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Horse Racing Betting Sites in New Zealand

Finding the best of anything online is not ever easy to do. This is why finding a site that will genuinely help you to find the best horse racing betting sites in New Zealand is vital, and that is where our team at Betpack comes into play. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the best horse racing bookmakers, where to find the best horse racing odds and much more.

Table of Contents

Our experts have been writing about betting for years and they are also enthusiastic bettors themselves. This means that they have been on both sides of the equation, allowing them to gain a real wealth of experience and expertise in the world of betting. Whether you are looking to find the best racing sites, the top online bookmakers for features, the best sites for welcome offers or anything else, Betpack is your one-stop shop. Let's dive in to see what New Zealand's best horse racing bookies have offered you!

Best Horse Racing Bookmakers in New Zealand

As mentioned, finding the best horse racing bookmakers is not particularly easy to do sometimes because most of the horse racing betting site options will claim they are in the upper echelon of racing sites. This is why using our expertise at Betpack is so important.

Our unbiased experts do everything they can to ensure that you are only ever given the honest reviews and opinions of our writers who have been in the game for years. This means that when you come to signing up with a horse racing bookmaker to place a free bet on the best horse racing markets, you will know that you have gotten all of the relevant information without any of the hassles.

Read on to find out about the top horse racing betting options and how you can sign up with the top racing sites in the game today.

Bookmaker	Bonus
31bet	100% up to 500€
QuickWin	100% up to NZ$ 200
TonyBet	100% up to NZ$ 150
Slots Palace	NZ$ 100 Risk-Free Bet
Greatwin	%10 up to NZ$ 1000

How We Choose the Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in New Zealand

Finding the right horse racing betting option for you is not easy when you go searching on your own. You will be bombarded with 'the best' sites at every turn, and it can make it tough to know where you should be placing your horse racing bets. By betting with Betpack, you will get the insight and advice of our expert writers who have gone to great lengths to ensure they have researched and rated each of the best horse racing betting options out there.

Below, we have listed four of the major steps we take when it comes to finding the top horse racing betting site options. Knowing these steps can also help you to find the right horse racing betting site for you if you decide to go solo in the future.

Collate the best horse racing betting site options

The first thing you have to do when finding the best racing betting site is to bring all of the available horse racing sites together. Horse betting sites are not particularly difficult to come by as so many punters enjoy racing betting. This has seen horse race betting and markets become a mainstay of many of the biggest and smallest bookmakers out there. Therefore, bringing together all of the racing betting sites can be tough as there are so many out there. This can mean that it is probably easier to find those sites that do not offer horse racing bets and coverage of horse races in general.

Welcome offers

What an online betting site offers you by way of a welcome offer or free bet is not the be-all and end-all of your betting journey, but it is very important. A free bet offer to use with betting on horse races can often be the difference between you having a decent pot to play with and not having a huge amount to wager on the best horse racing odds. Keep an eye on the free bet offers that your NZ horse racing betting site offers as this will invariably tell you how generous the existing customer promotions and free bets will be with your online betting sites of choice.

Security and betting features

When you bet with betting sites that offer bet opportunities for horse races, football events, tennis or anything else, you need to ensure that the sports betting site is safe. You can ensure your sports betting sites are safe by only signing up with ones that are licensed and regulated by the relevant authority. You can ensure this by only registering with sports betting sites that are shown on Betpack, as we will not ever recommend any sports betting sites that are not safe and secure.

Betting markets and odds

Finally, you want to ensure that the betting markets and odds for horse race options are good enough for you. Horse racing punters will look for horse racing bet options on a horse winning at Irish horse racing, best odds guaranteed, ante post betting, TOTE betting, live horse racing for particular race options and much more. Ultimately, you want to ensure you make your bets with your horse racing tips on a range of betting markets at the best odds, which you can do by wagering with the best horse betting sites.

Popular Horse Racing Events at Online Bookmakers

Much like any sport of betting opportunity, horse racing provides a glut of major events that people can watch and bet on. Some have become the place to be when a specific festival or set of races comes to town. This will usually see both lovers of horse racing and those who had little interest in the sport on a day-to-day basis flocking to a venue to enjoy the festival.

There are a huge number of major festivals played out all over the world each year, with a range of horse racing odds on offer alongside horse racing betting promotions. Below, we have listed a number of the biggest and best horse racing festivals, with bookmakers flocking to provide the best horse racing odds and free bets for these occasions.

The Grand National

The Grand National way back in 1839 and has become a mainstay of the horse racing calendar ever since. The event has quickly become the most well-known and valuable chase in the world, with 40 runners looking to manoeuvre the 30 fences. The meeting takes place over three days, with millions tuning in to watch on TV. The event is one of those racing events that many people have bet on whether they have an interest in racing odds or not, with some people placing multiple bets on the festival. Around 150,000 people make their way to Aintree in April each year to watch some of the most exciting action in the world of horse racing, with bookies flocking to offer Ante Post betting, free bet stakes and best odds guaranteed on multiple bets.

The Triple Crown

In British horse racing, the Triple Crown refers to a colt or filly that wins the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby and Saint Leger in one season. The Triple Crown in the UK is seen as harder to secure than its American counterpart, but there are some important differences. While the British races are split by around four months compared to four or five weeks in the American version, there are big differences in the distance, with the Two Thousand Guineas around one mile, The Derby being 1.5 miles, and Saint Leger being 1.75 miles. This tests the versatility of a horse through the differing distances.

Dubai World Cup

The Dubai World Cup takes place on the last Saturday of March at the Meydan Racecourse in the UAE. With a prize purse of $12 million on offer, the Dubai World Cup is the most valuable race of the night. The event was first held back in 1996, with horses from the UK, USA, France, Japan and the UAE allowed to enter. Now, the competition is open for southern hemisphere three-year-olds and above, with northern hemisphere thoroughbreds that are at least four being allowed to enter. The only dual-winning Dubai World Cup champion came in the form of Thunder Snow in 2019.

The Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Festival is a real highlight of the horse racing jumps calendar. Held in Cheltenham in Great Britain each March, the Cheltenham Festival is visited by well over 260,000 people and ranks as among the top 10 sports events in the UK every year. The Cheltenham Festival boasts some of the greatest names in jump racing, with the winners at the competition etching their names into the history books. The horse racing competition takes place over four days and brings in a huge amount of money for the area. Horse racing sites flock to provide free bet offers to their customers, with some of the most generous free bets and horse racing odds available during the Cheltenham Festival.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase that is held in the UK during the Cheltenham Festival in March. It was inaugurated back in 1959 and is held on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a two-mile distance with a total of 13 fences. The purse for the event stands at around £400,000 as of 2023, with Badsworth Boy being the most successful horse after winning in 1983, 1984 and 1985.

Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot is one of the most popular and well-known racing festivals in the world. With a huge jackpot of over $8 million on offer, the event, which takes place over five days, is the go-to for fans of horse racing. The greatest riders come to the event each year trying to clinch immortality, with former-greats taking their seats in the stands to watch the action unfold, while there are seats reserved for British royalty too, with the dress code seeing only those wearing their finest clothes allowed in.

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is one of the most popular sporting events, having first been run in 1865. Occurring in November each year, it is played at the Melbourne Flemington Racecourse with a total length of 3200 meters. The event has become incredibly popular and is watched by people across the world.

Epsom Derby

The Epsom Derby is held in June each year and has cemented itself as one of the top racing events on the calendar. With its first run back in 1780, the Downs Racecourse sees over 100,000 people make the trip to watch the action with celebrities and royalty all making the trip. There are some huge races at the Epsom Derby, with the Investec Derby being the one everyone wants to win, with £1.5 million on offer as a potential prize.

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a massive event on the racing calendar, and it is seen as the biggest and best racing event in America. The race is run over 1 and a 1/4 mile and is a classified Grade 1 race that is held on the first Saturday of every May. The Churchill Downs in Louisville is the event for this incredibly prestigious and historic race. There is a massive $2 million prize on the show for the winner, with the best three-year-old horses, top trainers and jockeys all making the trip to battle for the prize. This is seen as one of the top races for bettors to get involved with too. Bookmakers flock to provide betting options to their players, and this can see bettors cashing in on great odds. This was put on a show by the brilliant Country House, who won the most recent race despite coming in at over 60/1 with some bookies. This race gives bettors, old and new, all of the excitement and unpredictable action that we have come to expect when watching the races.

Preakness Stakes

May doesn't just boast the Kentucky Derby, it also has the Preakness Stakes held on the third Saturday of the month. Held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, the Preakness Stakes is the second race in the America Triple Crown and is run over 1 and 3/16 miles on a track. The event sees the best three-year-old males contest the race, while it has been won on five separate occasions by a filly. Like the Kentucky Derby, this is also a Grade 1 race.

Horse Racing Betting Odds

Whether you are betting on UK horse racing, tennis, cricket or anything else, you should always try to bet with the best odds. If you bet with the longest possible odds on a certain bet, then you stand to win more online betting than you would when putting the same size stake down on shorter odds.

This is why we implore you to bet with the best odds guarantee. This will see you wagering at the best possible odds that have been offered for a specific race if those odds are to change. Horse racing bettings selection can be difficult to make at times as the odds can change so quickly. This is why we suggest utilising horse racing betting tips when online betting. This will see you given a helping hand when it comes to trying to wager on different market options, while the tipster will always be looking for the best bet with the best racing odds. This means that whether you are betting on the Grand National or any other live horse racing, you will always be with the best racing odds.

Horse Racing Betting Markets in New Zealand Bookmakers

As with any sports betting option, there will be certain elements of the gambling process that are new to you. Whether this is how bet settlement works through free bet stakes for horse racing, what the best odds guaranteed are and how Ante Post horse racing works, there will be elements you need help with. Below, we have noted down some of the betting markets you can enjoy when you start betting on horse racing.

To Win

This is the most simple racing betting market and works in the same way as if you were betting on your favourite football team or a specific tennis player. Here, you will back the horse that you think will win the race. If your horse finishes second or lower, your bet will lose. If your horse wins the race, then your bet will win. When novice bettors start with horse racing, the to win betting market is usually their first port of call.

To Place

This is the type of market that helps you to increase your chances of winning, although it will see your odds shrink. Here, you will win if your selected horse finishes in first or second place. The odds on your horse in this market will be shorter than the to win market as there are two possible ways you can win. This market is particularly good if you are not sure which horse to back or if there are a few runners that are predicted to battle to the end.

To Show

This market is an extension of the to place market. Now, you can increase the chances of not seeing your racing bet lose but winning if your horse finishes in first, second or third. While the to place market will provide shorter odds on a specific runner than the to win market, the to show market is shorter than both of them as you can win if your horse finishes anywhere in the top three places.

Each Way

This is a variation on a place bet, but it is slightly more confusing, meaning that newer bettors tend to bide their time before utilising this market. Here, you will place two wagers. One wager will be to win, with the other to place. This means there are different payouts for each result. Usually, most bookmakers payout on the top three placement at a quarter of the odds you backed originally.

System Bets

A system bet, which is also known as an exotic bet, is far more complicated than a straight bet. They are a strategic and systematic way of betting with a huge range of wagers. They can look very complicated and scary due to the large number of bets and high stakes, but they are quite easy to understand when you break them down.

Double

This sees you making two selections for different events. Both must win in order for your bet to come in.

Reverse Forecast

When getting involved with a reverse forecast, you will try to predict the top two horses in the order they finish, and you must stake both outcomes.

How to Register on Horse Racing Betting Sites in New Zealand

Registering with one of the best horse racing sites can be a long and arduous task when you do not know what you are doing. This is why our experts have created a four-step guide to how to sign up with a horse racing online site. Follow these steps and you will be placing horse race bets at the best odds and unlocking horse racing betting offers in no time.

Step 1

Pick your horse racing online bookmaker

The first step in signing up with a horse racing site is to choose one of the options we have listed on the site. On our page of the best horse racing betting sites, you will find all of the best horse racing bookies rated and ranked by our experts.

Step 2

Hit the link

Once you have read through the research and reviews that our experts have provided you with, you can now select the horse racing site you like the look of. Simply click on the link for the site, and you will be taken to their homepage via our verified link.

Step 3

Register

Now that you have landed on a horse racing site's homepage, you may be very tempted to find the top horse racing market with the best odds or the generous horse racing promotions on the site. However, you need to register first. Simply click on the register-sign up-join button that sits in the top-right corner of the screen. This will open up the registration form for you to enter details including your name, address, email address and more.

Step 4

Verify your account and start betting

You will then need to confirm the creation of your account and then verify it via your phone or email. Once you have done this, you can head to the banking page to fund your account and start enjoying everything the horse racing site has to offer you. This may include anything from enhanced odds of the biggest races, bet credits, free bets, TOTE betting, other sports betting markets, horse bets that allow you to unlock free bet offers and much more.

Tips for Choosing the Best Horse Racing Bookmakers in New Zealand

When you come to trying to find the right site for you, you can make things a lot easier for yourself by following a few simple steps. Our experts have created a few steps that they think are vital when it comes to finding the best horse betting site for you. This means you can sign up and enjoy the range of free bets, Ante Post horse racing, bet settlement options, and the best odds guaranteed.

Find your horse racing site

Your first step is to find the horse racing betting site for you. If you are to do this on your own, then we recommend making a note of all of the available options and what they do and do not offer when you come to betting. This will include making a qualifying bet on fixed odds horse racing options, other offers, features, markets, odds and much more. However, if you decide to bet with Betpack, then you can make the most out of the expertise and research of our experts. They have gone to great lengths to ensure that you only ever bet with the best betting sites available to you, with their no-nonsense approach to helping you ensure you are only ever shown the best sites that are available to you.

What offers do you want?

While offers like free bets are not the be-all and end-all of betting, they are important. If you are offered free bets that are not particularly generous, or the terms and conditions on your qualifying bet are awkward or the free bets' valid period is short, you can assume the bookie will not offer particularly good existing customer free bets. On the flip side of this, if new customer free bets have easy-to-unlock qualifying bet parameters while the free bets' valid period is fairly long, then the existing customer free bets will likely follow the same trend.

Free bets help to ensure that you expand your available playing pot. Some bookmakers will provide a lot of generous offers in their free bets and they should not be ignored. However, too many bettors have decided to make a qualifying bet with generous free bets offered by sketchy bookies. This is a bad idea. Our experts at Betpack will only ever recommend free bets from bookies that are safe and legitimate, so you can make your qualifying bet safe in the knowledge your details are safe.

Security & features

When it comes to betting, you cannot enjoy free bets or betting markets if you feel your money and details are not safe. We recommend that you only ever bet with a site that is licensed and regulated by the relevant authority. Our experts at Betpack have researched and tested all of the available bookmakers, meaning we have seen our fair share of safe and unsafe bookies. Our writers will only ever recommend the safest and most trustworthy bookmakers to you, meaning you can enjoy your free bets safe in the knowledge that you are betting with the best.

With regard to features, everyone is different. While some bettors want free bets, fixed odds and live streaming when they sign up, others will want a range of in-play markets, bet builders and more.

Betting markets & competitive odds

One of the most important things to a potential new customer is that they are able to enjoy a range of betting markets. This transcends betting as whether you are a football bettor, a tennis bettor or a horse racing bettor, you will want to have a range of markets to bet on. All of the top betting sites that we have listed on site will provide this for you as it is such an important facet of gambling. You will not be happy constantly betting on one market and one market only. Perhaps you have failed to pick a few winners or you just fancy a change as you are a bit bored and want to use your free bet with another market. By playing with a bookie that provides a lot of betting markets, you ensure you can keep things fresh.

As far as very competitive odds go, this is vital. Betting at shorter odds will mean that your potential pool of winnings is reduced. Frustratingly, this is a common occurrence for many bettors as they choose to bet with a site that rarely offers good odds. Our experts have searched high and low for the sites that offer the best odds alongside those that offer the best odds. By selecting one of our top-rated bookies on the site, you can ensure you are always using your free bet with top-notch odds as standard.

Pros & Cons of Horse Racing Bookmakers in New Zealand

When you come to betting on horse racing, there will be pros and cons. This is true of any type of betting. When you bet with Betpack, we try to ensure that you are always given both sides of the coin so you know the positives and negatives of betting on the horses.

Pros

Most betting sites offer a range of racing markets and odds.
Live streaming of horse races is far more common.
Many betting offers will be catered to horse racing betting.
There is no shortage of racing tips on the internet.

Cons

Horse racing can feel quite daunting to get into at first.
Some newer betting sites do not offer horse racing betting.
The longer bet types in horse racing can be daunting.

Horse Racing Betting Sites vs Football Betting Sites

Horse Racing Betting Sites
Many of the biggest and best betting sites offer extensive betting markets for horse racing events.
The majority of betting sites will allow you to use a new customer or existing customer offer with your horse racing bets.
There are a number of betting sites that offer live streaming options for horse racing.
Many horse racing markets are easy to bet on, but some can seem daunting the first time you try to wager on them.
People often make a habit out of nailing a pick on a big outsider to win a race.

Football Betting Sites
Football is the most popular sport in the world to bet on, with almost every bookmaker offering markets for it.
Most betting sites will cater their offers so that they work perfectly with football betting.
Many leagues and games are live-streamed on some of the top betting sites.
Most football betting markets are very easy to understand and bet on.
It can often be tough to nail a big outsider bet in football.

Conclusion

When you come to betting on any sport, you need to ensure that you do as much research as you possibly can. Novice bettors will not know where to get the best free bet offers, why excellent odds are so important or which betting markets are the best to use. For experienced bettors, taking time to look at the top sites will enable them to put their time into a bookmaker site that gives back as much as they take.

Our experts have done everything in their power to ensure that you only ever bet with the best betting sites. For horse racing, our experts have gone to each and every site that provides markets for horse racing and researched every element of them. This ranges from their welcome offers and their betting markets to their features and payment methods. If you have a question about a site, our experts will likely have the answer. You can utilise their expertise by heading straight to our dedicated list of the top horse racing betting sites and reading what they have to say.

As ardent bettors and expert writers, they are able to provide a well-rounded overview of the site. Alongside this, we value integrity and honesty above all else, meaning that we provide you with honest reviews of each and every bookie. This means you can bet with us in the knowledge that giving your honest reviews is at the top of our list of priorities.

When you come to placing your free bet with the top horse racing site, we always recommend that you take your time to fully learn and understand how to place bets and a free bet with a site. Whether this is knowing which payment methods are blocked from unlocking a free bet, if you can live stream events, if they offer top-notch odds or fixed odds, and more. Our experts can provide the answers to a lot of questions and shine a light on a number of different elements of the site, but we always recommend you take your time before signing up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which are the best horse racing betting sites?

The best horse racing betting sites are all listed here at Betpack. Our experts have gone to great lengths to research and rate each and every bookmaker site that offers horse racing. Their ratings have then been added to our table of top sites, allowing you to simply head to our page and pick your favourite top betting site. Your pick of the best site will likely differ from the next bettor as what you perceive to be important will change. You may want live streaming and great odds, whereas the next bettor may want bet builders and generous offers. We recommend that you have a list of the features you believe to be non-negotiable, and you should then try to match these features to one or more of the sites on offer. This will enable you to have the best betting experience with one of the top sites in the game.

Can I live stream horse racing on bookmakers in NZ?

Yes, you can live stream horse racing. There are a number of betting sites that will allow their customers to get involved with live streaming of certain sports and events, with horse racing one such sport. We will tell you whether a bookie allows you to live stream horse racing via our in-depth review of the bookies. In order to live stream if your bookie offers that function, you will often need to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours, have a positive balance in your account or have placed a bet on the race in question. Head over to your bookmaker of choice to check to see whether they will allow you to watch the action as it unfolds.

What alternatives are there to horse racing betting?

If you want to mix things up when it comes to betting on horse racing, there are a number of options available to you. Football is the number one sport to bet on and you can usually find a number of matches being played somewhere in the world each and every day. Tennis and cricket are two other popular sports to bet on in Europe, while ice hockey, American Football and basketball are very popular in the USA. The best bookmakers out there will offer a range of sports to bet on and a glut of markets to enjoy too. We always recommend that you bet with a site that offers a good range of sports and markets as you will not likely only ever bet on one sport. If you get bored or want to mix things up, then having a sportsbook that offers a number of betting options is vital.

Can I use betting offers on horse racing?

There are a huge number of betting offers that can be used in horse racing. Many betting sites will create free bet offers that are available for sports in general, meaning horse racing is included in this. You will see the free bet and matched deposit offers provided to new customers, while enhanced odds and free bet offers are available for existing customers too. Usually, most free bet offers can be used with horse racing, although we do recommend that you check the terms and conditions of an offer before using it.

Is horse racing hard to bet on?

Horse racing is one of the most popular ways to bet in New Zealand because it can be easy to place bets. For major events like the Grand National, many one-time bettors will simply pick a name they like and hope for the best. While we do not recommend using this as a betting strategy, it is a popular way to get involved. If you want to get involved in more serious horse racing betting, then we recommend you look at the form and conditions and more. Placing bets on horse racing is not tough to do, but being frugal with your money and intelligent with your picks can be tough. Ultimately, we only recommend using betting as a way to have fun and increase the excitement of a game or sport.

Is horse racing betting safe?

Yes, betting on horse racing with the right betting sites in NZ is completely safe to do. Our experts have handpicked the best sites, with safety a big factor in naming them as among the best. Each and every site will be licensed and regulated by the relevant gambling authority, while name recognition is also important in the world of betting too. If you do not recognise a new bookmaker site and you have not heard great things about them, then you are likely best off avoiding them even if they are offering a very generous new customer offer. Betting should only ever be about having fun, and you cannot have fun if you are afraid about whether your money and personal details are safe. By betting with one of the top sites, you will be wagering with the expertise of our writers, who will not ever recommend a site that has not passed their extensive safety checks.

Is horse racing betting legal?

Yes, horse racing betting is legal to do. Many of the biggest and most trusted betting sites in New Zealand and around the world offer markets and odds on the biggest and smallest horse racing events in the world. The sport itself is as popular as any other sport to bet on, with so many people choosing to get involved with the excitement of wagering on the horses. In order to stay on the right side of the law where you are, we recommend that you read up on the laws and legislation surrounding betting to ensure you can bet on horse racing. Alongside this, we recommend that you only ever bet with a bookmaker site that is licensed and regulated to operate.