You pick a horse you think will win. You choose how much to bet. If your horse wins, you get your money back plus profit. If not, you lose what you bet. That's it.
Odds tell you how much you'd win. They look like fractions: 4/1, 5/2, 10/1.
The simple version: the first number is what you win, the second is what you bet.
4/1 means £1 wins £4 profit.
Bet £1 at 4/1 → £4 profit + your £1 back = £5 in your pocket
8/13 means £13 wins £8 profit. You get £21 back in total. The first number is smaller than the second. The horse is the favourite, so you win less than you bet.
The chance the odds suggest is about 60%.
Evens (1/1) means £1 wins £1 profit. You get £2 back. The chance the odds suggest is 50%.
For comparison, 5/1 means £1 wins five times that in profit. You get £6 back. The chance the odds suggest is roughly 1 in 6.
How do you work that out? Add the two numbers. Then divide the second number by that total. For 8/13 that is 13 ÷ 21, about 60%.
The bigger the first number, the less likely bookmakers think the horse will win. But the bigger your win if it does.
On TrackLab we show a plain version first, like "£1 wins £4". You don't have to do the maths yourself.
Nearly every day in the UK and Ireland, not just at the big festivals like Cheltenham, Aintree or Royal Ascot. Most days have racing at several courses, in the afternoon and evening.
Racing runs on almost every day of the year, usually with around 30 to 45 races a day across about five courses. Each course usually has six to eight races.
Courses differ in shape and size. Some turn left and some turn right. Some are flat and some are hilly. The ground changes too. Racing calls how soft or firm it is the going.
Cheltenham, for example, is hilly, with a tough uphill finish and big jumps. Stamina matters more there than on a flat, tight track.
The number of horses depends on the type of race and how many were entered. Each course also has a safety limit. Some horses are pulled out late. These are called non-runners.
A small field (few horses) means fewer rivals to beat. A big handicap race is harder to predict.
It's our model's estimate of each horse's chance of winning, as a percentage. A horse with 30% has about a 3 in 10 chance. Every horse's percentage in a race adds up to 100%.
Even a strong chance can lose. Racing is unpredictable, which is part of the fun.
Want more detail on how the score is worked out? See how the TrackLab Score works →
TrackLab shows you how our model rates each horse. It also shows which bookmaker is offering the best price. When you're ready, the "Bet" button takes you straight to that bookmaker.
Find a race and tap a horse to open its details and bet options. In each race, the panel labelled “Our top pick for this race” shows the runner with the highest TrackLab chance of winning.
Tap the "Bet" button showing the odds to open the bet options, then tap "Bet" again. You'll be taken to the bookmaker offering the best price.
Look for the venue name and race time. Find your horse in the list and tap the odds number next to its name. Not the horse name — the number. That adds it to your bet slip, which is your list of bets before you confirm.
Type how much you want to bet. Bookmakers call this your stake. Optional: choose each way to also get paid if your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd. That costs double your bet. Then confirm the bet on the bookmaker's page. Done.
Betting sites are built for experienced gamblers. They are packed with numbers, jargon and options you don't need. TrackLab keeps it simple. We show our scores, then point you to a bookmaker.
When you land on a bookmaker's site, focus on four things:
You can ignore the rest, such as form figures and the SP. TrackLab explains the useful parts in plain English.
An each way bet is two bets in one: a win bet, and a bet on your horse finishing in the top 3. So it costs double. £5 each way costs £10.
The win part pays only if your horse finishes first. The top-3 part pays if your horse wins, or finishes 2nd or 3rd. Some races pay 4th or 5th too, and some only 2nd, depending on the number of runners. These each-way terms change from race to race.
The top-3 part pays a fraction of the win odds, often 1/4 or 1/5. At short odds, a horse that finishes 2nd or 3rd can pay back less than you bet in total.
If you're just starting out, a plain win bet is simpler.
If you bet £5, the most you can lose is £5. You won't owe the bookmaker any extra money. You won't get a bill. The worst that happens is you lose exactly what you chose to bet.
Many bookmakers let you cash out early. Look for a "Cash out" button on your open bets. The bookmaker offers a price based on how the race is going. It can be more or less than you bet. It isn't always available.
Once the race is over, the result is final. If your horse won, your winnings usually appear in your account within minutes.