Apart from knowing if a race is fixed, how can race goers be guaranteed of a tip?

You're best bet is to learn to read and understand past performances of each horse in the race. There's actually no guarantee in horse racing no matter what, period.

Note that Fixing and Cheating are two different things. Fixing means to rig to win, cheating by injecting steroids is in hopes to not get caught with a chance to win. Both, highly unlikely with out serious repercussions. Both are very series crimes. And the truth is that a horse race would be more difficult to fix more than just about any other activity on which money is bet. To cheat or fix a horse race so that a result of a certain order could be achieved, a criminal would probably need to get seven or eight jockeys and five or six trainers to put together a game plan, which is highly unlikely. The fact is many who have thought of or even tried to arrange fix races in the past have lived to regret it.

Also, with today's technology it makes it even tougher, camera's can zoon in to see a ink spot on ones silk. So, if fixing was arranged they would get caught. We have to look at Horse Racing like anything else out there crime related, there will be ones who will try to commit crimes but very few succeed. They manage to get caught and pay the price. So, with that I see it as impossible to rig races. In stake races and horse racing in general, it's every man for them-self, so to speak. Seems losers are always the complainers, they bet more than they can afford and lash out... otherwise if winning this question would never be. Best to walk away from the sport rather than stab the sport, because there's no guarantee for anyone, to continue betting on horses you must accept there's no guarantee, take your chances, don't bet every race, and certainly don't bet more than you can afford, and be sure to double check your picks for accuracy.

Drug testing too is a matter of routine now, carried out on both horses and jockeys before and after each race. No matter how you look at it technology has changed tremendously, making it impossible for either activity to happen without getting caught.

Bottom line: We live in a world that if an outcome is not what we hoped it must be because it's fixed or rigged. However, we must count on the good people with integrity that make postitive changes available to limit such activities!