Are you getting ready for a day at the races? Amongst choosing an outfit and planning how to get there, newcomers should also factor in some time to learn about form. This is the information provided about a race, telling you what the runners and specific horses have done in previous races. It can help you pick out a possible winner in a race. Below, we discuss the form and how to study it on your racecard.
Form Figures
When you find the horse’s name on a racecard, it will have several numbers next to it. The more races it has run, the more numbers it will have. So if you are betting on fairly young horses and new racers, they may not have any.
This is essentially a tally of how it has done in its previous meetings, showing the places it achieved. It reads from left to right in chronological order. So if it read 3451, it came first in its last race and fifth the time before. There are also a few other symbols that may be included.
0 – Horse finished outside the top 9 runners
– – Separates racing seasons
P/PU – The horse was pulled up and did not compete in a race
Jump Racing
Jump racing has its own set of symbols. This is because more circumstances can occur that can cause a horse to fail to complete a race.
R – A horse refused to run
F – The horse fell
BD – The horse was brought down and this was caused by another runner
U/UR – The horse unseated its rider
All these symbols are important because you can see how well a horse has done before. Horses that have won plenty of races or finished higher will generally tend to be more fancied to win the race. It can also be helpful if you are thinking of becoming part of a syndicate. Racehorse ownership is a very real prospect for many, due to the low prices of entry. Many websites can allow you to buy into a horse and share in the profits. These sites provide all the information you need, but as a newcomer, it can be helpful to use the form as a guide if the horse has run before.
Other Symbols
There will be other symbols that you will see on the form. These can assist in helping you get an idea of how the horse has done in that type of race before. For example, a horse may have racked up some impressive wins, but it may have been at shorter distances.
C – The horse has won on the same course before
D – The horse has won races over the same distance before
CD – The horse has won a race at the same course and the same distance in the past
BF – Beaten favourite. This means that the horse was the favourite for a race but did not win.
There are plenty of other factors that will be included on the racecard to help you pick out a winner. These can include the trainer, jockey, and the parentage of the horse. Some horses also prefer different types of ground. However, with these, you should be able to get started and hopefully pick a winner on your first day at the races.