Greyhound races are quite popular in some countries, though they are not comparable to the popularity of horse racing bets. The mecca of greyhound racing is England, where there are at least 5-6 or more daily meetings on a race track daily. The sport is very popular in neighboring Ireland as well as in Australia. Greyhound racing is also popular in some US states, though environmental organizations there are constantly lobbying for a total ban on this type of race as inhumane to dogs.

Features of Greyhound Racing

Breeding of thoroughbred dogs for racing, especially greyhounds, also originated in England. Many of the prestigious competitions have long history and tradition and are held annually on different tracks, at about the same time. Some of the most famous dog races in England and Ireland are the Greyhound Derby, Iris Derby, Kent St. Ledger, Kent Derby, the Greyhound Gold Cup and many more.

The typical greyhound race almost always has 6 dogs involved. More participants are only allowed in some of the landmark races of the year (8 or 12 each). Each dog has its own running corridor. Greyhounds are trained to chase an artificial rabbit-like lure that moves mechanically on a rail. There are about 20 dog runs in England and Ireland. Each of them has its own peculiarities. Some coaches and greyhound owners concentrate on just a few runs, while others send their dogs to race anywhere. It is important to take into account the peculiarities of the sloping runway with respect to the position of the running corridors, the sharpness of turns and so on.

Types of Greyhound Bets

The types of bets on greyhound competitions are almost the same as those in horse racing. The most significant difference is that on the typical 6-dog canine race, the paid seats are only 2.

The main types of bets in dog racing are:

Winner - This is the standard bet where you have to predict the winning dog in a race. The favourites win about 32-33% of all races in England and Ireland, but there are significant differences between the runs, as opposed to horse racing.
Win and place, or each-way bet - here the total bet is split into two - win and place. As mentioned above, paid seats in dog racing are two in most cases.
Place bet - this is a bet by a selection to make some of the paid seats. However, this market is usually only available for more significant races.
No Favourite - in this market, a race favourite is excluded from betting, That is, if your selection finishes second after the favourite, you win. This market is also available for significant races only.
Against each other - This is a two-way market between two dogs in the respective race, earning the participant a more advanced position. Offered for the big races.
Forecast and tricast - With forecast you must correctly predict the first and second dogs in a race. You can do this in a straight forecast where the exact order of completion applies, or in a reverse forecast where your selections make you win at a random order against each other. The same principles apply to tricast, you have to predict the first tree dogs in a strict or random order.
Combinations - as with other sports, you can combine up to 10 or more dogs from different races in different systems and combinations. Your selections can only be for victory, or victory and place.

In general, dog racing is much more difficult to predict and analyze than horse racing. The main reason is that the animals compete here alone, and there is no jockey like the horses. The leading factors are the dog's pedigree, respectively his speed and endurance, as well as the quality of the training process it went through. Therefore, with betting on dogs, it is a good idea to keep in mind who the greyhound trainer is and what his record is for a given track. Another important indicator in the analysis may be the age of the dog and its past results on a given track, or on another track with a similar type ot turn slope (left or right).

Where to bet on greyhounds

Bookmaker houses are more cautious with greyhound racing, releasing odds much later than those in horse racing. Betting limits are also reduced, except for very large races. It would hardly surprise anyone, but the biggest bookmaker, Bet365, offers Greyhound racing bets and more. The giant provides livestream live racing in England, Ireland and Australia, so you can keep track of what is happening. As a typical British bookmaker, Betfair also offers Greyhound racing bets, in which case you have different types of bets, which raises the adrenaline rush.
Greyhound racing has its charm and definitely carries a lot of adrenaline because of the speed of the race. They're not for everyone, but there's nothing stopping you from looking at a few quick races through the live streaming service before deciding if it's one of your preferred betting markets or not.