Virtual Horse Racing is on the rise

Few sports can compete with horse racing in the betting sphere, with the sheer drama and wealth of possibility hugely attractive to punters the world over.

The archetypal sport to bet on, competitive horse racing has been part of the sporting landscape for centuries and the ceremonious nature of every horse race is hard for any sport to compete with.

Such is the popularity and appeal of horse betting sites, both within the sports betting industry and across sport in general, that tech and betting firms and those at the forefront of technology are looking to incorporate horse racing into the products they offer.

One of the key developments in recent years for online sports bookmakers is the advent of virtual horse racing – machine generated horse races that enable sports bettors to place bets on the outcome of a virtual race.

Front and centre to the appeal of virtual horse racing is its realism.

Major technological advancements in the virtual horse racing sphere have enabled sports bookmakers to make their virtual horse racing offer as realistic as possible, with horses, jockeys and racecourses all resembling real life horse racing betting.

In addition, horse racing fans are inevitably governed by the racing calendar across the world – meaning they may have to wait for a particular meet to begin and in the instantaneous climate in which sports betting operates, being able to bet on a virtual horse race every 10 to 15 minutes, is hugely appealing for punters.

In addition, horse racing fans are inevitably governed by the racing calendar across the world – meaning they may have to wait for a particular meet to begin and in the instantaneous climate in which sports betting operates, being able to bet on a virtual horse race every 10 to 15 minutes, is hugely appealing for punters.

Consequently, virtual horse races are now seeing huge sums of money laid down on them and sports bookmakers are now working together, to provide a comprehensive virtual horse racing calendar for punters to enjoy – regardless of which bookie they have signed up for an account with.

Much like in the esports sphere, the advancement of the virtual offering has seen a whole new generation of fans become intrigued by the workings of horse racing – both in the virtual and ‘real’ realms and the crossover between the two is growing exponentially.

Whilst of course virtual horse racing is on the rise, the day to day running of the horse racing calendar is still jam packed the world over and countries often come to a standstill for big races.

One of the biggest races in the UK is the Grand National, which pits 40 of the best jump horses in the country against each other, for a four mile slog around the infamous Aintree Course in Liverpool.

Being held on the second Saturday in April for over 150 years, the Grand National attracts sell-out crowds and the atmosphere on Merseyside is always electric.

Here are some of the key runners and riders in the ante-post market for the 2022 Grand National:

Fresh off a festive win at Leopardstown, Galvin is the early season front-runner to clinch the 2022 Grand National.

The Gordon Elliott trained 8 year old looks to have all the credentials to pick up a maiden Grand National triumph and it looks a shrewd bet at +1600 odds.

With a third place finish at the Grand National in 2021 in the tank, Any Second Now is a very capable horse, in what seems to be an open field at Aintree this year.

J P McManus prides himself on nurturing and developing some of the very best stayers around and Any Second Now looks to be a decent looking candidate at +1800 odds.  

Irish horses tend to turn on the style at the biggest races on the calendar and Run Wild Fred looks to have captured the hearts of a nation under the stewardship of Gordon Elliott – best priced at +2000.

Going back to back at the Grand National is a feat not many horses have been able to achieve but Minella Times is seeking to complete a broadly unprecedented double – also coming in at +2000.