Spread Betting on Horse Racing - Heavyweights

What Is A Heavyweights Bet?

A Heavyweights spread bet is a prediction on the performance of the horses with race card number 1 (top weighted) 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. Heavyweights finishing lower than third receive 0 points.

If you feel the top weighted horses will do well at a particular meeting, you would bet high (Buy) on the Heavyweights 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 Andaman Sunset is number 1 on the racecard, so that is the heavyweight horse in the race.

Before the start of racing Sporting Index priced the Heavyweights market up with a spread of 15 - 18. If you thought their range was too high for the meeting you would Sell the market at the lower figure of 15 quoted in their spread. If you felt their spread was too low, you would Buy at the higher figure of 18.

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 18 and the total finished at 20 you would win £10, £5 x 2 (20 - 18). However if the total finished at 12 you would lose £30, £5 x 6 (18 - 12).

The Heavyweights 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 number 1's have faired in the earlier races.

Race One

The heavyweight in the first race was Andaman Sunset, which finished 2nd and so scored 10 points for the Heavyweights total. Andaman Sunset's starting price was 7/1 and with an odds on favourite 2nd place was a good start if you chose to buy on the market. Sporting Index increased their spread to 21 - 24 after the first race.

If you'd initially brought on the market at 18 you could now lock in a small profit by selling on the revised spread at 21. A stake of £5 a point would have given a profit of £15, £5 x 3 (21 - 18). If you'd sold on the original spread at 15, you'd now have to buy at 24 to cancel the bet, which with a stake of £5, would have incurred a loss of £45, £5 x 9 (24 - 15). Of course you don't have to close your bet out and with 5 races still to run there's every chance the heavyweights will not perform so well in the remaining races.

Race Two

Compton Lad was the heavyweight in the second race, but didn't finish in the top 3, so the Heavyweights total remained at 10 points after two races. Compton Lad's starting price was 66/1, so it was little surprise it wasn't placed. Sporting Index reduced their spread a fraction to 20 - 23.

Race Three

The heavyweight in the third race was Red Chairman. Despite leading by 10 lengths at one point during the race it finished out of the places and scored 0 points. Therefore the Heavyweights total remained at 10 points after three races. Red Chairman went off at 18/1, so it was no great surprise it finished out of the first three. Again it only had a small impact on the spread, Sporting Index lowered their range just 1 point to 19 - 21.

Race Four

Bold Haze was number 1 on the racecard in the fourth race and again failed to finish in the top 3, so scored 0 points. The Heavyweights total still remained at 10 points after four races. Bold Haze's SP was 16/1, so again it was no great shock it was unplaced, but saw Sporting Index reduce their spread further to 17 - 19. If you'd sold on the initial spread your position wasn't looking so bad now, but with the last 3 heavyweights all being fairly big odds, you'd still have been in a loss making position.

Race Five

There was only 5 runners in the fifth race, with Inner Voice being the heavyweight selection. It finished 3rd, which added 5 points to the total of 15 points after five races. A blow for those who'd sold on the initial spread at 15, with Inner Voice's at 20/1 beating the 7/4 second favourite. Those who'd sold on the initial spread at 15 were now in a no win situation and the best they could hope for was to break-even on their bet. Sporting Index increased their spread to 20.5 - 22.

Race Six

The heavyweight in the last race was the favourite Dechiper, which finished 2nd to add another 10 points to the final total of 25 points. Another blow to those who'd sold on the initial spread, but a great result for the buyers.

The total of 25 finished higher than the initial quote of 15 - 18 from Sporting Index. If you'd bet high you would have always been comfortable with your bet. A £5 stake would have ended up with a £35 profit, £5 x 7 (25 - 18).

If you had bet low, you'd have been on the ropes from the first race and at no point been able to take a profit. A £5 stake would have ended up with a loss of £50, £5 x 10 (25 - 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.