| At first glance, horse racing form can appear tricky. It's | | | | the various all weather courses. Some horses show a |
| full of all sorts of information that must be important, | | | | preference for certain race courses and this can |
| otherwise it wouldn't be printed would it? Understanding | | | | mean that they stand a better chance of running well |
| horse racing form is one of those things that you | | | | at these locations. If your chosen horse has won at |
| should spend a bit of time on so that you can begin to | | | | the distance as well, that can be a good omen. |
| see which factors are important in the races you | | | | Going |
| choose to bet on. | | | | All weather courses just have "standard" going but |
| Recent results | | | | regular events held on grass will have a forecast for |
| Most form cards will show a series of figures and | | | | the going for the race. This is basically a factor of how |
| letters for the horse's recent results, with the most | | | | much rain there has been recently. Firm means exactly |
| recent results first, such as: | | | | what it says - there is little give in the ground. Soft |
| 0U57-22 | | | | means there has been some rain and the ground is - |
| A dash will separate results between seasons. | | | | as you'd expect - softer. Heavy has seen even more |
| In this case, the horse has come second in its two | | | | rain and many horses will literally find it heavy going |
| outings this season. Last season it came 7th, 5th, | | | | although some love running in what is almost a mud |
| unseated its rider and wasn't placed in the top 9 in the | | | | bath. |
| race. | | | | Class |
| These figures can be useful but you also need to | | | | A bit like school, races are graded by class. If a horse |
| know a few other things to help guide you... | | | | has moved up or down a class of race, this is likely to |
| Distance winners | | | | affect its form. If it's moved up, there is a good chance |
| These are signified by the letter 'D' on the race card. If | | | | that it will take a few races before it gets used to the |
| a horse has won at the same distance as the current | | | | stiffer competition. If it's moved down a class, this could |
| race then there is a good chance that it can win again | | | | be a sign that it will have a better chance of winning |
| at the same distance. Some horses are sprinters | | | | against what it should see as weaker competition. |
| whereas others prefer longer races that require more | | | | Other factors |
| stamina. If a horse is constantly changing the distance | | | | There are a few other factors that need to be taken |
| it runs at this could be a sign that the trainer hasn't | | | | into account. The number of days since a horse last |
| found the horse's preferred distance. Of course, it | | | | ran can be a useful thing to look at. In the same way |
| could also be a sign that the trainer is placing the horse | | | | as athletes, it takes a while for horses to recover from |
| in a race that is a distance it doesn't like just to lower | | | | the exertion of a race and get fit for their next outing. |
| the handicap mark - this kind of inside information isn't | | | | This varies from horse to horse. There could also be a |
| easy to come by. | | | | reason for a large gap since the last run - for instance, |
| Course winners | | | | the horse could have been injured and has spent time |
| These are signified by the letter 'C' on the race card. | | | | recovering. Sometimes these factors will be noted in |
| Each race course is different - some are relatively flat, | | | | the description on the race card, other times you'll have |
| others undulate more. There are different surfaces at | | | | to do the detective work yourself. |