How to Read a Racecard and Use It to Your Advantage
If you want long-term success betting on horses, you must know how to read a racecard. In a nutshell, a racecard gives you a snapshot of everything you need to know before a race, including each horse’s recent form, which refers to their past performance.
The knowledge gained from studying a racecard can be crucial when looking for an edge on the betting sites. While many bettors use the word “form” to refer to a horse’s past performances, this is just one part of the broader information on a racecard.
If you're unsure how to read a racecard, this guide is for you.
Note: Some novice bettors use the term “form” to mean the racecard itself, but in this article, we focus on the racecard as the detailed list of runners and race info. For insights on a horse’s recent performances—commonly called “form”—see our separate guide on evaluating a horse’s form.
Racecard Basics
Above we have an example of a racecard.
Let’s break down all the information shown here:
- Race Number: The horse’s race number can be used when placing a bet at the track. When it comes to handicap races, the lowest-numbered horses are the ones carrying the most weight.
- Draw Number: The number in brackets indicates where a horse is drawn in the stalls. This detail applies to flat racing only.
- Jockey Name: Indicated in this case by a “J”.
- Trainer Name: Indicated in this case by a “T.”
- Form: You will see a series of numbers showing where the horse has finished in recent races. The most recent outing is farthest right.
- Weight: For handicap races, this value represents weights assigned to horses according to their handicap rating.
- OR: This stands for Official Rating, a numerical value the British Horseracing Authority assigns to represent the horse’s ability. (On racecards in the United States, a similar concept is expressed as speed figures—such as Beyer Speed Figures—which indicate how fast a horse ran in a race, adjusted for track conditions and other factors).
- RPR: This acronym stands for Racing Post Rating. The number takes into account several factors, including weight and recent performances. (RPR primarily applies to racing in the UK and Ireland. Again, racecards in the U.S. use speed figures as a similar performance metric.)
- Top Speed: Indicates how fast a horse can run. (In the U.S., speed figures are used instead.)
How to Read Form Figures on a Racecard
A racecard should be read from right to left, with the latest performance features on the far right.
"1" means a horse won the race, "2" represents second, and so on. A hyphen (-) will denote a break in seasons.
The number "0" means the runner didn’t finish in the first nine.
The letter "R" means the horse refused to run, "U" means the rider was unseated (meaning the jockey fell off the horse, but the horse itself did not fall), and "F" means the horse fell. Finally, the letter "P" signifies that the horse was pulled up during the race and didn’t finish.
Keep in mind that form can sometimes be misleading. A string of 1s might suggest a horse should be a big favorite, but horses often achieve these in lower-grade races before stepping up in class.
Form Figures Glossary
| Term | Abbreviation/Example |
|---|---|
| Form | 32448-34 |
| Finished Outside First Nine | 0 |
| Change of Season | - |
| Season Before Last | / |
| Brought Down | B |
| Carried Out | C |
| Disqualified | D |
| Fell | F |
| Left at Start | L |
| Horse Ran Out | RO |
| Pulled Up | P |
| Refused to Race | R |
| Slipped | S |
| Unseated Rider | U |
| Void Race | V |
More Racecard Terms to Understand
When learning how to read a racecard, you may notice that more detailed information can be found through interactive racecards on online betting sites and other websites.
Once you understand the basic terms, you should expand your knowledge before betting.
Here are some terms found on racecards to familiarize yourself with.
Distances
The abbreviations below represent relatively close finishes between horses.
You'll also often find a number denoting the distance between horses, which is always shown in lengths.
Similarly, a number in brackets underneath might indicate the distance between a horse and the race winner.
| Term | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Nose | nse |
| Short Head | shd |
| Head | hd |
| Neck | nk |
Going
The going refers to the condition of the ground and is a crucial piece of information to consider when evaluating a race. In U.S. racing, this is typically referred to as the track condition.
The going is generally not confirmed until the day of the race when the course has been inspected.
Heavy rainfall during a meeting might change track conditions not reflected on the racecard.
| Going Terms | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Firm | f or fm |
| Good | g or gd |
| Hard | hd |
| Heavy | hvy |
| Soft | s |
| Standard | stand |
| Yielding | yld |
Race Type
A meeting, also known as race day in the U.S., generally includes between six and nine races, and a wide range of different race types could be included.
Understanding each race type is helpful, especially when betting on a handicap, where runners are weighed according to their rating.
Here are some of the most common abbreviations relating to race types:
| Race Type | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Grade 1, 2, or 3 (Jumps) | Gd |
| Group 1, 2, or 3 (Flat) | Gp |
| Handicap | Hcap |
| Hurdle | Hur |
| Chase | Ch |
| All-Weather Race | AW |
Headgear
Some horses are fitted with headgear equipment to help improve their performance.
These standard abbreviations will help you understand what a horse might be wearing to improve its chances in a race.
| Headgear | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Hood | h |
| Blinkers | b |
| Cheekpieces | p |
| Tongue-Tie | t |
| Visor | v |
| Eye Hood | e |
| Hood & Tongue-Tie | Ht |
| Eye Cover | e/c |
| Eye Shield | e/s |
Applying Racecard Knowledge to Your Bets
Consider Course & Distance Form
Sometimes, a racecard will bear the abbreviation "CD," which stands for course and distance.
This indicates that the horse has won before at that exact course and over the same distance.
It can often be a telling piece of information, considering that not every horse in a race is suited to the track or the length of the trip.
We recommend going beyond the racecard and delving deeper into course and distance information.
Some racecourses are fairly flat, while others, especially in the UK and Ireland, are more undulating. There’s also the fact that runners travel anti-clockwise around some racecourses, while there’s a clockwise circuit for other tracks.
It might not sound significant, but some runners are renowned for jumping left-handed or right-handed in National Hunt racing, primarily in the UK, Ireland, and France.
Distance is also crucial, and trainers will try horses over different distances to determine whether they are suited to the trip.
Understand the Going
Some bettors argue that the going is the most critical factor to consider when assessing a race.
The track conditions are usually announced provisionally before a race event and confirmed by the racecourse officials or clerk of the course on the morning of the race day.
A betting market can be significantly affected by a change in the going.
For example, some runners perform better when the ground is soft or heavy (meaning a very soft, wet, and muddy turf track condition), and you'll see money backing these horses when those conditions are in play.
Alternatively, some horses are suited to firmer track conditions, so check the weather forecast before a meeting to establish how ground conditions might affect the races.
Relatedly, it's not unusual for horses to be withdrawn from a race at short notice if the trainer doesn’t feel they'll be suited to the conditions.
Compare Handicap Weights and Mares Allowance
Each horse in a handicap race is assigned a specific weight according to its overall rating.
So while you might initially like the chances of the highest-rated horse at the top of a racecard, the burden of carrying top weight could mean there are more attractive alternatives.
Sometimes a horse is considered favorably weighted for a race, especially if that weight was assigned before a recent showing.
Similarly, mares (adult female horses, typically 4 years and older) are assigned a weight allowance when running against their male counterparts. This is a controversial topic, and it’s often argued that female horses don’t need this advantage.
Mares’ allowance can be a significant factor in backing the right selection.
