The Best Horse Racing Betting Sites
Plenty of bookmakers offer horse racing, but not all give you the best bang for your 'buck'. Maximize your payouts with Best Odds Guaranteed, extra each-way places, and flawless live streaming from the top UK betting sites.
Written by Sava Mitov Senior Editor & Betting Sites Expert
Fact checked by Del Pugh Senior Editor & Betting Offers Expert
Last Updated 27 Jul 2026
Best betting sites for horse racing
From the sea of betting sites out there, which ones offer the most superb experience when betting on horse racing?
Below you will find the best horse racing betting sites based on fair odds, ongoing promotions, and standout features like Best Odds Guaranteed and extra places.
Welcome Bonus
Expiry
Min Odds
Latest Horse Racing Promotions
Today's Extra Place Races
We list the Extra Place offers available across all UK bookmakers for today's UK and ...
Sava Mitov
Senior Editor & Betting Offers Expert
After carefully going through our extensive list of over 220 betting sites in the UK, we have finally settled on and prepared a list of the best horse racing betting sites.
We have thoroughly reviewed and ranked each horse betting site, to help you pick the one with the best features and offers.
Read on to see how we did it.
The horse racing betting landscape in the UK
At Bookies Bonuses, we compare betting sites not just on the all-around experience, but also how they fare within each of the main sports. In the UK, horse racing makes up a huge part of the betting industry and that’s why we have put together this guide for our readers.
Nearly half of the adults in the UK place a bet on the Grand National, but it is not just the major races and festivals that bring in the punters. You can expect a handful of UK racing cards each day, while there is also plenty of action in nations like France, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, the USA, and more.
With so much horse racing taking place and so many betting sites on which you can place your wagers, the information and lists on this page will help you determine where you’ll be doing your punting.
There are many factors to consider, and we’ll get into that, but below are three horse racing betting sites that tick all of the main boxes and have maintained a high standard over a long period of time.
Our top 4 horse racing bookmakers
In the world of horse betting, few bookmakers have come as close to the brand recognition by fans, as Paddy does.
Paddy Power is one of the best betting sites for horse racing you can find in the UK.
If you ask anyone who bets occasionally, they’ll probably point you to Paddy’s as their go-to place for horse racing.
What We Like About Paddy Power
- Always great odds
- Plenty of promotions
- Instant withdrawals are available
- Great user experience and interface design
Betway’s offering is pretty simple – a straightforward bookmaker that works well on mobile and desktop (& has a dedicated app).
While the welcome bonus doesn’t give you extra free bets if you deposit, it does in a sense insure your first Acca punt with an up to £30 money-back free bet, if your first accumulator loses.
Their integration with Timeform is useful when looking for some additional information.
What We Like About Betway
- Competitive odds
- Horse racing promotions for existing customers
- Supports full and partial cash out
- Livestreaming is available for some races
Betfair is a betting site that houses both beginners and pros. The sportsbook is packed with markets plus special promotions and enhanced odds, while the exchange allows for peer-to-peer betting which presents trading opportunities and the chance to get higher odds.
Betfair comfortably sits as the second best site for horse racing.
Liquidity is high on the exchange for both British and international horse racing, and there is lots of information and analysis to take in on the betting site too.
What We Like About Betfair
- Great reputation and a respected brand
- Features a betting exchange, where you can get top odds
- Great variety of betting options
Sky Bet just dropped out of the sky one day and hit the ground running with a strong team behind it.
The brand quickly gained popularity among bettors due to its excellent coverage of sporting events.
Sky Bet is our third best horse betting bookie.
What We Like About Sky Bet
- Very well-known and trustworthy bookmaker
- Sky Bet’s member program – Sky Bet Club, let you claim free bets and bonuses
- They have a very well polished betting app
How we rank horse racing betting sites
There are lots of horse racing betting sites in the UK, but only a select few are excellent and make it onto our lists.
Many of the classic UK bookies have been involved with horse racing for many decades and over time have refined their products, making the transition to online successfully and offering all of the key features that bettors want and finding new and exciting options for players too.
Not only must betting sites now ensure they have well-priced odds for UK racing, but they must also feature a wide range of international racing markets and offer a selection of betting promotions on a regular basis to entice punters to their site.
This is great for punters both new and ongoing, as bookmakers cannot rest on their laurels, when it comes to giving you the best betting options.
Analysis and editorial are also now a major part of the makeup of horse racing betting sites, plus livestreaming is now expected of online bookmakers.
In addition, a quality design and user experience can be the difference between a good horse racing betting site and a great one.
Most common betting offers for horse racing
The staff at Bookies Bonuses are always on the lookout for the best betting offers and promotions on the market, and many of them are centred around horse racing.
Below are some of the main horse racing offers you can expect to see on online betting sites:
- Best Odds Guaranteed – with this offer if you back a horse at fixed odds and the starting price ends up being bigger, you will get paid out at the greater odds.
- Money back – there are various ways in which betting sites incorporate money-back specials. Examples include if your horse falls, finishes 2nd, or is beaten by less than a length.
- Free bets – the most common betting offer, free bets can be given out as part of a sign-up bonus or can be offered to existing customers around certain events.
- Enhanced odds – boosted prices are often seen on the top UK betting sites for horse racing. You can find some good value on single bets, and some mega prices on enhanced accas.
- Extra places – by backing a horse each way with extra places, the ‘place’ part of your bet has more chance of coming in. If other bookies are paying four places and you find one paying five, it might be worth going for that one.
Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) Times
Many of the best horse racing sites will provide this special offer: if you back a horse before the race and its odds increase (drift), you’ll be paid out at the higher odds. If the odds decrease when the race starts, you’ll retain your initial odds. This usually only applies to UK/Irish races.
The table below summarises some of the most popular horse bookies and their BOG times. Bet on any horses after the time shown in the table to be eligible for this promotion.
| Football Betting Category | Our Top Pick |
|---|---|
| Best Overall | Betfair |
| Best Football Odds | Betfair |
| Best For Boosted Odds | bet365 |
| Best For Bet Builders | bet365 |
| Best For Live Betting | LiveScore Bet |
| Best For Streaming | Sky Bet |
| Best For Promotions | Betfred |
| Best New Football Site | Betsuna |
| Best For Accas | Ladbrokes |
What are the different horse racing betting markets?
Gone are the days when punters simply backed horses to win or place, and that was that. Of course, that option is still there and is by far the most popular, but the best horse racing sites offer a wider variety of markets now, giving bettors more flexibility with their wagers.
How To Bet On Horse Racing
- Win
Backing a horse to win does what it says on the tin. You may hear this referred to as ‘On the Nose’, and while you should always shop around for the best odds, the Betfair Exchange is a great place to start for win only bets.
- Each way
An each way bet is where you put an equal amount of money on a horse to win and place respectively. A place is finishing the top 3, 4, or however many places are paid out in each specific race, which varies depending on the size of the field. A place bet can also be placed as a standalone bet on some horse racing betting sites.
- Betting without the favourite
If you like the look of a horse but want to eliminate the risk of it being beaten by the favourite, then you might want to just remove that problem from the equation and take your chosen horse to win without the favourite. Some bookmakers will even offer each way bets without the favourite too. Of course, the odds are much shorter than outright win bets in this instance.
- Insure Bet
With insurance bets, you only get paid if your horse wins, but you get your stake returned to you if it places. Odds are shorter than outright winner odds as you have a smaller chance of losing your entire stake.
- Forecast and tricast
A forecast bet involves selecting which horse will come first and which horse will come second. With a tricast, you add the third-placed horse in too. If successful, the payout is determined after the race but odds are often very high, particularly with tricasts.
- Winning distance
You can bet on the gap between the first and second horse without specifying which horse it will be. Alternatively, you can lengthen ‘win’ odds by backing your horse to win by a certain number of lengths.
- Match bets
This type of bet is only seen on certain horse racing betting sites, but it gives bettors the opportunity to back one horse over another and disregards all of the other runners. Whether the two horses in question finish 1st and 2nd or last and 2nd last does not matter.
- Pool bets (Tote Scoop 6, ITV 7)
Pool bets offer the potential for big wins, with players required to select runners from anywhere between 4-7 races. Requirements to win are dependent on the pool type, for instance Scoop 6 asks players to pick a winner in each race, while a Placepot requires players to pick horses that will place in each contest.
If a punter is the last person standing, they will win the pool and its jackpot amount, while multiple winners will split the prize based on their original stakes.
Where can you see live horse racing broadcasts?
Horse racing is one of the main sports for live streaming across betting sites, especially in the UK, with some online bookies only showing racing coverage and no other events.
Betting sites are the best places to watch horse racing live as there is no delay on the feed.
When using other streaming services from broadcasters, you might be several seconds behind and this can affect your ability to trade or bet in-play.
Live betting on horse racing is only available on a few betting sites. The likes of Betfair and Bet365 are great for both live streaming and live betting, and you can do them simultaneously while races are taking place.
Ante-post betting on horse racing
For punters that want to get their bets on early, it is beneficial to be registered with betting sites with ante-post horse racing odds.
Even though promotions such as Best Odds Guaranteed aren’t eligible with ante-post wagers, you still might be able to get a bigger price by identifying value early on.
Major races such as the Grand National and Kentucky Derby can be found on most betting sites months in advance, but some betting sites also list smaller races days in advance, allowing users to get ante-post bets on.
Ladbrokes list many races under the ‘Future’ tab in their horse racing section, bet365 has an extensive dedicated ante-post menu, and Paddy Power list races long before they take place too.
Recommended offers for ante-post betting
Ladbrokes for Ante-post betting
Bet £5 Get £30 in Free Bets
Ladbrokes is a reliable bookie, especially when it comes to horse racing which is such a big part of their history. Lots of races are available to bet on ante-post, and you can get odds boosts every day on a variety of markets. On top of that, you can stream many races live directly on their betting site or app.
Paddy Power for Ante-post betting
Bet £5 Get £30 in Free Bets
Paddy Power is my go-to for ante-post betting. Their 'Future' races tab is conveniently placed at the top of the page and there one can find many events to bet on months ahead. There are odds even listed for next year's races!
Where can you see live horse racing broadcasts?
🐎 What is the best horse racing betting site?
This question may never have a definitive answer, as UK bookmakers strive towards excellence and always one-up each other.
However, we have concluded that currently the 10 best horse betting sites are:
📈 How do I bet on horse racing?
The main bet types within horse racing are very straightforward. You can back a horse to win or place an each-way bet which means you are betting half your stake on it to win, and the other half on it to place (finish in the top 3, 4, 5, or however many places are specified).
Of course, picking winners is far from easy, and you should study the form before locking in your selections. There is plenty of guidance available, while sites such as bet365 allow users to watch previous runs by horses, via the racecard itself.
📺 Where can I watch horse races?
Many UK bookmakers offer livestreaming on horse racing. For some races, you’ll need to place a bet in order to view it, whereas others are made available for free to logged in users.
You can also see the races live on ITV.
🔝What are the highest levels of horse racing?
There are many race types and class levels that horses can race in, with the below list highlighting the higher echelons of both flat and national hunt racing.
Flat Races
Group 1,2,3: The pinnacle of flat racing, with Group 1 races home to the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the Derby and St Leger. Horses all race at the same weight, although fillies can get a small weight allowance depending on the contest itself.
Listed Race: Sitting just below the Group level contests, these can either be handicapped or non-handicapped, with famous examples including the Rockingham Stakes at York and the Chesham Stakes at Ascot.
Handicap Class 1 & 2: Handicaps are determined by a horse’s ranking, which is based upon previous runs, with weight added accordingly to “level” the playing field. The top two classes are home to some of the most popular races in the UK, including the Ebor at York and Ayr Gold Cup.
Jump Races
Grade 1: This is the very pinnacle of the National Hunt racing, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the most famous example of this level of race.
Handicap: Although technically not as highly regarded as Grade 1, the very top of the handicap ratings does bring us the most famous race in the world, the Grand National, which is classed as a premier handicap contest.
💰 Where can I find the best horse racing betting odds?
For major UK races, there may not be much disparity between bookmakers’ odds, but it is worth shopping around and checking each site for the best price and each way terms.
For win only bets, you might find the best odds on the Betfair Exchange.
For other bet types Paddy Power and SpreadEx may have the edge.
🏆 What are the biggest events for horse racing betting?
In the UK, the biggest horse racing events include the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, Royal Ascot, and the Epsom Derby. These meetings generally attract the most punters. Globally, the Dubai World Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Pegasus World Cup are also hugely popular events to bet upon.
🤑 Can I get free bets on horse racing?
Yes, there are many free bet offers and other betting promotions on horse racing betting sites. You can find many of them on this page, and also in the ‘Promotions’ section of each of the betting sites we have listed.