Author: admin

Aside from the commonplace win or each-way bets, horse racing offers punters a range of more complex, challenging bets, each with its own level of risk and reward. The forecast and tricast are two such bets, insofar as they require punters to select, in the case of the forecast, the winner and runner-up and, in the case of the tricast, the winner, runner-up and third-placed horse in a particular race.

In its purest from, known as a ‘straight forecast’, forecast betting requires punters to select the first and second horses home, in the correct order. The so-called ‘reversed forecast’ similarly consists of just two selections, but in either order, as long as they occupy the first two places. Thus, a reversed forecast is effectively two straight forecasts and, logically, requires double the stake of the standard bet. Likewise, the so-called ‘combination forecast’ consists of three or more selections, any two of which can fill the first two places, in either order, to produce a winning return. Obviously, extra combinations require extra stakes, so three selections require six stakes, four require twelve stakes and so on. In any case, computer straight forecast dividends, based on starting prices and quoted to a £1 stake, are declared after each race.

Not altogether surprisingly, tricast betting adds another level of complexity, but the challenging nature of the bet is reflected by a corresponding increase in the potential payout. Like a straight forecast, a ‘straight forecast’ requires just a single stake, but punters can, once again, increase their chances of a winning dividend by including four, or more, selections in a ‘combination tricast’.

The governing body of horse racing in Britain, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) employs professional, or ‘stipendiary’, stewards, at least two of whom are in attendance at any race meeting. The job of the stipendiary stewards is to assist the raceday stewards, who are, in fact, unpaid volunteers, in the enforcement of the Rules of Racing, as laid down by the BHA.

Collectively, the stewards watch each race as it happens and afterwards review proceedings from various camera angles, including head-on and side-on, to ensure that the race was fairly run and no rules were broken. If they suspect that any rule breaches, such as interference, excessive or incorrect use of the whip or horses not being run on their merits, they will call a Stewards’ Enquiry, which is announced over the the public address system at the racecourse.

During a Stewards’ Enquiry, the stewards take evidence from the jockeys and/or trainers involved in any suspected wrongdoing and review relevant race footage in the stewards’ room. Of course, a Stewards’ Enquiry cannot commence until the jockeys involved have returned the woighing room, so there may be a delay between the initial announcement of a Stewards’ Enquiry and the announcement of its outcome.

Following a period of deliberation, in the absence of the connections involved, the stewards reach a decision, which may or may not affect the official finishing position of one or more of the horses involved. Connections are informed of the outcome, the stewards prepare a report and their decision, or decisions, are relayed to racegoers, again over the public address system.

Of course, in any horse race, regardless of its class or type, each horse must carry a specific weight, as defined by the race conditions. Thus, to ensure that horses carry the correct weight allocated to them, a racecourse official known as the Clerk of the Scales ‘weighs out’ and ‘weighs in’ jockeys before and after the race.

The ‘weighing out’ procedure involves a jockey standing, together with all the equipment he or she will carry during the race, including the saddle, on a set of digital scales before the Clerk of the Course. A horse must carry at least the weight shown on the racecard, subject to any allowances, so it may be necessary to make up any difference with thin lead weights slid into a special saddle cloth, or weight cloth. Jockeys are permitted to carry up to, but not more than, 3lb overweight, which will be announced over the public address system at the racecourse.

Once a race is over, the ‘weighing in’ procedure is essentially the same as the weighing out procedure, albeit that not all jockeys need to weigh in. The riders of horses that finish in the money do, as do any other riders randomnly selected by the Clerk of the Scales. Any jockey weighing in more than 1lb ‘light’ will be subject to an objection by the Clerk of the Scales, followed by a Stewards’ Enquiry and disqualification of the horse concerned. Likewise, a rider weighing in 2lb or more ‘heavy’ will be reported to the stewards and may be suspended.

In short, a jockey is said to be ‘jocked off’ if he or she loses the booking on a horse that he or she has previously ridden regularly, usually, but not always, at the behest of an influential owner. Of course, owners have every right to request the booking of whomsoever they want to ride their horses, so the replacement of one jockey by another is fairly commonplace. Nevertheless, ‘jocking off’ does occasionally become a talking point, particularly when a lesser-known jockey is replaced by a higher-profile weighing room colleague in the build-up up to a prestigious race, such as the Derby.

Indeed, 2024 Derby provided a prime example of contentious jocking off. Callum Shepherd, who had ridden Ambiente Friendly, owned by the Gredley Family, on both previous starts, including an impressive, 4½-length win in the Lingfield Derby Trial, was unceremoniously replaced by Robert Havlin just three days before the Epsom Classic. Instead of providing Shepherd with what would have been his first Derby ride, joint-owner Tim Gredley said that he and his father, Bill, had opted for ‘more experience on the day’, in the form of Havlin.

Of course, jockeys losing high-profile, potentially lucrative rides is nothing new. The late, great Lester Piggott was a fine exponent of jocking off and, on once famous occasion, convinced owner Ivan Allan that he should replace Darrel McHargue on Commanche Run, trained by Luca Cumani, in the 1984 St. Leger. Sent off 7/4 favourite, Commanche Run duly obliged, thereby making Piggott the most successful jockey in the history of British Classic races.