Horse Racing Betting Offers & Free Bets 2023
There are plenty of offers from bookmakers for both new and existing customers to take advantage of. Here, we have ALL the best offers available all in one place!
Top Free Horse Racing Offers in 2023
Free Bets for Horse Racing Festivals
Cheltenham Festival Free Bets
The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the jumps season, taking place in the middle of March every year. This year’s renewal takes place between 14-17 March 2023, where there will be 28 races across four days of action. There will be loads of enhanced sign-up offers before the meeting begins, with plenty of free bets on offer for new customers. During the week, many bookmakers will be refunding bets on losers (or 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed finishes).
Royal Ascot Free Bets
Ascot Racecourse hosts the finest flat competitors around the world in June and also welcomes royalty to watch the action. There is plenty of thrilling action to enjoy on 22 June 2023, with seven races a day. The opening day has three Group 1 races, including the Queen Anne Stakes for the best milers in the world. Be sure to take advantage of the sign-up offers this week to enjoy free bets throughout Royal Ascot.
Grand National Free Bets
Three days of jumping action at Aintree is rounded off by the biggest race of the year, The Grand National. With a maximum number of 40 runners going to post over the unique test of the Aintree fences. There’s also plenty of competitive handicaps and Grade 1 action across all three days, and it is one of the significant UK jump racing festivals between April 13-15, 2023. Plenty of Cheltenham Festival winners will be looking to win again here. Free bets are usually limited on Grand National Day itself, so sign-up early to get your free bets and other horse racing special offers.
Glorious Goodwood Free Bets
Glorious Goodwood has seen some epic battles over the years, with the likes of Frankel and Kingman tasting success in the Sussex Stakes, the feature race on Day 1. Fives days of action between 1-5 August 2023 completed by the competitive Stewards Cup Handicap on the final day. Free bets will be available from bookmakers for new customers, and look out for enhanced places and price boosts across the week.
St Leger Free Bets
Doncaster hosts the final Classic of the British flat season, 14-17 September 2023, where three-year-olds will take on the 1-mile 6-furlong test on the last day of the four-day festival. There’s also the Doncaster Gold Cup to get stuck into and plenty of free bets and promotions to take advantage of.
Breeders’ Cup Free Bets
The USA takes on the best of the Rest of the World over two days on both turf and dirt. The 2023 version of the two-day spectacle will take place at Keeneland from 3-4 November. Some of the best US and British horses will clash over the two days, and previous winners include Enable, Found and Tarnawa. Action will continue late into the night with free bets and money-back offers.
Dubai World Cup Carnival Free Bets
Meydan hosts cards most Fridays in the build-up to the feature event on Saturday, March 25 2023. World Cup night is home to one of the wealthiest races in the world on dirt and is a target for the top US horses on this surface. The carnival runs between January and March, so be sure to look out for free bet offers in the weeks before the Dubai World Cup.
Melbourne Cup Free Bets
The race that stops a nation. The Melbourne Cup at Flemington is the biggest race on the Australian Horse Racing calendar. The competitive handicap, run over 3200m on November 7 2023, attracts runners from across the globe. This one-day event will likely see free bets and promotions from several different bookmakers.
Free horse racing bets for new customers
Examples of Bet and Get free bet offers
Examples of Bet and Get free bet offers
These are the most popular type of offers currently, and they see you receive free bets once you have deposited a wagered a set amount of your cash.
Examples of cashback new customer offers
These are, in essence, a risk-free offer – if you have a bet and it wins, you keep the profit, but if it loses, your stake is refunded in cash.
Enhanced Odds New Customer Offers
Price boosts are usually available to all customers on-site, but enhanced odds new customer offers are bigger prices reserved for new accounts. These are often limited to smaller stakes but can be an excellent way of claiming free bets, especially around the more important meetings.
During Cheltenham especially, look out for enhanced odds offers. This will involve a horse (which is likely to be a heavy favourite) boosted to odds which could be around 50/1. However, as mentioned previously, this will generally be limited to a stake of £1, with the winnings paid out in free bets.
These offers can be a low stake option, and although there is a risk of the selection not winning, the increased free bet reward make these offers an attractive proposition for new customers.
Horses to look out for during Cheltenham this year where these offers may apply include; Honeysuckle, Shishkin and Galopin Des Champs.
Free horse racing betting offers for existing customers
Money-Back as cash offers
These offers are available on horse racing throughout the season but will be more prominent during significant horse racing events. In addition, many bookmakers will offer money-back cash if your horse fails to win or finishes in a specific position, usually 2nd, 3rd or 4th.
- An example of this is Sky Bet, who are offering money-back as cash to all customers who place a losing bet in the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. There is a maximum stake of £10 for this offer, and it will only apply to your first bet on this market.
- William Hill also runs a similar promotion where you will receive your stake back as cash up to £10 if you finish second in selected races. However, specific rules apply to this offer whereby your selection must have odds of 3/1 or greater, and there must be four or more runners in the race.
Money-back as cash offers are great ways to get your cash back even if your horse fails to win – look out for these during the big festivals.
Money-Back as a free bet offers
Similar to the money back as cash offers, this promotion will give you something back if your horse fails to win. Although this return is a free bet and not cash, it is always good to get something back, even if you back a loser.
- Paddy Power are known to run this offer frequently and will return your stake as a free bet up to £10 if your horse finishes in a particular position. This can be 2nd, 3rd or 4th depending on the number of runners and how generous their offer is. The free bets are only valid on horse racing and must be used within seven days.
- Betway are another bookmaker that offers money-back as a free bet for losers. Their offer is usually linked to those races on ITV Racing and will return your stake up to £10 if your horse finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th with races that have more than seven runners. If there are seven or fewer runners, the offer will change to money back as a free bet if your horse finishes 2nd. Any selection must have minimum odds of ½ (1.5) for this offer, and the bet must be placed on the day of the race.
- 888sport are offering all customers money back as a free bet if their selection finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival. This applies to your first bet placed after March 5 2022, with a maximum refund of £10. If your first selection is void due to being a Non-Runner, this will not be deemed a qualifying bet. There is a minimum stake of £1, and any bets placed before March 5 will not count towards this offer.
Free bets for not winning will be available across major festivals, including Cheltenham and can give you something back even if you fail to find the winner.
Free bets when you bet winners offers
If winning your bet is not enough for you, some bookmakers will reward you further and give you a free bet if you back winners in specific races.
- Virgin Bet will return your stake as a free bet up to a maximum of £20 if you back a winner at odds of 3/1+ in specific races. This promotion is run every week and applies to any race shown live on ITV. There is no minimum runner requirement on this offer, and you can qualify for every eligible race.
- 888sport also have their winners offer – back a 4/1+ winner in any market on any day, and you will receive a £5 free bet. This offer is available not only on horse racing but also across a range of different sports. You must have bet at least £10 on your winning bet to be eligible for this offer and can only be claimed once per day.
- If you back a 4/1+ winner on ITV Racing with bet365, they will give you your money back as cash up to £50 if your bet loses on the next live race. This is essentially giving you a no-lose situation on the next race when you back a 4/1 winner on ITV Racing.
- If you keep backing winners with these bookmakers, the rewards will continue to flow. If you are looking to back horses at odds of 3/1 or bigger, then make sure you are not missing out on potential horse racing free bets.
What is the most profitable free bet in horse racing?
Here are a selection of the most profitable horse racing free bets. A couple have been outlined above in more detail, but others also follow the same criteria. These are either bet
and get free bet offers or cashback new customer offers.
888sport
- Bet £10, Get £30 in free bets + £10 Casino bonus.
- Qualifying bets must be of £10 or more and placed at odds of at least ½ (1.5)
- Bets placed on virtual sports will not qualify for the offer.
Betfair
- Bet £10, Get £40 in free bets + 50 free spins.
- Free bets will be credited once the qualifying bet has settled and are valid for seven days.
- Only deposits made with a card will be eligible for this offer.
bet365
- Bet £10, Get £50 in free bets.
- Deposit and bet between £5-£10 and receive five times your deposit in bet credits.
- Qualifying bets must be made within 30 days and have at least one selection with odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater.
William Hill
- Bet £10, Get £30 in free bets
- Free bet will be credited as 2 x £15 free bets and credited after settlement.
- Min. odds ½. Free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet has been placed.
Betfred
- Bet £10, Get £30 in free bets.
- Qualifying bet must be £10 or more at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater on any sports market.
- Free bets will be credited within 10 hours of the qualifying bet being settled.
- Free bets will expire within seven days once they have been credited.
SBK
- Get up to £20 back as cash on your losses
- Must deposit at least £20 by debit card, bank transfer or Trustly to be eligible for this offer
- £20 cash refund is not limited to your first bet
- This can apply to several bets as long as they settle within seven days of registering.
How to claim your free horse racing bets listed on racingtips.com?
To claim the number of horse racing free bets on offer, it is essential to pay close attention to the terms and conditions of each promotion to ensure the free bets are credited.
Some of the key things to look out for when claiming free bets are below, but all offers will be different to make sure you always read the conditions
- Minimum or maximum staking requirements
- Minimum or maximum odds requirements
- Claim in a specific time
- Use free bets before their expiry date
- Turnover requirements
Free bets will not cost you anything to use, but you may have to turnover a specific amount of your winnings from them before you can withdraw any cash.
Horse Racing Bookies with The Best Odds
It’s vital to get the best odds when placing your horse racing bets. So make sure to look around at those offering the best prices on your runners and any enhanced offers that may be about.
Another key thing when looking for the best odds is making sure you are getting Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG) on your bets.
If you bet on your selection at 3/1 and the starting price (SP) is 4/1, you will get paid out at the larger odds. This works both ways, and if your horse shortens in the market to 2/1, your 3/1 is safe.
Each bookmaker will have different rules on how Best Odds Guaranteed will be applied.
However, here are some of the main ones to ensure you don’t miss out.
- 888sport: Day of the race
- Betfair: 8am on the day of the race
- Paddy Power: 8am on the day of the race
- SkyBet: 9am on the day of the race (excludes promotional races)
- bet365: 10am on the day of the race (the night before on some occasions)
- Virgin Bet: 9am on the day of the race
- William Hill: 10am on the day of the race
- Betfred: 8am on the day of the race
- Betway: 9am on the day of the race
How to read the odds
Reading betting odds can be tricky, but there are specific methods you can use to work this out. A simple way is to add the selection to your bet slip and enter your stake. This will then show your potential returns.
If you want to do this yourself, an easy way to do this is by applying the following method.
For example, if your selection is 7/2 and your stake is £1.
- Add the first (7) and second (2) numbers together = 9
- Divide by the second number (2): 9 / 2 = 4.5
- Multiply 4.5 by your stake (1) = £4.50
£4.50 would be the total returned to you, including your stake if your bet was successful.
Horse racing betting tips
If you don’t have time to read the form yourself, there are plenty of tips out there to help you pick winners, especially in horse racing. Many bookmakers will have comments and information on every runner every day for UK and Irish racing and form, jockey, trainer, weight and age all just one click away.
These tips will likely come from different sources, but the main ones are often from the Racing Post, Timeform, and At The Races. Of course, you can also visit these sites separately if you want to do more research and give yourself the best chance of picking those winners regularly.
Don’t forget to gamble responsibly
With horse racing on offer for 360+ days a year, both day and night, it is essential to prioritise your time and remember to bet responsibly.
Take a break when you need to and only gamble with money you can afford to lose. Bookmakers will offer spending and loss limits when signing up, so think about these and set the proper limits for you. Gambling should be viewed as a form of entertainment and not a way to make money.
Cheltenham Festival Betting Offers in 2023
The very latest Cheltenham Festival betting offers will be published here as soon as they become available but check out our free bets page for some excellent bookmaker offers to take advantage of before the showpiece meeting.
Cheltenham Festival 2023 Free Bets
The Cheltenham Festival is a great opportunity to expand your portfolio of bookmaker accounts and take advantage of the fantastic range of sign up offers from a variety of bookmakers.
There are some pitfalls to watch out for in the small print so it is important to pay attention to detail. Some free bets must be placed within a set period, often 7 days. Others stipulate that your free bets must be “turned over” a set number of times before they can be withdrawn as cash. There are also minimum odds, usually 1/2, so you cannot put your Cheltenham Free Bet on a red-hot favourite and immediately withdraw any winnings.
An increasingly popular bookmaker offer is enhanced odds for the big race favourites at the Cheltenham Festival. Cheltenham Special Offers are likely to include the likes of Shishkin and Bob Olinger who will both look to complete back to back wins at this season’s Festival.