A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Dress up – it’s a good old Australian tradition to put on your glad rags for a day at the races. And at many of Warwick’s race meetings, there are prizes to be won for Fashions on the Field – men and women.  It could be you!

  • Wear a Hat – You’re in the country now, and need sun protection; and besides, a hat complements the glamour look.

  • The local races, of which there are 5 on ordinary race days and 6 on Cup day, usually span from approx. 1.00 til approx. 5.00. So arrive in time to enjoy the spectacle, or earlier if you are having lunch at the races.  Gates open at 11.30am.

  • Get a race book; it offers book prizes, a lucky racebook number, and information about the local races. On Cup day it has metropolitan fields also.

  • Race book prizes include a night for two at the Brisbane Riverview Hotel, a meal at Wens Thai Restaurant, and two bookmakers’ betting vouchers.

  • Be prepared to have a little tipple with either the bookmakers or the TAB.  Minimum bet is around $2.

  • Examine the form of each local runner in your race book. It tells you how each horse went in its last 3 or 4 races.  It tells you the horses’ names & numbers, the jockeys' colours, and the trainers' and jockeys' names.

  • This information gives you a lot of options for choosing your winner, sight unseen. You may feel whimsical and go by numbers or colours; you may follow a particular jockey or trainer;  or you may prefer to look at each horse and see if you can pick the fastest one.

  • Wander across the lawn past the rows of horse stalls, keeping outside the fence, and appreciate the horses and the efforts of the people who look after them.

  • Go to the saddling enclosure (opposite the finishing post) and watch the horses parade before each race. It’s a wonderful exhibition of horseflesh & you can pick your winner.

  • Watch the jockeys being legged up onto each bundle of explosive energy, and marvel at their courage as they canter off to the starting stalls around the other side of the racetrack. 

  • If you fancy a tipple, place a bet before the race starts, with a bookmaker fielding LOCALS; the TAB only offers bets on the metropolitan races.

  • Collect your winnings; or be philosophical about your losses, and keep them to a minimum.

    • BETTING SIMPLIFIED
    TAB BETS

    • SINGLE BETS: back a horse to win, or if you’re not so confident, back it for  a place – but then even if it wins, you only get paid for a place

    • QUINELLA: first 2 horses in either order

    • TRIFECTA: first 3 horses in correct order

    • FIRST FOUR: first 4 horses in correct order

    • DOUBLE: winners of 2 nominated races

    • TREBLE: winners of three nominated races

    BOOKMAKERS’ BETS

    • STRAIGHT OUT: backing a horse to win

    • EACH WAY: back a horse to win, or to run a place