Horse Racing Tips
Horse Racing Terms and Abbreviations
In this blog you’ll learn about how to read a racecard as well as lots of other important horse racing terms that you’ll need to know if you’re looking to follow horse racing.
How to read a racecard
Reading the form on a racecard is the very best way to make an informed decision on which horse you think may win the race or get placed.
Read left to right, the form listings are easy enough to understand when you know what each character signifies.
In simple terms, the numbers tell us where in the race the horse finished, and dashes indicate notable period of time off the racetrack, where the horse may have been out of work. For example, form listed as 312-4 tells us that the horse came third, then first, then second prior to a break, after which it finished fourth on its latest outing.
But what if the form reads 3P2-4, or 3U2-4? And is the horse any better or worse for having these letters in its form? There are numerous abbreviations of industry terms which denote non-finishers and their reason for not completing the race.
Read on for a brief guide on the meanings of the most common abbreviations to help you make your selections next time you read a racecard.
Pulled-Up – PU/P
PU or P means ‘Pulled-Up’. In these instances, the jockey has made the decision mid-race to stop their horse from finishing. They do this for the best interests of the horse, who may be struggling with the ground, feeling lame, or may have made a bad mistake at an obstacle. Pulling-up is a way to save the horse for another day, not risking any injuries by forgoing the race and a better result. Even the very best horses are pulled up from time to time, so this is usually no reflection on ability.
Unseated – UR/U
UR or U means that a horse unseated its rider during the race. In these instances, the jockey falls off as a result of a horse jumping a fence badly, misbehaving or stumbling. Horses often continue to gallop with the field in these circumstances, but, as they are not carrying a rider, are no longer included in the results, even if they go past the winning post. Again, this is usually just bad luck and is no reflection on the ability of the horse or the jockey.
Void Race – V
Unforeseen, extraordinary circumstances can, on rare occasions, require a race to be voided, therefore yielding no result. This is presented in a horse’s form as ‘V’.
Refused – R
An ‘R’ in the form means either ‘refused’ or ‘ran-out’. These are two slightly differing terms for an instance where a horse declines to jump a fence during the race. Coming to a stop when presented at the fence is known as ‘refusing’, whereas ducking out to the side of a fence is known as ‘running out’. The result of both is the same: elimination from the race as all fences must be cleared in order to officially complete the race. A horse who refuses often is seen as unreliable, and you may want to think twice before betting on a horse with an ‘R’ next to their name.
Outside first 10 – 0
While this does not denote a non-finisher, it is worth knowing that a 0 in a horse’s form indicates an occasion where the horse finished the race but was not in the first ten over the line. This does not always mean that the horse is no good; even the best horses can struggle in the wrong conditions, so it is seldom advised to take form at face value.
Other Horse Racing Terms
All-Weather
The surface on which winter Flat racing takes place. UK racecourses which have an all-weather surface include Newcastle, Kempton, Wolverhampton, Lingfield, Southwell and Chelmsford.
Ante-post
An ante-post bet is placed ahead of declarations being made for a race, so month or weeks ahead of when the race is scheduled to be run. It may be voided if the horse in question is not declared.
Blinkers
Headgear worn by some racehorses which limits their peripheral vision so they can only see forwards. This often helps the horse to focus on their task during the race and, therefore, to win.
Boxed in
Refers to when horses cannot get past other runners in the race, so their most direct route to the winning line is blocked.
Bumper
A National Hunt race without any obstacles. These are for young and inexperienced horses and are designed to educate.
Chase
Short for ‘Steeplechase’. Refers to the larger obstacles known as ‘fences’. Horses usually progress to racing in Chases after having run in bumpers and then over hurdles.
Cheekpieces
Refers to ‘sheepskin cheekpieces’, which are soft but bulky additions to a horse’s bridle. They reduce a horse’s backward vision, encouraging them to concentrate.
Claimer
A ‘claiming’ jockey is a trainee (known as a Conditional (National Hunt) or an Apprentice (Flat)), who have weight taken off their horses to account for the jockey’s inexperience. For example, if a horse is allocated 11 stone for a race, but is ridden by a Conditional Jockey who claims ten pounds, the horse ends up carrying 10 stone 4lbs.
Colt
An entire, uncastrated male horse.
Dam
A horse’s mother
Declared
‘Will race’. Horses are provisionally entered in races well ahead of the raceday, but are confirmed to run two days in advance.
Draw
Applies to Flat racing. A random ‘draw’ assigns a horse to a starting stall. Depending on the nature of the track, there can be fortunate draws which can help a horse achieve a win, or unlucky draws which make winning more difficult due to positioning.
Filly
A female horse under the age of five.
Furlong
The metric used to define race length. There are eight furlongs in a mile, and a furlong is about 200m.
Gelding
A castrated male horse of any age.
Going
Refers to the state of the ground. The going might be ‘Firm’, ‘Good’, ‘Soft’, or ‘Heavy’.
Hacked up
Won easily, without having to try too hard.
Handicap
A handicap is a variety of race where all runners are assigned individual weights to make the contest as fair and competitive as possible.
Handicapper
The person responsible for assigning horses individual weights.
Hood
Headwear for a horse which covers their ears, reducing noise to help them to remain calm and concentrate.
Hurdles
The smaller obstacles in National Hunt racing.
Juvenile
A two-year-old in Flat racing, or a three-year-old in National Hunt racing.
Length
Simply refers to the length of a horse from nose to tail. A metric used to describe how far apart horses are, either during the race or the finish.
For example, ‘The horse won by two lengths’.
Maiden
A race for horses who have not yet won a race. Can also refer to the horse itself.
Mare
A female horse over the age of five.
Nap
The bet of the day that is most likely to win.
Neck
If a horse wins a race ‘by a neck’, it simply means that it was the length of a horse’s neck in front of the horse who finished second.
Noseband
Refers to a ‘sheepskin noseband’; a soft but bulky addition to the horse’s bridle which encourages them to keep their head in the right place as, if they carry their head too high, their vision is impaired by the sheepskin.
Novice
A race for horses in their first season of racing.
Nursery
A handicap race for two-year-olds on the Flat.
Off the bridle
Denotes a horse not travelling well in a race.
On the bridle
Denotes a horse travelling well in a race.
Pacemaker
The horse who takes the front position in the field during a race, thereby setting the pace.
Paddock
Also known as the Parade Ring, this is the ring around which horses are led before proceeding onto the racecourse.
Parade ring
Also known as the Paddock, this is the ring around which horses are led before proceeding onto the racecourse.
Racecard
A booklet, purchased at the racecourse, which contains information on all the runners in each race and the race itself.
Sire
A horse’s father.
Stallion
An uncastrated male horse used for breeding.
Stalls
The mobile structure from which horses start a race on the Flat.
Staying on
Finishing a race well, not slowing down or weakening.
Stewards’ Enquiry
An enquiry held by the stewards to determine the result of any given race.
Tongue-strap
A soft strap which prevents a horse from ‘swallowing’ his tongue. May improve their performance in a race.
Turn of foot
Denotes acceleration. ‘Has a great turn of foot’ would mean ‘can speed up significantly’, whereas ‘hasn’t got much of a turn of foot’ would mean ‘can’t speed up significantly’.
Under starter’s orders
When the starter collects and orders all of the runners to get ready to begin the race.
Visor
Headwear which limits a horse’s backwards and side vision, but to a lesser extent than Blinkers. Can aid concentration and improve performance.
Yearling
A one-year-old horse.
