5 Tips For Reading The Form of A Racehorse Before Betting On A Race

Every bettor receives a short guide at the bookies for betting on a horse. However, experienced bettors can look beyond the current track record of a horse before placing their wager.

Horse racing fans can follow our story at James Eustace for more tips and advice. Here is a short guide on reading the form of a racehorse.

Deciphering The Form Figures

Next to every racehorse on the guide at the bookies, there are form figures (read from right to left) and guidelines that aim to tell bettors about the form and track record of every horse. For example, if the figures read 678312, it means that the horse came second in its last race, first in the one before and so on.

Bold Numbers and Punctuation

Racecards can have a bold number that indicates that a run took place on an all-weather track. Figures can also include a forward slash or hyphen. The figures to the left of a hyphen refer to a race that was run in a previous season, and a forward slash describes a race that occurred two seasons ago.

Abbreviations on Race Cards

Bettors can also get an idea about the form of the horse by interpreting several abbreviations on the race card. ‘’BF’’ refers to a horse that lost regardless of being a favourite to win, ‘’CD’’ signifies that a horse has won over distance and course, and ‘’C’’ refers to a course winner.

Looking Beyond Form Figures

There can be many reasons for a horse losing or winning a race, and the form figures do not always tell the full story. The race results could have been because the horse may have suffered interference from other others during the run, or perhaps the jockey dropped the horsewhip during the race.

Every Second Counts In A Race

It should be noted that winning margins can often be incredibly small and that the difference between a winning and losing horse can be less than a split second. Professional bettors know not to dismiss a run if a horse has achieved consistent finishes and results.

There could be any number of reasons to explain a horse’s performance on the racetrack. Reach out to us for more tips when betting on horse racing at the bookies.