Horse Racing Guide
Horse racing takes many forms but the most common available to punters in your local bookmaker is Flat and National Hunt. Under the British Horseracing Board Rules there is flat racing which was traditionally run in the summer months on grass, but with the advent of all weather surfaces it is now run all year around. National Hunt or more commonly known as jumps racing was restricted to the August - May period but again is now run throughout the year.
All races are run over distances measured in imperial units of miles, furlongs and yards. A furlong equates to just over 200 metres and there are 8 furlongs in a mile.
Flat racing
On grass the season starts in late March with the Lincoln Handicap as the first big race and goes through to autumn with the Doncaster November handicap as the last big race. During the winter months there is all weather racing but punters should be careful, there are 3 all weather circuits with different surfaces. A horse might have a preference for one all weather track but hate another. Generally speaking the quality of horses racing on all weather tends to be the nags rather than quality horses. In the springtime however there can be decent animals in preparation for the oncoming grass season on the all weather scene.
Flat races on grass or all weather are run over distances ranging from 5 furlong up to 2 mile 6 furlong. Horses like humans vary in their ability to win races and there are races organised to suit all types against similar opposition.
Types of Flat Races
The classes (A to H)
A = Pattern (Group 1, 2, 3) & Listed
B = Ratings Band 0-100+
C = 0-85/100
D = 0-75/85
E = 0-65/75
F = 0-60/65
G = Selling, Apprentice & Amateur Races
H = 0-45
The categories
Pattern; the top races, Group 1, 2, 3.
Listed; races just below pattern standard.
Rated Stakes; valuable handicaps.
Conditions Stakes; non-handicaps intended for horses just below class A.
Classified Stakes; non-handicaps with maximum rating, for horses that have run at least three times, or run twice and won at least once.
Standard Handicap
Maiden Handicap; for 3yo + maidens, max rating of 70, that have run at least four times.
Open Maiden
General Definitions
Handicap: weights are determined by official ratings. Flat horses are rated on a scale of 0-140 and most handicaps have specified ability range.
Nursery: handicap for 2yo.
Claiming Race: connections of the horse nominate the minimum price for which the horse can be claimed. This determines the weight to be carried.
Selling Plate: for low class horses (often called platers). The winner must be offered for auction.
Maiden: horse that has not won a race.
The Classic races are restricted to 3 year olds and are namely the:
One Thousand Guineas, run at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile for fillies.
Two Thousand Guineas, run at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile for colts.
The Oaks, run at Epsom over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlong for fillies.
The Derby, run at Epsom over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlong for colts.
St Leger, run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile 6 furlong.
The value of any horse winning a Classic is increased enormously because of the breeding potential. As such it is unheard of these days for Classic winners to be kept in training past their third year.
Courses can vary from flat tracks to undulating (up and down hill), turning right, left or both (figure of 8). Bends can be tight or gradual and horses can react differently to those different traits. The ground conditions can be all important, a horse that likes a lot of rain and heavy going may not like dry, firm ground and vice versa.
Flat races are started from starting stalls and the horses are drawn to run from a particular stall. The draw can have a marked effect on the chances of a horse winning.
Since this was written, flat racing classes have undergone a few changes. Class 1 for the best horses, down to Class 7 for Regional Racing.
New Classes:
Class 1: Group 1-3 and Listed Replaces old Class A category
Class 2: Ratings range 86-110 Replaces old Class B category
Class 3: Ratings range 76-95 Replaces old Class C category
Class 4: Ratings range 66-85 Replaces old Class D category
Class 5: Ratings range 56-75 Replaces old Class E category
Class 6: Ratings range 46-65 Replaces old Class F & G categories
Class 7: Ratings range 0-45 (Regional racing) Replaces old Class H category
National Hunt Or Jumps Racing
Unlike flat racing the minimum distance of a National Hunt race is two miles but the real difference is that horses in National Hunt races have to jump obstacles. These can be hurdles or the much larger fences and there will be a minimum of 8 obstacles in each race. The pinnacle of the National Hunt season is (arguably) the Grand National. Run at Aintree over a distance of 4 miles 4 furlongs and 30 of the most difficult fences in racing and is a spectacle to behold. Horses are not raced over hurdles until they are a minimum of 4 years old (3 in France ) and do not reach a peak until 8 years old. As such National Hunt horses do not have much breeding value and there are no Classic races. However, there is in my opinion, more character with the National Hunt horses and they will compete year after year at the Champions meeting at Cheltenham known as 'The Festival'. All the best horses from the UK , Ireland and France compete for a cherished Festival win. Good National Hunt horses are much sought after and can trade for six figure sums.
28th May 2004 : J P McManus smashed the world record for a National Hunt horse when going to 530,000gns for Garde Champetre in a hectic days trading at Doncaster yesterday.
Like flat racing the ground conditions can have a significant impact on the chances of a horse winning. Similarly flat or undulating tracks and travelling left or right handed can have an impact on the outcome of a race. Another factor is the type of obstacles, some courses the fences are more difficult than others and the distance between fences can vary from track to track. To know that a horse does or does not act on the course it is racing on is critical.
How do I decide what to bet?
Well if you have got this far without being totally dis-heartened and confused your going to have a bet. The internet has opened up a whole new avenue of advice and tools to help you in your quest. If you want the easy option just click on the EBA site and read the advice available, it really is 'The Board of Dreams' and second to none.
You can obviously trawl through a race and try reading the form of every horse in that race, take account of ground conditions, the course etc etc and come up with your own selection. There are other alternatives.
Systems
Systems produce selections from a well thought out set of rules. There should always be a good reason why they work, for example:
Quick Return Handicaps
Back colts and geldings who last ran within 3 days. Must have won within the past 4 weeks and SP in single figures.
Why does it work?: a) Because males hold a tremendous edge over females, b) turning out quickly on the sand is a huge positive, c) by insisting the horse has won within 4 weeks shows he has winning ability, d) single figure SP ensures that the contender is no donkey, or is not taking a big rise in class.
Placing a Bet
There are 4 common ways to place a bet.
On the internet, and please do open an account through one of our links. It helps fund the site and more importantly there are some terrific free bets available to you.
Telephone accounts, there are a number of bookmakers that will offer bonuses on multiple bets.
Your local bookmaker, very restricted with the number of races offering early prices and you do have to get off your arse.
Betting exchange, generally better odds available early doors but near to the off the odds comparison with an internet bookie can be negligible and you do pay commission on winnings.
The odds also known as the price, is the chance a bookmaker offers for a selection to win. May be shown as:
A ratio expressed as a fraction e.g. 4/1 (or 4-1) usually called fractional odds. In this example, for a winning £1 bet you would get back £5 (£4 winnings, plus your £1 stake).
A ratio expressed as decimal number e.g. 5.0, usually called decimal odds. In this example, for a winning £1 bet you would get back £5 (£4 winnings plus your £1 stake). The return is calculated by multiplying the odds by the stake. 5.0 in this notation is the same as 4/1 in the fractional form. Similarly 1.62 is 8/13 (or 13/8 on).