If you follow these simple steps below, you will be on the fast track to placing your next online horse racing bet.
- From the toplist above choose which online bookmakers best suits your betting needs.
- Click sign up and follow the easy steps.
- Navigate to the horse racing section on the app or desktop.
- Selecting the “Epsom Derby or Epson Oaks” tab.
- Choose which horse on whom you want to bet on.
- Choose the type of bet you want to place (win, each-way, forecast, tricast, and more) (Betting market options will vary depending on the number of runners in each race).
- Enter the stake amount you wish to place on your selected horse.
- Review your bet slip.
- Click the place bet button once you are happy with your selection.
2. Placing a bet on track
If you are one of the lucky ones who gets to make the trip to Epsom for the Derby Festival, and if it is only your first time experiencing what the Derby Festival brings, then you may want to know how to place a bet with the on-course bookmakers.
There is no need to fear having a bet on a racecourse as it can be quite the experience with the number of characters that stand on their pitch taking bets from the thousands in attendance.
- Study your racecard carefully-
- Decide what horse you wish to bet on and remember what number your horse is.
- Choose which on-course bookmaker you want to have your Epsom Derby or Epsom Oaks bet with.
- Once you reach your bookmaker state the number of the horse and if your bet is win or each way.
- You will be handed a betting slip with the details of your bet including the possible winning return.
- If your bet wins or places, depending on the bet you place then- go back to the bookmaker you had the bet with and hand them the betting slip.
- Enjoy your winnings.
3. Betting in shop
Betting in show is the traditional way of placing a bet on any sports, but especially horse racing. If you are new to horse racing placing a bet in a betting shop can be sometimes intimidating with everything that is happening as you walk in.
But there is no need to be worried, as you will find with any betting shop that you encounter that all the staff are more than happy to help you place the bet that you want to get on, but, if you want to do it by yourself, just follow these simple steps.
- Find the race you want to bet on through the racing cards that will be on the boards of each bookmaker.
- Grab yourself a betting slip and write the location of the race (track), the time, the horse you want to bet on.
- Go to one of the big screens where you will see odds for all of the day’s races.
- Write the odds next to or under the horse with the words ‘win’ or ‘each way’ depending on what bet you want to place. Remember that an each way bet is double of your stake. i.e £5 each way is a total of £10.
- Go to the betting counter and hand it to the betting clerk behind the counter.
- Don’t be shy to ask the betting clerk if you have written out the bet.
Here is an example of how to write out a betting slip.
3 – Tote betting
Tote betting is different from traditional bookmakers in that tits betting comes from a cumulative pool of money bet on a race rather than fixed odds. This means that when you place a bet on a horse you do not get fixed odds but rather into a pool of money.
Each type of bet would have their own respective pools.
The overall payout is affected by how many people bet, how much they bet, and who they bet on in each race.
All of these factors will affect your overall share of the winnings if you bet wins. The less people that bet on your horse the more return on your winnings, but the more people bet on it the less you will get from your winnings.
If you are going to back a horse at a big price you will find that it may be better backing it on the tote for a bigger return.
Placing a bet on the Tote is the same as placing it with the on-course bookmakers. Just state the number of the horse, how much you want to place on the horse, and the type of bet you want.
There are a variety of special bets that you can place with the Tote like a Placepot, Scoop6, Jackpot, Quadpot, and many more. You will find all the information on how to place these bets at the Tote on track, or on the Tote official website.
4. Betting exchanges
The betting exchange is a more advanced way of betting on horse racing where you can bet against normal punters and you can become the bookmaker.
Unlike a traditional bookmaker the betting exchanges will allow you to lay a horse to lose at the Epsom Derby Festival. Any betting exchange of your choice will allow you to bet against other punters on betting platforms such as Betfiar, Matchbook, and Betdaq.
What makes the betting exchanges different to the traditional bookmakers is that you can set the price you want to lay on a horse. Unlike your traditional bookmakers there are no profit margins included in the prices so the odds become greater.
Something to note is that commission will be taken from winnings, but this will vary on the betting exchange you chose.
Key betting strategies for the Epsom Derby Festival
Unlike jump racing, flat racing will always start with each horse in number starting stalls, and this can be key to finding the right horse for each race.
You may have heard of ‘stall bias’ and this means that there may be an advantage of what stall your horse is in.
For example, the Epsom Dash which is run over a straight 5 furling has a massive draw bias. The higher your horse is drawn, the better chance it has of winning as all runners will aim to get a rail position on the stand side as that tends to be the quickest part of the track for sprints.
But this can all change depending on the weather.
For races 6 furlongs plus, they tend to stay to the far side of the track so low number stalls 1-5 become more desirable.
But if the ground becomes soft then this changes everything as they will then navigate their way to the stand side rails as this is where the best ground will be, and if you can bag the rail coming off Tattenham corner, then your odds of winning have gotten considerably greater.
Be sure to keep an eye on the weather and gauge where the jockeys are tending to stay after the first race as this will be key to who you bet on going forward throughout the day.
A key stat to note for the Epsom Derby race itself is that no horse who has been drawn in stall two has ever gone on to win the Epsom Derby.
Epsom Debry Festival start date
The Epsom Derby Festival will run from Friday 31st May, to Saturday June 1st.
ITV will have all of the key races from the two day Epsom Derby Festival, but you will be able to watch all races on Racing TV, or through any of our toplist bookmakers once you have a betting account with them.
Ladies day kicks off the festival which is highlighted by the Epsom Oaks as the best 3 year old fillies will go head to head over 1 mile 4 furlongs to become the best 3 year old filly in training. Their male counterparts take center stage on Saturday for Derby day where breeding careers are on the line for some of the most well-bred 3 year olds in training.
Dream of having the next equine superstar can be made and broken within a matter of minutes around the equine test that is Epsom.
The first race of each day of the Epsom Derby Festival will start at 1:25 pm.
How to read a race card at the Epsom Derby Festival
Race cards on the flat are slightly different to what you find at the jumps meeting, but fear not, here is what you can expect to see.
- The numbers 1-9 indicate the position the horse finished in the race. But if the number is highlighted like this ‘4’ it means that was his finishing position while racing on an all-weather track.
- The number 0 indicates that the horse finished outside the first 9.
- The symbol – separates racing seasons. Numbers before the – are for last season.
- The symbol / indicates a longer gap, for example if the horse missed a season due to injury.
- P or PU = The horse was pulled up in that race.
- F = The horse fell.
- R = Refused to race (leave the stalls).
- BD = Brought down by another runner.
- U or UR = the horse unseated its jockey.
- C = The horse has previous winning form at that course.
- D = The horse has winning form over that races distance.
- CD = The horse has winning form over that course and distance together.
- BF = On his previous race he went off favourite but was beaten.
- OR/Official Rating – The rating of the horse given to it by the handicapper. The higher the rating, the better his performances have been.
- T = The trainer of the horse.
- J = The horses jockey for that race.
- Silks = The colours the jockey will wear while riding that horse
- Weight = The amount of weight the horse will have to carry which includes the weight of the jockey.
- Verdict = The opinion of the race day tipster, and who he thinks will win each race.
Where to get the best Epsom Derby Tips
Each day I will be proving the best horse racing tips for each race of the two day Epsom Derby Festival.
You can find them through the links below the day before each race day.
- Epsom Derby Festival day one tips
- Epsom Derby Festival say two tips
FAQ
1. Where can I place a bet on the Epsom Derby?
You can place a bet on the Epsom Derby though an online bookmaker, in shop, or at the racecourse.
2. What time does the Epsom Oaks and Epsom Derby start?
The Epsom Oaks will start at 4:30 on Friday May 31st, and the Epsom Derby will start at 4:30 Saturday June 1st.
3. What is the minimum bet you can have on the Epsom Derby Festival?
Some bookmakers require you to place a minimum bet online, but you will find most on-course bookmakers will not have a minimum bet limit.
4. Why is the Epsom Derby so important?
The Derby is hugely important to the breeding side of horse racing. Winning the Derby could mean that the winning horse becomes one of the most important bloodlines in horse racing for generations to come.
About the author
Andrew Halligan
My name is Andrew Halligan, horse racing pundit and founder of YouTube’s The Finishing Line Podcast. Horse racing is a thrilling spectacle that captivates audiences around the world with its blend of drama and excitement. Whether you’re a jumps or flat fan, I will use my experience of working within the horse racing industry to bring the best of what this sport has to offer.
You can follow Andrew on X (@Halligan88).
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