If you’ve landed on this story, chances are you are either planning to bet or attend the 2024 Far Hills Race Meeting. You might even be there right now trying to figure out how, who, and what to bet at the races. Never fear, we’ve got you covered.

The first section below features key betting terms to know for a day at the races. The section after that features selections for the six races Oct. 19 at Far Hills from America’s Best Racing’s Noel Michaels.

Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse racing picks can be found, including in print in the Daily Racing Form, The HorsePlayer Magazine and American Turf Monthly, online at DRF.com, Twinspires.com and USRacing.com, from the paddock on-track at Arlington International Racecourse, and on dozens of radio and television shows.

The final two sections include some additional racing terms that might come up during the day at Far Hills so you are up to speed on the unique language of horse racing.

Betting Basics

Win bet – A bet on a horse to finish first.

Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.

Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.

Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show); and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. It's actually three bets.

Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.

Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.

Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.

Morning line – The odds that the track handicapper predicts a horse will be to win the race when it starts.

Did you know? When placing a bet, state the name of the track (Far Hills), the race number you want to place a wager on, the amount of the bet, the type of bet, and the horse you would like to be on in that order. For example, Far Hills, Race 2, $5 to win on #3.

Far Hills Race Analysis From Noel Michaels

Far Hills, Race 1, $50,000 Harry E. Davis Hurdle Stakes, post time 12:50 p.m. ET

Hidden Path (Coady Media)

The first race of the day has drawn a field of eight jumpers ready to go 2 1/8 miles on the Far Hills course. #5 Hidden Path has yet to finish worse than third since beginning his jumping career earlier this year, including his maiden win and a pair of in-the-money finishes in stakes races at Saratoga and last time at Belmont at the Big A. His last race was a third-place finish by three lengths in the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Handicap and the second-place finisher, L’Imperator, will compete in the Grade 1 American Grand National Stakes later today. A repeat of his Lonesome Glory effort would make him very tough to beat in this spot. #2 Smart Uncle keeps finishing second in a variety of races this year and seems like a good choice to round out the exacta boxes. He finished second in a race over the hurdles back in April and has since returned to the flat to run second a couple more times, including last time out in a $180,000 race at Kentucky Downs for trainer Jack Fisher. Jockey Graham Watters, who leads the steeplechase circuit with 19 wins this season, has the mount. The other horse to consider for your bets is #3 Little Trilby, who flopped at Saratoga in his first U.S. race last time but had won two in a row in Ireland before that and could rebound today with first-time Lasix.

The Play: Bet on #5 Hidden Path (2-1) to win and play him in exacta and trifecta boxes with #2 Smart Uncle (8-1) and #3 Little Trilby (4-1).

Far Hills, Race 2, $70,000 McDynamo Maiden Stakes, post time 1:32 p.m. ET

A field of 10 will race 2 1/8 miles seeking their first career win. The trainer/jockey combo of Jack Fisher and Graham Watters team up again in this race with #3 Minella Juke, who gained ground and passed horses throughout to finish a solid second last time in a 10-horse field in his career debut. That effort along with his high-percentage winning connections makes him the horse to beat. #6 Harrenhal also exits a second-place finish in his career debut in a race where he beat a couple of today’s same rivals in a good effort. Jockey Jack Kennedy was one of the stars of the Far Hills races last year when he had three wins and a second in his five races that day. There also could be a live first-time starter in this race, and that’s #2 Rucker Road for trainer Leslie Young, whose barn has won with five of its last 17 first-time starters dating back to last year.

The Play: Bet #3 Minella Juke (2-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta boxes with #2 Rucker Road (8-1) and #6 Harrenhal (6-1).

Far Hills, Race 3, $100,000 Peapack Stakes, post time 2:11 p.m. ET

Learn more about the Far Hills Race Meet

The Peapack Stakes features a field of eight fillies and mares going 2 1/8 miles. The runner-up in this race last year, #1 Right Tempo, returns to Far Hills as the horse to beat in this year’s field. Since last year’s Peapack, Right Tempo has raced twice and has won both times including an 11 ½-length victory last time out in a $50,000 stakes. Right Tempo has traded wins and losses in the past with #8 Gold Charm and that pair has a good chance to comprise the exacta in today’s race. Gold Charm exits a win in a $102,000 stakes race at Colonial Downs last time in a race where she defeated another of today’s rivals, #3 Exculpate, by 2 ¾ lengths. Exculpate came into that race on a two-race winning streak that included a 15 ½-length win in an earlier Colonial Downs stakes race. Exculpate turned in her typical solid effort last time but could not keep up with Gold Charm, who earned her third career win over the jumps.

The Play: Bet on #1 Right Tempo (2-1) to win and play her in exacta and trifecta boxes with #3 Exculpate (4-1) and #8 Gold Charm (3-1).

Far Hills, Race 4, $100,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle Stakes, post time 2:57 p.m. ET

A field of 10 has been entered to race 2 ½ miles in this stakes race for a $100,000 purse. #6 Jimmy Dan has been a steeplechase win machine this season with four wins in five outings so far for the aforementioned Watters/Fisher jockey/trainer combo. This will be a slightly tougher assignment, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down and can cap off a great year with yet another victory. Another horse in this field that could be classified as a “win machine” is #1 Evie’s Prince, who has won three of six outings so far this season including a $100k stakes win at Saratoga two races ago. The 10-1 morning-line odds on him represent major value. Also, there is a foreign invader in this field that shouldn’t be overlooked, and that is #4 Saint Riquier, a stayer who has put together a very good year in 2024 in Great Britain where he has won four of his six outings. He seems like a prime candidate to successfully convert to the jumps today.

The Play: Bet #6 Jimmy Dan (6-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta boxes with #1 Evie’s Prince (10-1) and #4 Saint Riquier (6-1).

Far Hills, Race 5, $250,000 American Grand National Stakes, post time 3:42 p.m. ET

Snap Decision (Coglianese Photos/Susie Raisher)

The Grade 1 American Grand National has drawn a terrific nine-horse field in 2024 for what will be perhaps the premier American jump race of the year. The race is loaded top to bottom with contenders and a strong case could be made for six or seven of these horses to win. The headline matchup many will come to see today will be between likely favorite #5 Snap Decision and the defending winner of this race in 2023, #3 Noah and the Ark. While Noah and the Ark has struggled in two outings so far this year, Snap Decision won twice in high-profile races this season, including an eight-length victory over Noah and the Ark back in April. The main thing lessening enthusiasm for Snap Decision today is his last race, which was a sub-par third-place finish behind #4 Sebastopol. One of the stories of last year’s 2023 Far Hills race day was trainer Gordon Elliott, who won three of the seven races on the card. Clearly, he gears up for this meet and he is sending out an under-the-radar contender here with #8 Galvin with jockey Kennedy aboard, who rode all three of Elliott’s winners last year. Galvin exits a fourth-place finish in a 32-horse field going 4 5/16 miles last time in the world’s most famous steeplechase race, the $1.25 million Grand National Handicap at Aintree in England. If today’s 2 5/8-mile trip gives him enough ground to work with, Galvin should be the sleeper horse to beat.

The Play: Bet on #8 Galvin (8-1) to win and play him in exacta and trifecta boxes with #4 Sebastopol (6-1) and #5 Snap Decision (8-5).

Far Hills, Race 6, $150,000 John Forbes Stakes, post time 4:32 p.m. ET

The six-race Far Hills 2024 card wraps up with this 14-horse field running two miles on the flat for a purse of $150,000. With a purse like that, it’s not surprising that this race has drawn such a large and standout field of long-distance turf runners. The contenders in this field last raced at a wide variety of venues including Saratoga, Kentucky Downs, Belmont at the Big A, Laurel Park, Colonial Downs, Monmouth Park, and Woodbine, and they will carry weights between 140 and 148 pounds for this two-mile journey. The standout in the field is #13 The Grey Wizard, a proven distance specialist from the barn of trainer Graham Motion who owns stakes wins this year at 1 ½ miles and two miles and exits a solid second in the $440,000 Blackwood Distilling Nashville Gold Cup at Kentucky Downs going 2 1/16 miles. If there’s any horse in this field that had this race circled on his calendar all along, it’s this guy. The horse in this race that can add value in your wagers along with the favorite is #3 Familiar Dreams from the jockey/trainer duo of Kennedy and Elliott, who, as mentioned above, teamed up to win three races at this meet last year. Familiar Dreams flopped last time in his U.S. debut in the Nashville Gold Cup but deserves a chance to rebound here based on the connections and based on five wins in Ireland this year in races ranging from 1 7/8 miles to two miles in distance. The other horse to consider is #9 Too Friendly, another foreign longshot that shows multiple career wins in England going two miles.

The Play: Bet #3 Familiar Dreams (20-1) to win and use him in exacta and trifecta boxes with #9 Too Friendly (20-1) and #13 The Grey Wizard (8-5).

Visit farhillsrace.org to learn more about the Far Hills Race Meeting and to get tickets.

Visit the National Steeplechase Association website.

Additional Horse Racing Terms to Know

Stakes – A race for which the owner usually must pay a fee to run a horse. The fees can be for nominating, maintaining eligibility, entering and starting, to which the track adds more money to make up the total purse. Some stakes races are by invitation and require no payment or fee.

Fans at Far Hill Race Meeting (Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)

Steeplechase – A race in which horses are required to jump a series of obstacles on the course. Steeplechase races in the United States are run over National Fences (artificial brush fences), natural brush fences, and timber fences. In England and Ireland, jump races are over hurdles and steeplechase fences.

Jumper – Steeplechase or hurdle horse.

Past performances – A horse’s racing record, earnings, bloodlines, and other data, presented in composite form in places like the track program or Daily Racing Form.

Dam – The mother of a horse.

Sire – Father of a horse.

Furlong – An eighth of a mile. Thus, a 12-furlong race is 1 1/2 miles.

Length – A measurement approximating the length of a horse, used to denote distance between horses in a race.

Simple Guide to Racehorse Running Styles

Front-runner – A horse whose running style is to attempt to get on or near the lead at the start of the race and to continue there as long as possible. Also known as a pacesetter.

Stalker – A horse that is capable of relaxing early in races behind the pacesetter but with enough speed to stay closer to the front so he/she has less ground to make up late in a race.

Closer – A horse that runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.