TYPES OF RACE  

The races

There is a lot of information packed into the Racecard!

It's often a good place to start if you look at the heading of the race

• the race title tells you the type of race it is,
• the class or grade (level) of the race,
• the age of the horses running,
• the distance of the race,
• how much it's worth (the prizemoney)
• and (so you can get your bets on on time) the time of the race.

The ages of all horses are calculated from the 1st January of the year in which they are born. Horses do not race until they become 2yr olds. 

Races are run at Pontefract over distances varying between 5 furlongs and 2 miles and 5 furlongs. There are 8 furlongs in a mile.

All racehorses (regardless of their age or sex) are allocated an official rating once they have run 3 times (or once they have won a race if sooner). The British Horseracing Authority give them a 'handicap' rating. A horse who has not done particularly well may have a rating in the 40s, while a very good horse will be rated in the 120s or higher!

The 'handicap' rating can go up or down on a weekly basis.

The horse carries a saddle which the jockey 'sits' on to help steer. Within the saddle is an area for lead weights so that we know EXACTLY how much weight a horse carries (including the weight of the jockey).

The race types are as follows:

A Handicap

A Handicap is a race where the horse which the Handicapper considers is the best horse in the race carries the highest weight. Typically the top horse will carry 9st 7lbs (made up of the jockey's weight, the saddle and any additional lead weights). The 'second best horse' in the race may have an official rating which is (for example) 2 less than the top horse. This horse will then carry 2lbs less in weight - ie 9st 5lbs.

Between the highest rated horse and the lowest weighted horse in a handicap can be as much as 20lbs!

Handicaps are restricted to horses who have a similar ability - for example if they are rated  between 71 and 85 they can run in the same race.

A Handicap is a very competitive type of race because, if the official ratings are correct and each horse performs to the best of it's ability, all horses should finish level!

It's up to the punter to judge whether he or she thinks a particular horse is better or worse than the rating it's got!:

• Young horses can improve quickly and their handicap rating can go up very quickly and so they can have a 'low weight' and sometimes be better. 
• A horse might improve running over a different distance
• Or a horse may have an excuse for running badly (off colour, ground too firm/too soft, impeded etc etc) and therefore it's official rating is dropped.

It's all a matter of opinion and trying to pick out the horse that you think is better than the rating it has achieved.

A Nursery

A Nursery is a Handicap race (see above) that is only open to horses aged 2 years old.

A Maiden Race

A Maiden Race is for horses who have never won a race. Often there a several horses in Maiden Races who have never been on a Racecourse before. You should make a trip to the Parade RIng to have a look at the horses first!

There are different types of Maiden Races - ie a Maiden Auction, a Median Auction Maiden etc. These races are restricted to horses who were purchased at certain sales or for a certain price.

A Claiming Race

A Claiming Race is where all the horses running are for sale at a price fixed by their owners. The weight that they carry is determined by their selling price.

A Selling Race

A Selling Race is where all the horses running are for sale. The winner will then be sold at public auction immediately after the race! We do not run any selling races at Pontefract though!

A Conditions Race

A Conditions Race is a race where the weights are determined by a certain set of 'conditions'.

One or more of a selection of conditions may apply in any one race. Examples of typical conditions are set out below:

1. A male horse carries more weight than a female horse
2. An older horse carries more weight than a younger horse
3. A horse carries a 'penalty' for each race it's won
4. A horse carries a 'penalty' if it's won in a high grade race 

A Classified Race

A Classified Race might be described as,for example 'a 0-85 Classified'. This is a race where the horses are:

1. Allocated weight based on their age
2. Have a handicap rating between 0 and 85

A Listed or Group Race

Listed and Group Races are for the highest rated horses.

Generally speaking horses in these types of races are allocated the same weight (although a weight allowance may apply to a younger horse or female horses). Their 'handicap rating' is irrelevant and they are the best horses in the country.

Group 1 races are for the very best horses - followed by Group 2, Group 3 and then Listed.