Harness races are one of the best sources of entertainment for sports lovers and punters to try their luck all over the world. Punters wait patiently for these harness races to begin, when they can start making strategies for their betting as soon as the racing calendars for the year are declared. Punters who wish to make the winning bets need to prepare strategies for this type of racing.

Any strategy which is made for a harness race is a little different from the strategies which are made during thoroughbred flat races. While making a strategy for betting in case of harness racing, it is best to remember that in these races the horses usually start racing at their slowest speed in the beginning.

As soon as the race starts and picks up momentum, the horses start building up their speed and are at their top speed when they approach the final stages. Strategies are also made keeping in mind the distance over which the race is run. The shorter the race is the more important its early stages are and the longer the race is, the more crucial are its closing stages. Strategies need to be made keeping these factors in mind.

Harness races are one of the best sources of entertainment for sports lovers and punters to try their luck all over the world. Punters wait patiently for these harness races to begin, when they can start making strategies for their betting as soon as the racing calendars for the year are declared. Punters, who wish to make the winning bets, need to prepare strategies for this harness racing.

Any strategy, which is made for harness race is a little different from the strategies, which are made during thoroughbred flat races. While making a strategy for betting in case of harness racing, it is to be remembered that in these races, the horses usually start racing at their slowest speed in the beginning. As soon as the race starts and picks up momentum, the horses start building up their speed and are at their top speed when they approach the final stages. Strategies are also made keeping in mind the distance over which the race is run. It is to be remembered that the shorter the race is, the more important its early stages are, and the longer the race is, the more crucial are its closing stages. Strategies need to be made keeping this factor in mind.

Punters look forward to harness racing as one of the most profitable betting arenas. With skill, dedication, good research and some experience predicting winners is not a difficult task. Those who cannot decide on their home or just want to be doubly sure before they put in their hard earned money usually check out the various internet sites. Videos have now become a very important part of harness racing. You may be considering any horse or rider, you can check more about their past history, races and records through the videos which are available online.

Several websites offer great quality videos of racing events. You can watch them as many times as you want before you arrive at any decision. The main advantage of videos is that they are within your reach and you can see them and decide as per your convenience. Even if you miss one event, you need not lament because the videos of the event will be available online. Under most circumstances the videos are accessible in the official website of the company or in other sites which provide high quality videos. You even have the choice of free downloading in case you wish to keep any video in your home collection.

It does not need to be mentioned that harness races are popular betting options of Australians. Punters and amateur racing fans put in a lot of money every year in these races to bet and win. To help punters and racing fans with loads of information many harness racing forums are established in the internet. These forums are a popular way to discuss what is going on the in the harness races, about the horse racing picks, odds and tips. Many online betting websites have their individual forums with information. Punters, jockeys and owners often discuss various aspects of the racing, the problems faced and their concerns and hopes about the races.

These forums are the best way to know about the probability of any horse or any jockey in winning. Discussions are often informative and often provide tips and hints on the outcomes of the results that are to follow in the next few days in the races. Forums may be set up specifically by a group of jockeys, by a group of punters or by a group of horse owners. They can also be related to specific events - such as certain races or events. Such forums have members who discuss issues and topics related to that particular race or event.

Harness Racing is now one of the most popular racing events of the world. The history of such races dates back to several years in ancient times when it was extremely popular. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire the race had lost its importance to a certain extent.

However, the race was again revived in USA where trotting horses became one of the best ways of rural entertainments. Commercialization had not yet touched the harness races that time. In the early years of 19th century harness races started getting importance. By the year 1925 the race was taking place in hundreds of nations across the globe.

By the year 1800 harness racing was considered to be at its peak and one of the most sought after sporting events of the world. Since then many changes were introduced in the racing styles and ways by which it took place. There was a time when automobiles were introduced in harness races and horses were no longer seen. However, changes keep taking place in such races. Today it is at its peak in several countries including Canada, New Zealand and Australia. At present harness race tracks are much more in number than the thoroughbred tracks.

It probably goes without saying that harness races are an important part of horse racing events. In harness racing, horses pull two wheel carts known as sulkies. These races usually start behind a motorized gate and all horses are lined up behind this gate before the start of the race. Harness races are usually conducted in two gaits â?” pacing and trotting.

In the case of trotting, the legs of the horse move in diagonal pairs. This means that the left front and right hind legs move simultaneously, while the right front and left hind legs move simultaneously. In the situation of a pacer, the horse moves its legs in a lateral position. This means that it may move its left front and left hind together and then again right hand and right hind together. Both the gaits are popular all over the world. In continental Europe, racing takes place solely between trotters while in countries like Canada, UK, Australia and US harness racing takes place for pacers mainly.

If you compare both these races, pacers have more popularity as they are faster and considerably better than the trotters. They also have very little chances of breaking stride mainly because of their hobbles and straps, which keep the legs connected during the race.

Here are the major types of bets that you may want to try out on Australian horse races.

Win and Place

You can bet on a particular horse for securing any of the top 3 spots, or specifically the first spot (winner). In order to increase you chances of winning, you may bet some units for win and some units for place on a horse that you’re pretty confident about.

Daily Double

In Daily Double you must correctly bet on the winner of two consecutive races, and winning this bet is a bit tougher in comparison to “Win and Place”.

All Up

In All Up, the winning amount from the previous bet gets automatically carried over to the next bet. You may bet for all up place, all up win, or both at a time. However, even after winning the first bet, you may lose out on second and lose all the money. So, the winner takes it all, loser takes home nothing - as simple as that.

Trifecta

This is one of the toughest bets to win, as you need to bet on the first three runners, that too in the exact order.

However, it is permitted to combine 3 or more selections in one bet, in order to cover all combination\’s and increase your chances of winning.

It has been reported on August 5,2009, Rios will be the only representation at Listed Aurie’s Star Handicap on Saturday. This race will be located at Flemington.

Owner, Gary Chittick has reserved his other harness racer, Vigor, for next week’s events leaving the newcomer Rio’s to ride solo.

Although Rios is a newcomer to these events, he has prevailed in 6 wins of the 20 starts he has seen in New Zealand. These wins happened before joining the O’Brien stable. Since he has been in his new home, Rio’s has had a win at Awapuni on April 25th in the Listed Anzac.

Currently Rios is five years old and has seen a good line of wins throughout his lifetime. More recently he has won more than 1400m at Te Rapa which will continue in middle march. Rios was also the runner up in the Group Two Tulloch Stakes which is a 2000m race which took place at Rosehill and snatched a close win in the Group Two Breeders Guineas located at Trentham.

In the end, Rios looks like a steady breed that is able to race on heavy tracks as seen at Rosehill and Trentham. Even with these victories, Gary Chittick seems to be making a safe move with reserves on Vigor.

As of August 4. 2009 the feature race calendar for 2009/2010 has been released. Harness Racing Australia has collaborated with Harness Racing New Zealand to produce a calendar that complimented both parties well. By doing so it will be able to be used as a reference material that is centralized in information. Among this collaboration was of course the state controlling bodies and clubs.

Preparing this year’s calendar took into consideration of a lot of factors. These factors included local needs as well as commercial aspects, racing and the tradition of Harness Racing.

The Barastoc Grand Circuit calendar provides a 24 race scheduling that includes those champions who have competed and won as well as those that will offer new competition to the harness racing champions that have seen the tracks before.

The calendar is susceptible to change, as it has always been due to factors that are either controllable or not. This is why up to date information should be sought after daily from Harness Racing Australia. Such changes are often seen in qualifying events as well as heats and preludes.

It should also be noted that a large change in this year’s calendar is seen in the Queensland Pacing Championship being held at a different location.

There has been a recent study that showed how slot machines impact the harness racing industry. In that study, they found out more than they were expecting. It is reported that in New Jersey alone, $780 million is generated from Harness Racing and lottery terminals etc. On top of that, it produces roughly 7 thousand jobs and about $110 million in taxes. With a 1.1 billion dollar equine industry in New Jersey, harness racing proves to be a big leader.

Even in the United States, as a whole, the rough economic times have still not extinguished harness race patrons from visiting the tracks to have a good time. It is reported that there is still growth among the industry even to date with such a devastating economy.

With the addition of jobs, tax revenue and earning potential, harness racing tracks are a good business relationship between the states, economy and the business owners. Meanwhile, the patrons that access these tracks and racing terminal games are offered fun, excitement and a good time.

With this correlation, if the harness racing tracks were not maintained at their current status, it would be devastating for many people and have a ripper effect throughout the states.