Our picks:

- The 2010 Grand National Festival at Aintree. Running from the 8th to the 10th April, this is the next major National Hunt race on your horse racing calendar.

- The 2010 Scottish Grand National Festival at Ayr. Taking place on the 16th & 17th April this year, Scotland’s richest National Hunt meeting ensures to fulfil all of your quality racing needs.

- The StanJames.com Guineas Festival at Newmarket. The first (we think) major flat race of the Spring season – hosting the 2,000 Guineas Stakes – one of Englands Triple Crown racing events. The Guineas Festival is taking place on the 1st and 2nd of May this year.

- The May Festival at Chester. Chester Racecourse will be in the spotlight from the 5th to 7th May this year, with three days of wide-ranging appeal for all breeds of horse racing enthusiasts.

- The Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Downs. Including two of the most prestigious horse races of the horse racing calendar – the Epsom Derby, and the Epsom Oaks – the Derby is a flat racing events that horse racing enthusiasts cannot afford to miss. It takes place on the 4th and 5th of June this year.

- The Royal Ascot Festival at Ascot. Playing host to a massive seven Group 1 races, and in our opinion, the social and racing event of the season! This year it starts on the 15th June and wraps up on the 19th June.

- Glorious Goodwood at Goodwood. Hosted from the 27th to the 31st of July this year, the five days of decadence and equine spectacular that make up the Glorious Goodwood Festival are the capital of race course couture. Described by King Edward VII as, ‘the garden party with racing tacked on’.

- The Ebor Festival at York. With multiple first-rate feature races on each day such as the Ebor Handicap and Nunthorpe Stakes, from the 17th to 20th of August you can be sure to be delivered a feast of horse racing goodness.

- The St Leger Festival at Doncaster. Including one of the three English Triple Crown events – the St Leger itself – and one of the longest running regulated horse races in the world – the Doncaster Cup – from the 8th to 11th September, you won’t find a better place to meet your horse racing spectating and punting needs.

Disagree with us? Or do you widely agree but have an event you would like to draw our attention to? Leave your most anticipated Racing Festivals of 2010 in a comment below.

Those experienced in betting on horses know that track conditions can have a very real effect on the outcome of a race. Unusual track conditions can turn a horse with no chance into a champion if that runner is particularly suited to those conditions.

The following are the different track conditions, and how they affect dirt and turf tracks:

Good – For turf, this is a fairly firm course with a reasonable amount of give to it. On dirt tracks, this is a drying dirt covering that can slow down the horses.

Firm – This is a drier turf course than a Good track, without as much give.

Fast – This is a dirt course that should provide the fastest possible run times. The surface is dry and steady.

Wet-Fast – On dirt, this is a fast track has a slight amount of moisture on top.

Muddy – This is a dirt track that is very moist and slows down run times.

Yielding – This is a turf track with a deep water level that considerably slows the runners.

Sloppy – This is essentially a flooded dirt track. There is a layer of water on the track deep enough to cause puddles.

Slow – A deep and dried out dirt track that can slow runners down.

Heavy – This means the course has deep pockets of water, and causes the greatest slowdown.

Soft – A turf course that has more moisture than a Good track, with more give than a good track would have.

Frozen – This is a dirt track with frozen moisture, producing a hard surface.

When trying to pick a winner who is not a favourite, be sure to take track conditions into account. For example, if the track is Heavy, and you know there is a horse with long odds in the race who has nevertheless performed very well on Heavy tracks, you’ll want to consider a bet on that runner.

The term trifecta is related to the word “perfecta” in parimutuel betting. It is also similar to a hat-trick in cricket, in that it is a success on three consecutive attempts.

Continuing on from the trifecta is the superfecta: a wager that selects the correct first, second, third, and fourth competitors to cross the finish line in order. Trifectas and superfectas are also known as a Tiercé and First Four, respectively, depending on which nation the race is being held.