With the annual Cheltenham Festival just over, it seems clear that the UK isn’t falling out of love with horse racing any time soon. With close to £1 billion expected to have been placed on bets and almost 300,000 pints of Guinness poured, the fervour and traditions surrounding the sport remain as loved as ever.

Yet, amidst the pounding of hooves and very excitable crowds, there’s a whole lot of lore and superstition that surrounds the biggest events on the horse racing calendar. It’s thought they stem from a combination of historical anecdotes, folklore, and perhaps a dash of confirmation bias – and some of them are stranger than others.

Perhaps one of the most widely recognised superstitions in horse racing is the belief in lucky and unlucky numbers. Owners, trainers, and bettors will sometimes go to great lengths to either incorporate or altogether avoid specific numbers.

Numerous superstitions revolve around avoiding ill fortune. According to some bettors, it’s very important to never to let someone else purchase your race forms on your behalf. Another belief suggests placing your betting ticket amidst your own cash to attract more money, although there’s a contradictory superstition warning against putting betting tickets in your wallet, deeming it unlucky.

Additional superstitious advice advocates sticking with the same clerk or betting machine throughout the day. And, if luck does favour you with a win, the conventional wisdom advises against cashing in your winnings until the day concludes. It’s worth noting that this advice doesn’t extend to horse racing betting sites, where winnings are promptly paid out. Online is where you’ll also find some of the best odds around and excellent welcome bonuses, according to iGaming expert Peter Addison. So, it’s not surprising that many bettors are using the net to place their bets, as well as to possibly avoid some of the complexities of horse racing superstition altogether, too! 

It’s not just fans of horse racing: jockeys are not immune to superstitions either, far from it, in fact. The way they dress, from the colour of their silks to the arrangement of their gear, is often – not always but often – subjected to meticulous consideration based on superstitions by gamblers. Some jockeys may refuse to wear certain colours, fearing that they might bring bad luck, while others use lucky charms or rituals before mounting their horses. 

The pre-race routine is where superstitions really run wild. Trainers and owners may engage in these aforementioned peculiar rituals or routines, convinced that these will see good fortune brought to them. From specific paths taken to the paddock to the order in which horses are saddled, these rituals are as diverse as the jockeys that uphold them. The belief in the power of these actions is often passed down through generations, creating a sense of continuity and connection to the past.

The behaviour of the horses themselves also plays a role in fueling superstitions. Certain mannerisms or habits exhibited by horses before a race are sometimes thought of as signs of impending success or failure. A horse displaying restlessness or nervousness might be seen as a bad omen, while a calm and collected demeanour is taken as a positive indication. Of course, these interpretations are not grounded in scientific evidence but they do add a dose of anticipation (or downright stress) to racing. 

Weather conditions, too, are not exempt from superstitions in the world of horse racing. Some believe that rain on race day is a sign of good luck. Others think not. 

But now for something that little bit odder: peanuts are considered by many as a harbinger of doom. Yes, you read correctly. On the face of it, it might sound slightly odd, but when you think about it – if peanut shells are discarded on the ground, a horse might accidentally step on one, leading to a small but impactful injury or infection – it makes a little more sense now, right? There are bettors who adhere strongly to this belief, refraining from placing bets if they have the misfortune to stumble across shelled peanut remnants near their preferred horse’s stall.