Horse racing betting and horse racing odds 

Whether you're looking for the latest odds on the next Flat or Jumps race, you'll find a range of horse racing betting  markets at William Hill.

Got a fancy? Choose your horse to win the race. Is your horse an each-way price? Back your pick in the ‘without the favourite' market.

Study the form and watch live free-to-air racing on Betting TV. Or you can listen to our own dedicated Racing Radio channel, with expert tips, analysis and commentaries.

If you would like more, then head over to news.williamhill.com, where you can find the latest horse racing betting tips and news.

Grand National Betting 

With another high-quality Cheltenham Festival in the books, attention now quickly shifts to Grand National betting, one of the highlights of the National Hunt racing calendar. The Grand National is back centre stage again, as all eyes turn to Aintree in early April for the ultimate test of racing endurance.

About The Grand National

The Grand National is arguably the greatest spectacle in racing, as it encompasses all the thrills and spills of the sport in a thunderous nine minutes. The race is steeped in history as well, as its first run was back in 1839.

The Grand National is run at a distance of 4 miles 514 yards and there are a gruelling 30 fences for the horses to get over, including infamous obstacles like The Chair, Canal Turn and Becher’s Brook.

It’s a massive test of endurance for both horses and jockeys, but there is a big reward at the end of it as the total prize purse of the Grand National is £1 million with half of that going to the winner.

Cheltenham Odds at William Hill

The latest Cheltenham odds celebrate one of the greatest horse racing festivals in the world, and the crowds will be pouring through the turnstiles at the famous Gloucestershire course. It’s four days of top racing with the biggest stars and you can catch all the latest Cheltenham odds at William Hill.

Royal Ascot Betting

Royal Ascot betting will be back in the June summer spotlight as the event is one flat racing’s most amazing spectacles. The history of the famous festival goes back to the early 1700s, and since the very first races were run, it has had the support of royal patronage, with members of the Royal Family still making annual appearances at Ascot. 

The event, hosted at the Berkshire racecourse, didn’t come to be known as “Royal Ascot” until 1911 when it celebrated its remarkable 200th anniversary. While the festival is steeped in history, the modern Royal Ascot meeting is still highly revered, but has evolved beyond just the racing.

Now, not only does the festival deliver five days of top-class racing that punters can scour the latest Royal Ascot odds for, but it’s also one of the biggest social events on the racing calendar, particularly on Ladies’ Day when fashion is top of the bill.

Racing At Royal Ascot

Many racing legends have tasted success at Royal Ascot, like in 2012, when Estimate, a horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II, won the Ascot Gold Cup. Australian flat superstar Black Caviar scored the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, another success that extended her remarkable unbeaten run in a dramatic finale.

Gold Cup legends Yeats, Sagaro and Stradivarius are fondly remembered for winning the festival’s top prize on at least three occasions and for delivering on their short horse racing odds. Lester Piggott is the all-time leading jockey at Royal Ascot, riding 116 winners including a staggering eleven Gold Cup successes.

Royal Ascot Group 1 Races

● The Queen Anne Stakes (1 mile)

● King Charles III Stakes (5 furlongs)

● The St James Palace Stakes (1 mile)

● Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1 mile)

● Ascot Gold Cup (2 miles, 4 furlongs)

● Commonwealth Cup (6 furlongs)

● Coronation Stakes (1 mile)

● Diamond Jubilee Stakes (6 furlongs)

Royal Ascot Group 2 Races

● Coventry Stakes (6 furlongs)

● Queen Mary Stakes (5 furlongs)

● Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1 mile)

● Norfolk Stakes (5 furlongs)

● Ribblesdale Stakes (1 mile, 4 furlongs)

● King Edward VII Stakes (1 mile, 4 furlongs)

● Queen’s Vase (1 mile 6 furlongs)

● Hardwicke Stakes (1 mile, 4 furlongs)

Royal Ascot 2025

From the ante-post Royal Ascot betting markets to the board prices on the day, full coverage of the festival is right here at William Hill. Royal Ascot 2025 runs from Tuesday 17th to Saturday 21st June, and the latest Royal Ascot odds once again put focus on some of the biggest names around - here is what racing fans have to look forward to this year:

Tuesday, June 17th Highlights

The first Group 1 action for Royal Ascot betting gets underway on Tuesday with the Queen Anne Stakes. There is expected to be a big showdown between the highly-regarded Rosallion, trained by Richard Hannon and Roger Teal’s Dancing Gemini, who has hit top form this season. Notable Speech, Tamfana and Porta Fortuna could be among the other contenders. 

In Tuesday’s King Charles III Stakes, the field is potentially going to be wide open for horse racing betting. Henry Dwyer’s Asfoora and Aiden O’Brien’s Storm Boy could launch challenges from somewhere near the head of the Royal Ascot odds, but a deep field containing the likes of Regional, Starlust and Believing could put plenty of pressure on. 

In the St James’s Palace Stakes, John & Thady Gosden’s Field Of Gold has been strong in early horse racing betting odds, having previously recorded a win at the 1-mile distance. Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light could appear here or in the Commonwealth Cup, while Cosmic Year, Ruling Court and Henri Matisse are other potential contenders.

Wednesday, June 18th Highlight

The Willie Haggas-trained Economics is expected to be a strong contender in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes after a stellar previous campaign as a three-year-old. Aiden O’Brien’s Los Angeles, who was third in last year’s Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, could provide a stern test, with the likes of Anmaat, Kalpana and the Map Of Stars waiting in the wings.

Thursday, June 19th Highlight

Royal Ascot betting doesn’t get much bigger than the Gold Cup. This is the festival’s crowning glory and last year’s winner, Kyprios, is expected to return for a title defence, as he goes for his third career win in the Ascot Gold Cup. 

Aiden O’Brien’s superstar won his first spin of the new flat season and could be the one to beat as he heads the early Royal Ascot odds for this year’s Gold Cup renewal. O’Brien also has Jan Brueghel and Illinois among the entries, but along with the John & Thady Gosden-trained Courage Mon Ami and Sweet William, they are all much longer prices than race favourite Kyprios. 

Will Kyrpios defend his crown and become the first seven-year-old to take the title since Yeats in 2008 and only the second winner of that age since 1993?

Friday, June 20th Highlights

Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light has been a strong front-runner in the horse racing betting for this year’s Commonwealth Cup. The youngster scored Group 1 wins in the Juddmonte and Darley Dewhurst Stakes last year, plus he recorded a place finish in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May. Shadow Of Light will be well supported in Royal Ascot odds against the likes of Whistlejacket, Arizona Blaze and Henri Matisse. 

Desert Flower, another of Charlie Appleby’s top performers, could be in contention in the Coronation Stakes. The unbeaten filly has continued to impress and, on the back of her 1000 Guineas win at Newmarket as the even-money favourite, could take some beating. Opposing her at Ascot in the horse racing odds could be Zarigana, Lake Victoria and Flight.

Saturday, June 21st Highlight

Saturday is the final day of Royal Ascot Betting 2025, and the highlight of the day is the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. This should be a highly competitive finish to the festival’s Group 1 action this year, with Lazzat and Storm Boy among those at the head of the market early. Kind Of Blue, Believing, and Satono Reve could all bring claims for the contest, too.  

Future races and meetings

The Jumps season is well underway and there are many highlights still to come over the next few months. 

William Hill will bring you the latest horse racing betting to keep you across the action. Here are some things to look forward to:

Ascot's Christmas Weekend

Two days of quality racing where the runners battle it out over 3m½f in the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle. The card on the Saturday also features the Silver Cup Handicap Chase.

Kempton's Christmas Festival

This is a Christmas cracker with plenty of star names lining up in some of the biggest races. There's the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, as well as the Christmas Hurdle. 

Leopardstown Christmas Festival

Just like the racing at Kempton, this is another treat to savour over four days. There are plenty of Grade 1 contests, like the Christmas Hurdle and the Racing Post Novice Chase. The final day also has the Savills Chase and Matheson Hurdle. 

Welsh Grand National

After Boxing Day, attention turns to Chepstow for the Welsh Grand National. It's over a marathon 3m6½f trip with 23 fences jumped. Who'll be first past the post?

It’ll be an action-packed programme on New Year's Day before we gear up for Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham. It's held at the end of January and sparks festival fever with plenty of betting clues on offer.

And the following weekend sees Ireland's finest test their Cheltenham credentials at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

All of which leads nicely into four days of the very best National Hunt racing from the Cheltenham Festival in March. With a championship race each day, who'll take the ultimate glory?

In the build-up to these meetings, we'll have ante-post betting markets and the latest horse racing odds. Plus, look out for offers, such as Price boost, your Epic Boost and much more.

Early Horse Racing Prices

Check out the latest early prices for the day’s racing here at William Hill. Our early odds horse racing options give you the chance to jump into the markets early in the morning, before they shift and settle down as backers make their selections. 

From Cheltenham to Newmarket, Newbury and Fairyhouse, you can find the William Hill early horse racing prices on all UK and Irish meetings. Regardless of whether it is flat or national hunt season, early prices give you the chance to scope out the first prices on the board on the morning of a race.

Early Odds Horse Racing

Those early prices in horse racing betting are typically available at longer quotes than a runner will go off at. So checking out the early odds horse racing markets can hold an advantage over later picks. Early horse racing prices can be included in any type of bet, from straight win singles to accumulators, doubles, trebles and Lucky 15s.

Each way horse betting options are also available with early prices, which are different from ante-post picks. An ante-post selection is one from a future race that could be a week or more away. Find a great selection of ante-post racing odds too here at William Hill, for all the major highlights such as the Aintree Grand National, The Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot.

The early horse racing prices are just a small part of the extensive horse racing coverage at William Hill. You can catch live racing streams through Betting TV Live, find great form and racing insights, plus Price boost odds selections and other racing promotions

Horse Racing offers and promotions at William Hill

If you've been informed of promotion restrictions by William Hill, this promotion will not be available to you.

Epic Boost

Every week, we give you an Epic Boost that you can use to boost the odds on any runner in any race. Some weeks you can even get a price that is twice as nice!

Bet Boosts

Already used your Epic Boost? No problem, you still get a standard Bet Boost every day of the week.

Price Boost

Look out for boosted horse betting odds on selected runners or distance bets throughout the year.

Extra Places

A selection of races every day will see us offer more places than the traditional place terms. Look out for the Extra Places icon on the racecards.

Horse betting markets at William Hill

You can choose from a range of betting markets on every race with William Hill. Take your pick from:

• - Race winner – simply back a horse odds to win
• - Match bets – bet on one horse to finish in front of another
• - Place markets – pick a horse to finish within a certain number of places (e.g., to finish first three)
• - Betting without – take the favourite out of the equation (e.g., if your horse finishes second to the fav, your bet lands)

Horse racing odds and betting guidance

When betting on horse racing, there are a few types of bets to choose from. The standard options are:

• - Win – simply backing a horse odds to win the race
• - Each-way – got your eye on an outsider? Then backing it each-way means if it gets beaten in a head-bobber, you'll still get a return. This combines two bets – one on the horse to win and another on it to place

Need a hand to work out your potential winnings from an each-way bet? Check out our Bet Calculator or the Bet builder  tool of William Hill.

Understanding each-way betting

At William Hill, we offer Extra Places on selected races every day, while you can place each-way bets on your pick at any time by ticking the box in the betslip.

It's crucial to understand the place terms when you place an each-way bet, so here are the number of places paid depending on the numbers of runners in the race:

• - Less than five runners = win-only market
• - Five to seven runners = two places
• - Eight to 15 runners = three places
• - Handicaps of 16 or more runners = four places

Look out for our races with Extra Places as part of stable of great horse racing offers at William Hill.

Understanding horse racing terms

Like many sports, horse betting has its own unique jargon. Here are some key terms:

• - SP – refers to the starting price of each runner. You can back a horse at the odds available, or you can place a bet on its start price, which can go up and down
• - NAP – this is a tipster's strongest bet on the card or of the day. Check out the William Hill Naps Table for expert daily picks
• - NB – this simply stands for next bet. This is generally the second choice after a NAP

And if you want to find out more, check out our latest horse racing betting promotions.