How to Read a Racecard – A Guide

If you’ve been to the races before, you may have purchased a racecard; a diagram filled with what looks like a secret code. You may have also seen seasoned racegoers poring over them as if they were reading hieroglyphics. But what on earth are they understanding from these strange diagrams?

The Racecard

Courtesy of the Racing Post, here is a diagram of a typical racecard to get us started:

Image reproduced from the Racing Post

As you can see, at first glance it looks a little complicated.However, with a bit of practice, each section tells us a lot about the race ahead, along with each of the horses running. 

A Guide to the Sections

1. Owner’s silk, worn by Jockey. This helps you identify each horse during the race.
2. Draw (Flat Racing only) – the horse’s starting stall
3. Saddle Cloth Number, worn by the horse. Here, a letter R represents a Reserve Runner, and NR represents a horse that is no longer running in the race
4. Colour of the horse – b (bay), bl (black), br (brown), ch (chestnut), gr (grey), ro (roan), wh (white). Sex of the horse – c (colt), f (filly), g (gelding), h (horse), m (mare), r (rig). g1 indicates that the horse is running as a gelding for the first time. Note: A gelding is a neutered male, while a rig is a horse with one or two undescended testicles.
5. Horse’s Name. Where horse was bred (if outside GB)
6. Sire and Dam’s names (ie father and mother, in that order)
7. Number of days since the horse last ran this type of race. A different race type is shown in brackets if more recent (eg F for flat)
8. Age of the horse in years
9. Weight to be carried, as determined by handicap or by the race conditions. Note that this includes any penalty, but not any overweight conditions. See note below for more on this aspect.
10. Penalty (handicaps only) for win after weights are published
11. Latest form figures (down to 9th). The most recent form is on the right. Flat and point-to-point (jumps) are in bold. Figures to the left of a hyphen (-) are last season. Figures to the left of a slash (/) are from the previous season
12. Race history – BF (beaten favourite last time out), C (course winner), D (distance winner to ½ furlong, or 55y for flat races under a mile), CD (course and distance winner), Hc (horse has first run in a handicap)
13. Speed Rating by the Racing Post – Calculated by comparing the horse’s past times with the standard time, when adjusted for the going and any weight carried.
14. Racing Post Rating (RPR). Compiled by a form handicapper, adjusted for today’s weight. Best RPR is shown in black background. Green arrow is for improved form.
15. Rating given by the official handicapper
16. Jockey – any allowance for an inexperienced or apprentice jockey is shown in brackets. A “1” means that this is the jockey’s first race on the horse.
17. Owner
18. Trainer, with race count. Country is also shown in brackets.
19. Wind operation, with first or second time. This term describes a number of different veterinary procedures that are done to improve the horse’s upper airway.
20. Odds from the selected bookmaker
21. Price History
22. Headgear – b (blinkers), v (visor), e/s (eyeshield), e/c (eye cover), h (hood), t (tongue-tie), p (sheepskin cheekpieces). A “1” indicates “first time under today’s code”.

A guide to weight

Weights are published in stone and pounds, so the horse on this card would carry a weight of 11st 10lb. This would include the weight of the jockey and equipment, as well as any weights the horse would carry. This system is designed to level the playing field somewhat and make for a more exciting race. Most horses will carry around the same weight, though lighter weights may be used for younger or less experienced horses.

Not included in this measurement is any overweight condition, which is established when the horse and jockey are weighed out. In this case, the horse either races at a disadvantage or the jockey is switched for a lighter one; no equipment is changed.

When handicapping, a common rule of thumb is 5lbs = 1 second; a horse can run an average race 0.2 seconds faster for each pound you take off its back. This is however only a guide and it is up to the handicapper’s calculations and experience to make the final decision.

Handicapping

As for handicapping itself – this is another subject entirely and one that has much complexity and interpretation applied. Different handicaps are applied according to race type, and both rules and officials have high standards of fairness and transparency imposed, ensuring both professionals and racegoers a fair and exciting race. As to how it all works and what it all means, the British Horseracing Authority publishes a handy guide on their website here.

A real world example from Cartmel’s May Season Opener 2024

Racing Demystified

While a practiced racegoer can intuit a lot from the information on the racecard, there is an important equaliser that you must always remember – anything can happen! Having more information can give you more insights about which horse you think might win, but truly the proof is in the race itself. There are countless variables in racing, so with the best knowledge in the world, you never really know! 

Hopefully you now feel better prepared to read the mysterious racecard, but remember that any race is down to the horses and jockeys themselves. Armed with some details and a little luck, you too can enjoy the perfect race.