At first glance, horse racing form can appear tricky. It’s full of all sorts of information that must be important, otherwise it wouldn’t be printed would it? Understanding horse racing form is one of those things that you should spend a bit of time on so that you can begin to see which factors are important in the races you choose to bet on.

Recent results

Most form cards will show a series of figures and letters for the horse’s recent results, with the most recent results first, such as:

0U57-22

A dash will separate results between seasons.

In this case, the horse has come second in its two outings this season. Last season it came 7th, 5th, unseated its rider and wasn’t placed in the top 9 in the race.

These figures can be useful but you also need to know a few other things to help guide you…

Distance winners

These are signified by the letter ‘D’ on the race card. If a horse has won at the same distance as the current race then there is a good chance that it can win again at the same distance. Some horses are sprinters whereas others prefer longer races that require more stamina. If a horse is constantly changing the distance it runs at this could be a sign that the trainer hasn’t found the horse’s preferred distance. Of course, it could also be a sign that the trainer is placing the horse in a race that is a distance it doesn’t like just to lower the handicap mark – this kind of inside information isn’t easy to come by.

Course winners

These are signified by the letter ‘C’ on the race card. Each race course is different – some are relatively flat, others undulate more. There are different surfaces at the various all weather courses. Some horses show a preference for certain race courses and this can mean that they stand a better chance of running well at these locations. If your chosen horse has won at the distance as well, that can be a good omen.

Going

All weather courses just have “standard” going but regular events held on grass will have a forecast for the going for the race. This is basically a factor of how much rain there has been recently. Firm means exactly what it says – there is little give in the ground. Soft means there has been some rain and the ground is – as you’d expect – softer. Heavy has seen even more rain and many horses will literally find it heavy going although some love running in what is almost a mud bath.

Class

A bit like school, races are graded by class. If a horse has moved up or down a class of race, this is likely to affect its form. If it’s moved up, there is a good chance that it will take a few races before it gets used to the stiffer competition. If it’s moved down a class, this could be a sign that it will have a better chance of winning against what it should see as weaker competition.

Other factors

There are a few other factors that need to be taken into account. The number of days since a horse last ran can be a useful thing to look at. In the same way as athletes, it takes a while for horses to recover from the exertion of a race and get fit for their next outing. This varies from horse to horse. There could also be a reason for a large gap since the last run – for instance, the horse could have been injured and has spent time recovering. Sometimes these factors will be noted in the description on the race card, other times you’ll have to do the detective work yourself.

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