Kickthebookies is the analytical layer of horse racing: the statistics, prices and records behind a race, shown plainly so you can make your own call.

This page teaches you to read a racecard: what each line and letter means, which parts of a horse’s record matter for today’s race, and a simple routine for working through a field — with every term explained once and the deeper guide linked where you want more.

Contents: What form is · The racecard, line by line · Reading the form figures · Going, distance and course · Class and the race types · Weights and ratings · Headgear and the other signals · Pace and the draw · Trainers and jockeys · The price and your own view · A simple routine · A worked reading · Common questions

What form is

A horse’s form is its record of runs: where it finished, over what distance, on what ground, in what grade and under what weight. Read well, it tells you two things — what the horse has actually done, and whether today’s race asks the same questions.

Two habits make the difference. First, read the conditions before the finishing positions: a run on heavy ground over three miles says little about a race on fast ground over two. Second, weigh recent form over lifetime totals. A yard or a horse can be in form or out of it, and the last 14, 30 or 90 days say more than a career line. Every horse, trainer and jockey profile here shows runs and wins in those windows for exactly that reason.

The racecard, line by line

Every racecard follows the same shape. The header describes the race; each runner line describes one horse.

The race header

• Time and course — the off time (UK time) and the track. Each course has its own shape and quirks, and its own statistics page from the record.
• Race name and type — Flat or jumps; a handicap, a maiden, a novice race and so on (the types are explained below).
• Class — the grade of the race, Class 1 (highest) to Class 7 (lowest).
• Distance — in miles and furlongs; eight furlongs make a mile, so 1m4f is a mile and a half and 7f is seven furlongs.
• Going — the ground, from heavy to firm (the scale is below).
• Runners and prize money — the field size, which also sets the each-way place terms.

The runner line

• Form figures — the string of numbers and letters before the name, most recent run on the right.
• Number and draw — the saddlecloth number and, on the Flat, the stall the horse starts from.
• Headgear — blinkers, cheekpieces, a visor, a hood or a tongue-tie, usually shown as a small letter after the name.
• Age and weight — the weight carried today, in stones and pounds.
• Official rating (OR) — the handicapper’s mark for the horse’s ability, in pounds. In a handicap it sets the weight.
• Trainer and jockey — and, for an apprentice or conditional rider, the weight allowance they claim, shown as (3), (5) or (7).

On our racecards each of those is a link: open the horse, the trainer, the jockey or the course from the line itself.

Reading the form figures

Form figures read left to right, oldest to newest, so the last character is the latest run. In 4-2110 the horse was fourth, then after a break second, first, first and tenth or worse. A dash marks a break between seasons; a slash marks a longer gap, usually a year or more.

A figure of 0 means tenth or worse, not a non-finish. Letters mark a run that did not finish or was not a straightforward finish:

Letter	Meaning
F	Fell
U or UR	Unseated its rider
P or PU	Pulled up — the jockey stopped the horse during the race
R	Refused a fence or hurdle
RR	Refused to race — did not leave the start
B or BD	Brought down by another horse
S	Slipped up
C or CO	Carried out by another runner
O	Ran out — left the course
D	Disqualified

Beside the name you may also see C (has won at this course), D (has won over this distance), CD or C&D (has won over course and distance) and BF (beaten favourite last time). Abbreviations vary a little between publishers; these are the common ones.

Going, distance and course

The going is the state of the ground, and it changes which horses can run to their best. Turf runs from heavy through soft, good to soft, good and good to firm to firm. All-weather surfaces are described as standard, with slow or fast variants. A horse with wins only on soft ground is a different proposition on good to firm.

Distance matters as much. Look for wins and placings at or near today’s trip rather than a win three furlongs shorter. And courses differ: left- or right-handed, flat or undulating, sharp or galloping, with a stiff uphill finish or a short run-in. A course-and-distance winner has already answered both questions once. Course statistics from the record are on each racecourse page, with the draw by trip and the course specialists.

Class and the race types

British racing grades its races into Class 1 (the best) to Class 7 (the lowest). Class 1 holds the pattern races — Group 1, 2 and 3 on the Flat, Grade 1, 2 and 3 over jumps — and Listed races, the tier just below Group level. A horse dropping in class faces easier opposition than last time; one stepping up faces harder.

Race type	What it means
Handicap	Each horse carries weight set from its official rating, so in theory every runner has an equal chance. Most races are handicaps. The handicapping guide goes deeper.
Maiden	For horses that have never won a race.
Novice	For horses early in their career over that type of race — a novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race before this season, a novice chaser the same over fences.
Nursery	A handicap for two-year-olds only.
Bumper	A National Hunt Flat race — run on a jumps card with no obstacles, for future hurdlers and chasers.
Seller and claimer	Lower-grade races after which the winner is offered for sale (seller) or any runner can be bought at a set price (claimer).
Conditions and pattern	Non-handicaps where weight is set by age, sex and past wins, not by rating; the pattern races are the top tier of these.
Juvenile	A two-year-old on the Flat, or a three- or four-year-old over hurdles.

Weights and ratings

The official rating (OR) is set by the BHA handicapper in Britain and the IHRB in Ireland. It is a mark for the horse’s ability in pounds: a horse rated 90 is held to be 10 lb better than one rated 80, and in a handicap carries 10 lb more. The mark moves after each run, up for a good one and down for a poor one.

Two phrases follow from this. A horse is well handicapped when its mark is below the level it has shown it can reach — for example, back to a mark it last won off. It is out of the handicap when its mark is below the minimum for the race, so it carries more weight than its rating says it should. Today’s handicappers running off a winning mark, dropping in class or returning from a break are listed on Off a winning mark.

An apprentice (Flat) or conditional (jumps) jockey is a rider still qualifying, who claims a weight allowance of 7, 5 or 3 lb depending on wins. The claim reduces the weight carried; the trade is a less experienced rider.

Headgear and the other signals

Headgear is fitted to help a horse concentrate or settle. The card shows it as a small letter after the name; a 1 beside the letter means it is being worn for the first time.

Item	Shown as	Why it is fitted
Blinkers	b	Cups that block sideways vision so the horse looks only ahead.
Cheekpieces	p	Sheepskin strips on the bridle; a milder version of blinkers.
Visor	v	Blinkers with a slit, so the horse keeps some sideways sight.
Hood	h	Covers the ears to keep a nervous horse calm, often removed at the start.
Tongue-tie	t	A strap holding the tongue down to keep the airway clear.
Eyeshield	e	A mesh over the eyes, used on all-weather tracks against kickback.

A first-time fitting is a signal worth noticing, because a change in headgear often follows a change in how the horse has been running. First-time headgear lists today’s runners wearing an item for the first time, each checked against every previous run rather than taken from the declaration. A wind surgery mark (shown as w or “wind op”) means a breathing operation since the last run. A long break since the last run — months rather than weeks — raises the question of fitness; how the yard’s runners fare after a break is on each trainer profile.

Pace and the draw

How a race is run shapes who wins it. If several runners want to lead, the early pace is strong and a horse that settles behind and finishes fast is suited; if only one wants to lead, it may get an easy time in front. Reading the form comments and recent running styles for each runner lets you sketch where the pace is likely to come from.

On the Flat the draw — the stall number — can matter at some courses and distances, especially over five and six furlongs on a straight course or where the field runs into an early bend. The effect shifts with the rail position, the going and the pace, so it is a course-by-course reading: each racecourse page shows the draw by trip from the record, with its sample.

Trainers and jockeys

A yard in form is the plainest signal in racing, and the plainest to check: a trainer’s runs and wins over the last 14, 30 and 90 days, from the record, are on every trainer profile — with the runners declared today. Some yards target particular courses or times of year; the profile’s course and month breakdown shows it.

Jockey bookings carry information too. A stable’s first-choice rider on one of two runners is a pointer to which is fancied; a top jockey travelling a long way for one ride is another. Rides and wins in the same windows are on each jockey profile.

The price and your own view

A price is the market’s estimate of a horse’s chance with the bookmaker’s margin added. Fractional odds of 3/1 imply a 25% chance (1 ÷ 4); 4/6 implies 60% (6 ÷ 10). Reading form well means arriving at your own estimate before you look at the prices, and then comparing. Where your estimate is higher than the price implies, the form and the market disagree, and the disagreement is the thing to examine, not a signal in itself.

Prices move through the day as money arrives and non-runners are declared; market movers and non-runners record both as they happen, and compare odds shows every listed bookmaker’s price side by side. How prices are set, and what the overround — the bookmaker’s margin — means for you, is in how bookmakers set prices; each-way terms and when they pay are in each-way betting explained.

A simple routine

1. Read the header first. Type, class, distance, going, field size. These are the questions the race asks.
2. Shortlist the horses the conditions suit. Wins or placings at the trip and on the ground; a course win is a bonus.
3. Check the mark and the weight. Is the horse on a mark it has won off? Is it out of the handicap? Is a claim reducing the weight?
4. Note the changes. First-time headgear, a wind operation, a drop or rise in class, a long break.
5. Sketch the pace and, on the Flat, the draw. Who leads, and does the track reward it?
6. Check the people. Is the yard in form in the last 30 days? Who rides, and what does the booking say?
7. Price your view, then look at the market. Work out what the prices return with the bet calculator, and keep your own record so you learn what your reading is worth.

A worked reading

An illustration, not a real runner. A Class 4 handicap hurdle, 2m4f, good to soft, 12 runners. One line reads:

31-2P1   7   Example Horse (p1)   6   11-4   OR 118   Trainer A   Jockey B (3)

• 31-2P1 — third and a win at the end of last season; this season second, pulled up, then a win last time. The pulled-up run wants a reason: check the going and the distance that day.
• p1 — cheekpieces, fitted for the first time today, after that win without them. A change after a win is unusual; the yard’s record with first-time cheekpieces is worth a look.
• 11-4 and OR 118 — a mark of 118 means the horse has gone up for its win; whether it can win again off the higher mark is the central question.
• Jockey B (3) — a conditional rider claiming 3 lb, so the horse carries 11st 1lb in effect.

Now the conditions: did the win come at 2m4f on soft or similar ground, in a Class 4? If yes, the form fits the race; if the win was at 2m on good ground in a Class 5, the race asks new questions. That comparison, runner by runner, is what reading form means.

Common questions

What do the numbers and letters before a horse’s name mean?

They are its recent finishing positions, oldest on the left and the latest run on the right. A 0 means tenth or worse; a dash marks a break between seasons and a slash a longer gap. Letters mark runs that did not finish: F fell, U unseated the rider, P pulled up, R refused, B brought down. The full list is in the form figures section above.

How do I tell whether a horse is well handicapped?

Compare today’s official rating with the marks it has won off before. A horse back on, or below, a mark it last won from is well handicapped on paper; one several pounds above its last winning mark has to improve. Off a winning mark lists today’s runners in that position, and the handicapping guide explains how the marks are set.

Which matters more, class or going?

Both, and the answer differs by horse. A horse that handles only one type of ground is governed by the going whatever the class; a horse that acts on any ground is governed by the class of the opposition. If you check one before the other, check the going, because it rules horses out more often than it rules them in.

Are draw biases real?

At some courses and distances, yes, and at others not at all. They are strongest in sprints on straight courses and where a field runs quickly into a bend, and they shift with the rail position, the going and where the pace is. The racecourse guide notes where the draw tends to count; the recent results at the track are the evidence.

Where should a beginner start?

With the header of the race and single bets. Read the race type, class, distance and going; shortlist the horses whose form fits those conditions; check the yard is in form; then price your own view and compare it with the market. Keep a record of every bet, win or lose, so you can see what your reading is worth over time.

What does Kickthebookies add to the form?

Three figures of our own beside the official rating: the KTB Fit Score for how well each runner fits today’s race, KTB Rating for ability and KTB Speed for how fast it actually ran, each computed from the record since 2005 and explained on its own page. Every statistic carries its sample and when it was counted, and the top Fit-ranked runner in each race is logged against the result, win or lose, on the Fit record. Nothing on the site tells you what to back.

Betting should be for fun, never a way to make money. Set limits and only stake what you can afford to lose; if gambling is affecting you or someone near you, help is free and confidential on our responsible gambling page. 18+ only. Questions or corrections: the contact page. Last reviewed 11 October 2026.