If you've never been to the races before, you're in for a whale of a time as you get to see incredible steeds and jockeys soaring past you while the crowd roars their approval. It's a very tense sport, and you'll soon find that it only gets more tense once you have more than hope riding on one particular horse!

If you feel a bit overwhelmed by all the races, rules and betting, don't be! If you can comprehend anything from motorsports on the TV to Partypoker, then picking up the rules won't be too difficult, and in no time at all you'll be cheering along and discussing potential winners with the rest of the crowd.

Now, many sports may indeed revolve around who wins, but horse racing takes this to another level entirely, with high-strung races between some of the most closely-matched competitors around. It's not like F1, where the car may define who wins and who loses - horses and riders are strictly regulated, and absolutely anyone could win, which makes placing a bet a more tense and exciting experience than it would be normally.

It's also worth going with a group of people - some horse racing events, such as South Africa's J&B Met, are fun and fashion events where everyone takes their partner and dresses up for the occasion. If you're looking for a weekend activity and you want to throw on a few bets and see what happens, then do so!

Here's hoping you have a great time at the races, and of course if you're local to us, then a lot of the information on this site will be of great help to you. So get out there, place some bets, see some races, and enjoy yourself - it's a great day out!