Horse Racing Guide

In horse racing, a ‘non-trier’ is any horse that is prevented, for one reason or another, from running on its merits or, in other words, from running to the best of its ability. Under the Rules of Racing, as maintained by the governing body, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), a jockey take all permissible and reasonable measures to ensure the horse has been given the best opportunity to obtain the best placing. However, under certain circumstances, an owner or trainer may instruct a jockey to ride a horse in such a way that it is not given that opportunity.

So-called ‘schooling in public’, for example, refers to the practice of training a horse to race over obstacles, and/or improving its fitness levels, on the racecourse in a live, sanctioned race as opposed to on the training grounds at home. A jockey may instructed not to ask a horse for the ‘timely, real or substantial effort’ demanded by the Rules, resulting in a deliberately below-par performance, which may prove unfairly advantageous to the horse, from a handicapping perspective, and to its connections, from a betting perspective.

Unsurprisingly, raceday stewards take a dim view of schooling in public and other similar offences and will hold an inquiry into the running and riding of any horse suspected to have breached the Rules of Racing. The jockey, owner and trainer of the horse may all be culpable, depending on the nature of the offence and liable to fines and/or suspension. The horse, itself, may be liable a 40-day ban from racing.

In the world of horse racing, the term ‘penalty’ could, of course, refer to a disciplinary penalty, such as a financial penalty or suspension, imposed by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on a jockey, trainer or owner for a breach of the Rules of Racing. In terms of framing individual races, though, ‘penalty’ refers to additional weight to be carried by a horse as a consequence of winning one or more previous races.

In Britain, the vast majority of horse races are handicaps, in which each horse carries a weight corresponding to its official handicap rating, as allotted by the BHA. The nature of handicap races means that a horse that wins such a race must, in the eyes of the BHA, have performed better than its current handicap rating, which should be reassessed. Unremarkably, with tens of thousands of horses in training, re-assessment does not happen overnight, but rather weekly, so it is possible that the same horse could be entered in another handicap before its rating has been re-assessed. If that happens, the horse must carry a penalty – usually 6lb or 7lb, as denoted on the racecard – to compensate.

Similar, but not identical, penalties apply in the upper echelons of British horse racing, specifically in Listed, Group 3 and Group 2 races. A horse that has previously won at, say, Group 2 level within a certain timeframe may be penalised 5lb if it later steps down a tier, to compete at Group 3 level.

Arguably the most famous, or infamous, false start in horse racing history occurred at Aintree on April 3, 1993, during what the late Sir Peter O’Sullevan called ‘the greatest disaster in the history of the Grand National’. In the midst of a demonstration by animal rights’ protesters at the first fence, the majority of the 39-strong field failed to stop after a second false start was called, seven of them completed the course and the race was, unsurprisingly, declared void.

Under less controversial circumstances, false starts are more common in National Hunt racing than Flat racing, where the majority of races commence from starting stalls. To effect the start, the starter, standing atop a platform, or rostrum, raises a flag to indicate that he or she wishes the field to move forward. Further down the course, an official known as an advanced flag operator (AFO) also raises a flag, which should be visible to all jockeys.

Provided the runners line up and move forward at a steady, moderate pace, the starter drops his or flag and simultaneously releases an elasticated tape stretched across the course to start the race. If the starter is in any way dissatifisied with the start, he or she will wave the flag, as will the AFO, to indicate that a false start has been called. Runners must pull up, return to the starting area and try again, from a standing start, again effected by flag and tape, to the satisfaction of the starter.

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’.