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Grand National

Spread Betting on Horse Racing - Featherweights

What Is A Featherweights Bet?

A Featherweights spread bet is a prediction on the performance of the horses with the highest racecard number in each of the races at the meeting. Points are awarded as follows: 25 points for winning; 10 points for finishing second and 5 points for finishing third. Featherweights finishing lower than third receive 0 points.

If you feel the bottom weighted horses will do well at a particular meeting, you would bet high (Buy) on the Featherweights market, where as if you think they will do badly, you would bet low (Sell).

Example Of How It Works

To illustrate this bet we'll take a look at a six race meeting at Newcastle:

The 6 races on the card, ranged from 5 to 17 runners. If we look at the first race we'll see there were 13 runners and Orchestrion was number 13 on the racecard, so that is the featherweight horse in the race.

Before the start of racing Sporting Index priced the Featherweights market up with a spread of 27 - 30. If you thought their range was too high for the meeting you would Sell the market at the lower figure of 27 quoted in their spread. If you felt it was too low, you would Buy at the higher figure of 30.

Your stake will depend upon your personal circumstances and how much you like to risk. The important thing to remember is the amount you stake is not the amount you stand to win or lose on the race. The stake entered is the amount per point. E.g. If you were to Buy £5 at 30 and the total finished at 35 you would win £25, £5 x 5 (35 - 30). However if the total finished at 25 you would lose £25, £5 x 5 (30 - 25).

The Featherweights market remains active throughout the race meeting. Sporting Index update the spread after each of the races, adjusting it up or down depending upon how well the previous bottom weights have faired in the earlier races.

Race One

In the first race there were 13 runners originally declared. The featherweight was therefore horse number 13 on the card, which was Orchestrion. It finished 3rd and scored 5 points for the Featherweights total.

Orchestrion's starting price was 12/1 and with an odds on favourite you'd have thought 3rd would have been a good result for those who'd brought on the spread. However the Sporting Index spread had reduced to 26 - 29 after the race. This is likely to have been a result of more people thinking the original spread was too high and the weight of money having moved the spread down.

Race Two

There were again 13 runners in the second race and Tumbleweed Di was the featherweight in the race. It didn't finish in the top 3, so the Featherweights total remained at 5 points after two races.

Tumbleweed Di's starting price was 9/1, so it wasn't a complete shock it was unplaced. Sporting Index reduced their spread to 22 - 25.

Race Three

With 17 runners in the third race, the featherweight selection was Foxxy, which finished 7th and so scored 0 points. The Featherweights total remained on 5 points after three races.

Foxxy went off at 14/1, so again it was no great surprise it finished out of the first three. Sporting Index lowered their range further to 20 - 22. Great news for those who'd sold on the initial spread of 27, they could now lock in a profit by buying on the revised spread at 22. A stake of £5 a point would have given a profit of £25, £5 x 5 (27 - 22). However those who'd brought at the original price of 30, would now have to sell at 22 to cancel the bet, which with a stake of £5, would have incurred a loss of £40, £5 x 8 (30 - 22).

Race Four

17 more runners went to post in the fourth race and horse number 17 was High Five Society. With the horse again finishing out of the places, the Featherweights total remained at 5 points after four races.

Another great result of those who'd sold, with the total still well below the initial sell price. As a result of the race Sporting Index reduced their spread further to 17 - 19.

Race Five

There was only 5 runners in the fifth race, with Trees Of Green being the featherweight selection. It finished 2nd, which added 10 points to the total of 15 points after five races.

A better result for those who'd brought on the market, but with only 5 runners in the race they'd really needed better if they were going to profit from their bet. Sporting Index reduced their spread a fraction further to 16.5 - 17.5.

Race Six

The featherweight in the last race was Colditz, who could finish only 10th and added no more points to the final total of 15 points.

With Colditz failing to finish in the top 3 there was no escape for those who'd brought on the initial spread, but it was another good result for the many sellers.

The total of 15 finished lower than the initial quote of 27 - 30 from Sporting Index. If you'd bet low you would have always been comfortable with your bet, with the spread reducing after each race. A £5 stake would have ended up with a £60 profit, £5 x 12 (27 - 15).

If you had bet high, you'd have never had your head in front and at no point been able to take a profit. A £5 stake would have ended up with a loss of £75, £5 x 15 (30 - 15).

Opening a Spread Betting Account

There are also many other spread betting markets available for horse racing and other sports, see the left-hand menu for other examples. You can place bets on these markets by opening an account with Sporting Index.

Sports spread betting is high risk. You can lose more than your original stake. Only bet if you understand the risks and can afford to lose. Sporting Index is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.