It’s rare to find yourself bored in any sports circle. Even those who watch competitive board games like chess are on the edge of their seats from start to finish. However, there is no denying that innovation will eventually come to an end many times over. Therefore, the sports industry mix throws in other ingredients.
While the players try their best to win, most spectators observe the progress of every second of the game. And that’s because they’ve invested their money in participating in sports betting. While everything is in good fun, there are already high bets, considering you’re putting money into it.
So, with your money on the line, any sports setting can be interesting. With that in mind, you can probably imagine how intense the racing events are already. The thrill of expecting which participants will win is enough to pump your blood. What if there are well-trained animals in the scene, especially horses?
What is harness racing?
It is undeniable that horses are royal animals, especially when they are in their element. Running is already in their nature, so they fit into running like gloves. However, harness racing is miles away from racing. Because compared to the races usually found on betting sites like www.punters.com.au, riders will not be able to reach the finish line on their horses. Instead, they have a sulky or ‘spider’ tied to the horse.
Apparently, the setup has a close resemblance to what you see from the chariot. In this case, however, the horse must wear a harness from start to finish. With a harness, the horse wears a cropper, saddle, girdle, etc. And to stop it all, the horse has to wear a head pole to move its head and neck back and forth.
Since using only two wheels is an uncomfortable function, the driver must be well versed in handling it. Considering how to sit close to the horse from the back, they are expected to be the horse’s extra legs so that their legs are balanced on the horse’s shaft to maintain balance. This is why riders often spread their legs and lean on their horses for optimal speed.
Aside from the basics, it’s best to dive directly into what makes harness racing so much different from horse racing.
1. Throtting and pacing
In addition to being uncomfortable, horseback riding is what sets harness racing apart. In this situation, the horses are expected to set a certain speed from start to finish. And these gaits are speed and trot.
In pacing, the horse runs simultaneously on the same side of its legs. Therefore, if the horse’s right front foot touches the ground, his right back foot will do the same. And vice versa. Due to this, the pacing tends to be faster. And it helps that the pacer horses are attached to the hubble by connecting the front and rear legs from each side. However, some horse breeds are discovered to be natural in this trajectory, especially standard bread.
Horses, meanwhile, cross their legs and troll when they hit the ground at the same time. So, once their right front foot touches the ground, their left back foot will do the same. Considering how complicated this is, trotts often go a little slower than speed.
But no matter how complicated they are, riders are meant to go through rigorous training of their horses so that they can maintain their gates throughout the race. Otherwise, they will commit ‘Breaking Stride’. Failing to control their movement from start to finish, riders have no choice but to ‘lose ground’ or disqualify their progress.
2. Type of bet
Bajira is the key to this type of game. After all, if not for the prize, why would riders train their horses to perfect their gait? However, if you have experience betting on horse racing events, you may find harness racing bets familiar because there are two types of bets in horse racing: straight and external bets.
Straight bet is fairly straightforward because it involves only one single horse in a single race. Here you have to keep in mind how much better your chosen pacer or trotter will do against everyone else on the field. To go into more detail, there are different ways to bet directly: win, place and bet.
Because of its simple rules, the winning bet is the most popular bet because all you need to do is choose a horse and bet on it to finish the race first. If you want to increase your chances, bet and show will be right for you because you can choose the winning horses from first to third place. The only downside is how the next two have less rewards than bets.
External betting, on the other hand, is much more complex, involving more than one horse. While this increases your chances tenfold compared to place and show bets, you have to carry cash to bet on those many horses. But just like straight bets, you also have options to choose from, such as exacta, quinella, trifecta, superfecta, and pentafecta.
The right bet you start by picking two horses. The one who reaches the finish line first has big prizes. Quinella bet is somewhat similar because two horses are involved, but you can ignore the sequence of how they ended up. For the Trifecta bet you have to pick three horses this time, four Superfector and five Pentafector.
If that’s not enough, you can even bet on multiple races from Daily Double and Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, etc. In the daily double bet you can choose the winner from two separate races in a row At the same time, the second type of bet specifies bets that allow you to pick as many winners from different races.
3. Bet
Since discipline is a heavy requirement for winning, harness racing is not as popular as racing. Because it’s not as easy as getting to the finish line first, being at risk means less betting. So, if you want to join the fun, you have to count your bets
Learning everything about the lineup for a race is a no-brainer. Since you plan to put your money into it, you need to put it to someone who deserves it. Learn the history of riding and horseback riding. How did they perform in the previous race? Is the rider qualified? How about their trainers? Are the horses in good condition? This line of questions serves as a guide to your betting. All you have to do before making a hard bet is dig a little.
Get out
If watching a game is already exciting, then betting on the game pushes it to the next level. And considering how attractive horses are, you might be happy to see how they perform in a race. But instead of the riders pushing their horses toward the finish line to get to the finish line faster, you’re probably interested in participating in something different. Harness racing is a good example of coming out of the ordinary racing scene.