Top Racing Apps for Major UK & Irish Races

The UK has been one of the world’s hot beds for horse racing for a number of decades now. The sheer volume of meetings held every day puts the majority of country’s to shame. Not only are there a plentiful amount of races taking place the coverage is also excellent.

The introduction of smartphones and tablet devices has meant the way in which we watch, bet and research horse racing has totally changed. Gone are the days of having to buy a local newspaper every morning to check the runners and riders or purchase a copy of the Racing Post to get some of the latest tips. These days, all that information is available from just the click of a button on your mobile device. It also means that this information is available on the move, so there are potentially no limitations to when or where you will be able to get a hold of your required information.

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FilmOn - Free Live Streaming App

FilmOn UK Channel Options

Film On is a free to view app that allows users to watch a host of their favourite TV channels live from their smartphone or tablet device. The app is completely free to use and includes channels that you would usually find on your Freeview/ Free Sat set top boxes and also an inclusion of channels from around the world. We can hear the cries of what does this have to do with horse racing? Well, the app includes both BBC channels and that of Channel 4 which often show a number of live races throughout the year, including the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, The Oaks, The Derby, the St. Leger, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and the Grand National.

The best thing about Film On is that it’s one of few streaming apps that will work really well via just a 3G connection. Often with these free-to-view apps you will be required to have a Wi-Fi connection of which isn’t always possible, so the 3G certainly adds to the app. Getting access to something like bet365’s streaming service will likely be better in the long run as its coverage is much more extensive, but for times when you want to watch the full coverage of a meeting then this is an excellent free option.

A honorable mention needs to go to the Channel 4 On Demand app also.  Although it currently lacks live streaming, it does allow UK citizens to watch replays of their coverage of major race meetings like Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival.  The app is currently available for free download on Windows Phone, iPhone/iPad and Android.

NOTE:  UK terresterial channels will only be available if you are based in the UK.  Otherwise you will need to use a VPN service like HideMyAss.com or TunnelBear.com to access the live streams.

RTE Player - Irish Television Streaming

RTE is the Irish equivalent to the UK’s BBC television network. Their app allows you to view live streams and also catch up programs of what’s been shown on the channel within the last 21 days. A big chunk of RTE’s sports section is made up of horse racing but it must be made clear that only people in Ireland will be able to view this channel. That being said, the number of race meetings that are shown are pretty much all in Ireland anyway, but still provides a decent range to not only catch live streams of races for free, but also catch up on racing that you might have missed.

Unlike the Film On app, RTE allows you to link up to your Apple Air Play devices meaning if you have Apple TV then you will be able to watch the racing on your television. You can also link it to social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook allowing you to share what you are watching.

The RTE player offers live streams and replays of major Irish horse races and meetings from Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Punchestown and the Curragh

RTE Player

DOWNLOAD: iPHONE VERSION - ANDROID VERSION

Bet365 - Best Horse Race Betting App

We are going to dive straight in with a look at the Bet365 app and more specifically, their horse racing section. For those of you that don’t know, then Bet365 is one of the UK’s largest bookmakers and one of the areas that they have excelled in is that of horse racing. Whether that is from market coverage or simply to the sponsorship of some of the UK’s biggest race meetings, Bet365 have continued to be a leading light within the industry.

There app is probably the best out for horse racing punters, with a huge array of information on offer. The standout feature probably comes from their market coverage and whilst obviously the UK is more than catered for, their international coverage is second to none. From here it’s then possible to access their extensive race cards which are a feature on their own. Not only can you get information such as jockey/trainers, forms, weight, age, latest live odds, various markets to bet on and a link to be able to bet via the Tote, Bet365 have a longstanding affiliation with the Racing Post giving you a short, yet detailed synopsis of each and every horse within that race.

And on top of all that, you can stream the majority of races – all from the UK and Ireland – directly from the app for free providing you have an active Bet365 account.  For more information read our full review here.

Racing Post - Best App for Tips, Form & News

Anyone who has been around horse racing for any period of time will have heard of the Racing Post. For those of you that haven’t, then essentially the Racing Post is one of the biggest distributors of horse racing information in the world. It provides every stat, race, results, preview, tips and even streams that you could imagine, making it the hallmark for horse racing punters.

Their app is basically their electronic version of their ever popular newspaper and magazine, but it is able to store so much more information making it probably the most powerful tool for mobile users in UK horse racing.

It works by being able to buy each edition of the racing post directly from the app. Whilst it’s a bit of a pain – and the only paid for app we have included – that you need to pay for parts of the app, it’s just so detailed and in-depth that its worth every penny. For the casual race goer you can pick up the copy you are looking for at just £1.99 or you can subscribe for £24.99 a month if you are going to get more out of it on a regular basis. Click Here to read our full review of the Racing Post app.

For full details, visit http://www.racingpost.com/mobile/

Specialist Racecourse Apps

It’s always worth looking out for some of the more generic racecourse apps which will give you a bundle of information on that specific racecourse. You tend to find that the majority of the major racecourses will all have them including Ascot, Cheltenham, Chester, Doncaster, Epsom, Newmarket, Goodwood, Haydock Park, York and many more.  The apps, admittedly vary in quality with some offering you information on how to get to the racecourse, where to stay, upcoming events and just generally being a bit of a tourist type app. Whereas others will provide in-depth information on races that day and also allow you to bet directly from the app, although more often than not you will be redirected to a third party bookmaker. Our Racecourse Directory provides a comprehensive list of every UK racetrack app.

Looking for horse racing tips apps?  We've already the best betting advice apps in our Tipping Apps section.