What do horse racing 'odds' mean?

Question

What do horse racing 'odds' mean?

Answer 1

the racing odds, is a price given to a horse to win the race, this varies to the horse form , or breeding lines.

if for example to horse is 5/4 this means youu have to put 4 on to win 5. also reciving back your stake money.

Answer 2

The odds for a horse in a race mean that which ever horse has the most money bet on him by the public. The lower the odds the more money he has had bet on him. The horse with the lowest odds is considered the favorite.

Answer 3

Odds don't really mean anything other than how much money you'll get on a winning bet.  And, I say they mean nothing, because it doesn't really tell you anything about the horse other than what other people think.  And, its not even necessarily what other people think, as much as its what the big bettors think.  

One would think, that the lower the odds the better the horse, and in most cases thats true.  But, if you have 100 people, and 99 like 1 horse and bet anywhere from 2-10 on that horse, but the 1 remaining person likes another and bets 10,000, thats the horse that will be the favorite, because its all about the money.  

I still remember one time I was looking at the racing form and I noticed a horse in Sam Houston that was by far the best horse in the race.  His workouts were solid, 3F in 35 flat showed some good speed in his last races, and, I just thought he was the class of the race.  I look at the odds boards and see 30-1.  Lets just say I cleaned up that night.

Answer 4

well its like this love, its like a gear , if u see a horse with the 1 odds pickem, he will be the fastes thing running and the only thing that can be = or better is 5/2 7/5 8/5 and soo on, ya dig?

so get at me [e-mail] and lets get that money

Answer 5

In the U.S. where we have para-mutuel wagering(betting amonst our selves) the "odds" are the approximate payoff you will receive when tour horse wins. For example, if your horse is 4/1, your payoff will be approx. $10. (4 dollars for every 1 you bet, plus your original $2 wager.) Odds such as 5/2 are expressed this way because the odds board can't show two and half to one. If you have any questions please e-mail.