How Do You Read Weight In Horse Racing?

Weights are written in a basic format, such as ‘9-4’. This means 9 stone, 4 pounds. The OR is also visible on the race card. The higher the OR, the heavier the weight the horse will need to carry.

What does the weight mean in a horse race?

The weight allocated to a horse in a race refers to the weight of the jockey plus their kit (including the saddle). If the weight the horse is supposed to carry is more than the weight of the jockey plus their equipment the extra weight is made up by adding lead weights to the horse’s saddle cloth.

What does 7lb claimer mean?

Apprentices: – 7lb until they have won 20 races; – 5lb until they have won 50 races; – 3lb until they have won 95 races.

What is the best weight for a race horse?

An average horse weighs 900-2,000 pounds, depending on size and breed. A lean, racing fit Thoroughbred, for example, has an average weight of 900-1,100 pounds, while the average Clydesdale (think Budweiser) weighs in at 1,800-2,000 pounds.

How do you read horse racing results?

Form runs from left to right, with the oldest races on the left and the most recent on the right.

1. The numbers 1-9 indicate the position the horse finished in the race.
2. The number 0 indicates that the horse finished outside the first 9.
3. The symbol – separates racing seasons.

Is a heavier or lighter horse better?

Higher weights win more often
Horses with lower weights are the least likely to win, although again it has to be said that class has a lot to do with this fact. Another key statistic to be aware of is that horses going up in weight (relative to their last start) have a far better strike-rate than horses down in weight.

What is a heavy 10 in horse racing?

10. Heavy. Heavy. Heaviest category track, very wet, towards saturation.

Do jockeys talk to their horses?

shoulder. Jockeys do talk to each other during races.

How many winners before a jockey lose their claim?

Once they have ridden 75 winners, the jockey loses their claim and becomes a fully-fledged professional. In Flat racing, Apprentice jockeys have the same weight allowances, but the winning milestones lie at 20, 50 and 95 respectively.

What does 3kg claimer mean?

As a jockey accumulates more wins and advances past set levels, the amount of weight he is able to claim reduces. An apprentice is able to claim 4kg till they have won five races, 3kg till they have won 30 races, 2kg till they have won 60 races and 1kg up to their 100th win.

What weight is too big to ride a horse?

Deb Bennett, PhD, founder of the Equine Studies Institute and an expert in the biomechanics of horses, has advised that the “Total weight of rider plus tack must not exceed 250 lbs. There is no horse alive, of any breed, any build, anywhere, that can go more than a few minutes with more weight on its back than this.

What is the minimum weight for a jockey?

There is no one standard for weight in racing, only a recommendation that a jockey not carry less than 118 pounds, according to the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

What happens if a jockey is overweight?

If a rider weighs in two pounds or more over the weight that he weighed out, the Clerk of the Scales will report the rider to the Stewards and may be suspended. The one pound under and two pound over tolerances reflect the weight loss or gain a rider may incur dependant on weather conditions.

What is the most common winning number in horse racing?

The most successful post position in history is the number five, which has produced four winners since 2000 and 11 percent of all winners. Other relatively successful post positions include the number ten (10.7% winners) and the number 15 with 10.2%.

What is the best bet in horse racing?

What horse bet pays the most? The horse bets that pay the most are the accumulators. However, with an accumulator bet, all your horse racing selections need to win (or place if each-way) so there is less chance of you winning. But as the odds are higher this gives you the highest-paying returns.

What is the most important factor in horse racing?

Of the many things to consider, the one factor that will probably be near the top of most punters list of important handicapping factors is the going, or essentially the horse’s ability on the going.

How heavy is too heavy to ride a horse in KG?

As a general guideline in the UK, a rider should weigh no more than 10% of the horse’s bodyweight, but in the US, this limit is doubled to 20% of the horse’s weight. This means for a 500kg horse, the range for the maximum rider weight is large – 50kg in the UK (just less than 8st) and 100kg in the US (15st 10lb).

At what age are horses the fastest?

4.45 years
We find that a typical horse’s peak racing age is 4.45 years. The rate of improvement from age 2 to 4 1/2 is greater than the rate of decline after age 4 1/2. A typical horse will improve by 10 (horse) lengths in sprints (less than 1 mile) and 15 lengths in routes (one mile or greater) from age 2 to 4 1/2.

Does jockey weight matter?

That is a so-called assigned horse weight. Racehorse trainers always choose jockeys whose weight is closest to the assigned weight to maximize the chances of winning. The math is simple. The more weight a horse carries, the less chance it has to finish in the first place.

What does a heavy 8 track mean?

Rain affected track
Heavy 8: Rain affected track that horses will sink into. Heavy 9: Wet track getting into a squelchy area. Heavy 10: Heaviest category track, very wet, towards saturation.

Is yielding softer than soft?

Unique to Irish racing, yielding is equivalent to the British good to soft.