"Horse racing is a mirror of life. It's beautiful. It's brutal. It's pure. It's real." - Bob Neumeier

History

Horse racing was introduced during medieval England. The first known racing purse was offered during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, and it stood at £40 for a 3-mile race. Charles II became known as “the father of the English turf”, inaugurating races which resulted in prizes being awarded to winners. By the mid-18th century the demand for public racing had resulted in larger fields of runners. Races varied depending on age, sex, birthplace and previous horse performances. These races were created in which owners were the riders, and the field was restricted geographically to a township or county. The Jockey Club of Britain, founded in 1750, wrote its own rules of racing. These originally only applied to those of Newmarket, but was later widely regarded as a model of rules throughout Britain. These are the core rules we see in racing today.

Handicapping

The handicap system strives to level the playing field for horses. When they qualify for an opening mark, they carry the weight equivalent to their oppositions mark. For example, one horse rated 105 would carry 3lbs less than a horse rated 108. These help to make races more competitive, with handicaps being seen as a target for horses unable to run in better races off the same weight. The better the results, the higher their mark will continue to rise, resulting in the horse having to carry more weight, and vice versa with a drop in results.

Horse Racing Glossary.

Glossary

Abandoned: When a race meeting is abandoned, usually due to weather conditions

Ante-post: Betting on future races before declarations are made for the race

All-Weather: Artificial racing surface. The three are, Fibresand, Tapeta and Polytrack. 

At The Post: When horses arrive at the start

Blinkers: A form of headgear the horse wears to reduce chance of the horse being distracted

Betting Ring: Area on the racetrack where bookmakers operate

Brought Down: When a horse falls during a race as a result of another horse falling

Colt: Male horse under 4 years old (Flat racing). 

Cheekpieces: Another form of headgear which the horse wears to ensure concentration

Dead Heat: When two (or more) horses finish exactly level. 

Disqualified (DQ): When a horse is removed from the result due to breaking rules. 

Draw: Starting stall number in flat races (can matter a lot depending on track). 

Declared: A horse is confirmed to run in a race

Each-Way (EW): A bet split in two: one for the win, one for the place (e.g. top 3 finish). 

Favourite: The horse most backed by bettors, with the shortest odds. 

Filly: Female horse under 4 years old (Flat racing). 

Flat Racing: Races with no obstacles, run on turf or all-weather tracks. 

Foal: Horse under 1 year old. 

Furlong: A unit of distance (1 furlong = 1/8 of a mile ≈ 200 metres). 

Fences: The larger obstacle of the two in national hunt racing.

Gelding: Castrated male horse. 

Going: The condition of the ground (e.g. firm, good, soft, heavy). 

Green: When a horse shows clear signs of inexperience in a race

Guineas (currency): Traditional currency used to purchase racehorses (1 guinea = £1.05)

Handicap: A race where horses carry different weights, based on ability, to make it more competitive. 

Hurdles: The smaller obstacle of the two in national hunt racing. 

Jockey: Rider in the race. 

Listed / Group / Grade races: Higher quality races, with Group 1 (Flat) or Grade 1 (Jumps) being the very best. 

Length: A measurement of the distance between horses at the finish of a race. A length is measured of a horse from head to tail.

Maiden: A race for horses that have never won before. 

Mare: Female horse 5 years or older. 

NAP: A tipster’s best bet of the day. 

National Hunt (Jumps): Races where horses jump hurdles or fences. 

Novice: A horse in its first season over hurdles or fences. 

Outsider: A horse with long odds (unlikely to win). 

Owner: Person(s) who own the horse (could be you!). 

Off The Bridle: When the horse is pushed along by the jockey and loses contact with the bit in its mouth.

Off The Pace: When the horse is further back than the leaders in the race.

Open Ditch: A fence which has a ditch on the approach to it.

Pace: Speed of the race; “front-runner” sets the pace early. 

Photo Finish: When the result is so close the judge checks a photo. 

Pulled Up (PU): Horse didn’t finish the race (often jumps racing). 

Rating: The way horses are measured on their ability.

Sire / Dam: Father / Mother of a horse. 

SP (Starting Price): Official odds of a horse when the race begins. 

Stewards’ Enquiry: An official investigation into possible rule breaches. 

Trainer: Person responsible for training the horse. 

Trip: The race distance. (“Stays the trip” means a horse has enough stamina for it)

Weighed In: Official confirmation that the jockey’s have the correct weight in the race

Wind Operation: A surgical procedure which assists with a horse’s breathing. 

Race Classification.

Class 1

  • Grade 1 - horses may receive weight depending on their age & sex.
  • Grade 2 - horses may receive weight depending on their age & sex, and also whether the horse has won in the past.
  • Premier Handicap - horses handicap rating (mark) is used to determine how much weight is added.
  • Listed - races that are a notch below Graded and Premier Handicaps. These no longer include handicaps.

Class 2

  • Open Handicaps - the amount of weight carried is determined by the handicapper and the horse’s official rating (mark).
  • Weightforage Conditions Races
  • Handicaps 145+
  • Open Novices’ Handicaps
  • Weightforage Juvenile, Novices’ & Beginners’ Races - novice hurdles mean horses must not have won before that season, They are allowed to win during the season and still compete in Novice events. Juvenile novice hurdles are for those that were 3 at the start of the season and hadn’t won a hurdle race.
  • National Hunt Flat Races (Bumper) - these don’t involve and jumps. They tend to be restricted to horses aged four to sic and are used to give them their first experience of the National Hunt world.
  • Hunters’ Steeple Chase - restricted both to amateur riders and horses that are currently issued with certificates to show they have been taking part in hunting.

Class 3

  • Open Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chases - for horses that carry a handicap mark and hadn’t won a race of any description before the start of the season.
  • Handicaps & Novices’ Handicaps 125-140
  • Weightforage Novices’, Beginners, Juvenile & Maiden Races - maiden races are for horses that have so far not been able to win any hurdle or chase. Beginner chases are for horses that hadn’t won a chase before the start of the season.
  • National Hunt Flat Races
  • Hunters’ Steeple Chases

Class 4

  • Handicaps & Novices’ Handicaps 105-120 - for horses that carry a handicap and hadn’t won a race of any description before the start of the season.
  • Weightforage Novices’, Beginners, Juvenile & Maiden Races
  • Weightforage Claiming & Selling Rces
  • National Hunt Flat Races
  • Hunters’ Steeple Chases

Class 5

  • Handicaps & Novices’ Handicaps 100
  • Weightforage Maiden Races
  • Weightforage Claiming Races, Selling Races & Selling Handicaps
  • National Hunt Flat Races
  • Hunters’ Steeple Chases

Class 6

  • National Hunt Flat Races
  • Hunters’ Steeple Chases