Horse racing is a sport that those who love can become absolutely obsessed with.
They will pour over the results of races for hours, looking for all sorts of information about what happened in the races that have already taken place, believing that this might be able to help them figure out what is going to happen in the race that is coming up.
Can a horse’s form really tell you what you need to know before you place a bet?
Those that study such things certainly think so. In fact, it is seen as so important than some even want to know about the results of virtual horse races.
The question is, are such results published anywhere?
Sorry, Virtual Horse Racing – What?
It is entirely possible that you have no idea what we’re talking about here. That is because not everyone will look at the ‘Virtual Sports’ section of a bookmaker’s website. If you do, though, you will soon discover that there are a wealth if virtual sports that you can place bets on, from football to horse racing via greyhound racing and darts.
They are all virtual events, with the result decided upon by a Random Number Generator in much the same way that electronic roulette or computerised blackjack might be decided. Virtual Racing is largely offered by the ‘Big Four’ bookmakers in the United Kingdom, with some smaller ones also doing it.
A bunch of virtual horse owners just screamed at a projector screen in downtown Louisville for the virtual Kentucky Derby in @photofinishgame @SOLBigBrain took the victory in this prestigious race, crushing the dreams of all owners in attendance.
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There are virtual racetracks with names such as Steepledowns, Hope Park and Home Straights, which is where the racing takes place. The bookmaker tends to get a margin of 2% per runner in an event, whilst the fact that the races take place every three minutes or so means that the odds are not on the side of the punter.
Some bookmakers offer such racing in store, whilst most offer it online. With each race taking place so quickly on the back of another, the results come thick and fast. That is especially the case when it comes to Dash Horses, which are fast races involving fewer horses than the main virtual races that are on offer.
Can You See the Previous Results?
Somewhat remarkably, there are numerous sites online where you can see the results from different virtual racecourses. On the 15th of November 2024, for example, you could look at between six and seven race results per hour from Portman Park, say, seeing the likes of Canyon Wren, The Alex and Big Ears having won with odds of 7/2, 14/1 and 28/1 respectively.
You can even look at the stats for the horses, which looking at their races over the previous 30 days, telling you how they got on in the races that they took part in. Lugton Run, for example, had the following statistics attached to its running:
- Total Runs: 47
- Wins: 3 (6%)
- Places: 13 (28%)
- Win or Place: 16 (34%)
In comparison, Erector Set had run in 63 races over the previous 30 days, boasting the following stats:
- Wins: 1 (2%)
- Places: 6 (10%)
- Win or Place: 7 (12%)
The results are there for every horse if you head to the right site, giving you the information that you might need in order to make a decision on which virtual horse and virtual jockey combination you’d like to bet on.
Do The Results Have Any Meaning?
The most obvious question to ask when it comes to virtual horse racing results is whether or not there is any point whatsoever in looking at them. The honest answer is ‘not really’. They don’t mean anything. These races are decided upon at random by an RNG, which lead some punters to refer to them as ‘Horse Roulette’.
Of course, some people like to look at the previous results on a roulette wheel, believing that that has an impact on what the future results will be. In reality, there is no impact whatsoever on the future outcome of a roulette spin, just as the results from previous virtual races will have no real influence on the future results of races you’re betting on.
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Sure, you can see if a horse tends to be one that wins more often than another by looking at previous results. In the above examples, Lugton Run either won or placed in 34% of races compared the the 12% of races that Erector Set managed to win or place in.
The problem is, this isn’t like real-life horse racing, wherein a horse can be in genuine form, which matters when it comes to what’s going to happen next. That being said, punters are often superstitious sorts and it might well be that you have decided to place your bets based on how a horse has got on in the past, which is your decision to make entirely.
