RacingBetter News
	Friday 8th October 2021

How To Read And Evaluate A Horse’s Racing Form

Imagine yourself inside a loud and breathtaking horse racing arena watching a thrilling competition. You might probably find yourself enjoying the race going on, as well as getting tempted to bet on the horses you think can win. These are no longer surprising as horse racing is a game where you can enjoy while taking a chance to earn money by betting.

For many years that horse racing has evolved, its contribution to the sports betting market continues to grow bigger. Apart from being unique, horse racing happens all year round, so there’s always a way to bet and earn. Also, it has gone digital so that you can stream and gamble anywhere you are.

As you learned in the past, horse race betting can be exhausting. You have to get ready by choosing your bets wisely. In line with that, you also have to review the racehorse's form as the most efficient and effective way to choose a real winner. If you are not sure how to read forms like past breeders cup odds and results, here’s a guide you can follow.

Name Of The Race

At the topmost portion of the card, you can find the name of the race, its classification,  the requirements for entry, the distance, and sometimes the purse prize of the competition.

Name And Number Of The Horse

Each participating horse has an assigned number shown on the side of the saddle. It also has a name on it so everyone can recognize them.

The Colors

Included on the race card is the color assigned to each jockey. They wear these colors during the race, so spectators can identify every participating entry.

Weights

Aside from the horses’ number and name, a card also includes the weight of the participating entry. It is a combination of the horse and the jockey's weight to make sure that everyone has fair competition.

Day Since The Last Race

It is written and displayed in a bracketed manner right next to the horse’s name.

The Form

After you have seen and read about the basic information about the horse, next to find out is the form. It has a collection of letters and numbers that shows the most critical data about the horse.

• 1 - indicates the horse winning the race
• 2 - in the second place
• 3 - a horse won the third place
• 0 -  it is labeled to a horse that won 10th place or further

For letter assignments, these are for horses who did not finish the race successfully. Here is the designation

• F - Fall
• U - Unseated the jockey
• S - slipped on
• P - pulled-up
• L - left (at the start)
• R - refused

Gender

Horses, too, have gender, and it is included in the form. Do know that colts are terms used for younger male horses while fillies are terms for younger females horses. Geldings are those neutered males, while mares are female horses that are above four years old.

Here’s how it’s displayed in the form.

• C - colts
• F- filly
• G- gelding
• H- horse
• M- mare

Foreign/Overseas Horses

In some horse racing competitions, foreign horses can attend. Thus, the form is also displayed where the entry comes from. For example, an IRE for Ireland, GER for Germany, and FR for France.

Course And Distance Form

The letters written in the horse’s name indicate that they won a similar horse or the same as the ones they ran before.

• C - won at the said course
• D - has won the distance but in a different course
• CD -  has won to specific or assigned distance and course
• BF - indicates that the horses were favorites but had lost the race

Equipment

It is labeled to the type of equipment that a racehorse is wearing.

• b-formatting
• v-visor
• e/s-eye shield
• h- hood
• ts-tongue strap

Jockey Name

The name of the jockey is written next to the name of the horse.

Trainer Name

Written after the jockey’s name.

Official Rating

This is a rating given to a horse depending on the authorized evaluators.

Overall Summary

It is written at the end of the race card. It summarizes all the horse’s achievements from the beginning up until the current race.

Final Thoughts

A horse racing card, for some, may not be important when picking a racehorse to bet. Do know that it works like a reviewer. It records all the experiences of the horse to all the races he participated in. Not only that, but it also indicates how they perform, achievements, trainers, jockeys, and even earnings.

Therefore, if you would like to bet on horse racing and want to generate a high income when betting, learn the basics by reading a racing form as this is the best weapon you can bring in any horse racing tournament.