Thoroughbred
Aussie punters’ love for thoroughbred racing is well established. In fact thoroughbred racing is the second most popular spectator sport in Australia behind football. And gambling on horse races is a popular pastime with a growing number of smart Aussie punters choosing online bookmakers for better odds and service!
On an international scale Australia has more racecourses than any other nation and is up near the top of the list in terms of the amount of prize money that is distributed annually. The main racing takes place during Spring in Melbourne with the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate and the Emirates Melbourne Cup being the highlight event, and the most anticipated race in the country [View the Melbourne Cup 2011 odds].
Starting February every year the Autumn racing schedule ramps up in Melbourne, followed by Sydney in March. That’s nearly two months of world class racing during Autumn! Highlight Group 1 races include CF ORR Stakes, Blue Diamond Stakes Newmarket Handicap, Golden Slipper, Doncaster Day and of course the Sydney Cup, and many more.
Arinos ridden by Craig Williams at Oaks Day
Betting on horses is very much a part of the Aussie culture. The different ways of betting on the races includes licensed on-track bookmakers who offer mostly fixed odds on wins and places, betting with the TAB either offline or online, or online betting with specifically licensed online bookmakers that offer a vast variety of betting markets. There is also a betting exchange in Australia, and soon an odds comparison service.
If you are interested in the method the odds or payoffs for each horse are displayed read about the Automatic Totalisator.