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HANDICAP

When horses in a race are allocated different weights to carry, in order that each horse has an “equal” theoretic chance of winning, it is called a “Handicap” race.

Similar to the animals in George Orwell’s books, some horses are more “equal” than others. Horses vary slightly between races and their form on any given day is somewhat variable, meaning that thankfully, there is usually a clear cut winner in all handicap races.

Horses just like human beings are not always feeling their best.

Handicapping is based on the fact that horses are “allowed” weight against other horses on a “Weight for age” basis and according to the distance by which one horse beats another, with consideration being made for the state of the “going” amongst other factors including the pace of the race.

Weight assessments are roughly based on finishing distances as follows:

• From five furlongs to seven furlongs, 3lb per length;
• From one mile to eleven furlongs, 2lb per length;
• From one and a half miles to 2 miles, one and a half pounds per length;
• More than two miles, 1lb. per length;
• National Hunt races: 1lb. per length.

Over a sprint distance:

Horse A carrying nine stone beats horse B. carrying the same weight by a length;
Horse B is therefore considered 3lbs. inferior to horse A;
In a subsequent race, the handicap therefore should read
Horse A nine stone, Horse B eight stone 11lb.

Official British Horseracing Board (BHB) handicappers carry out handicapping for all races using a central database of information which is very regularly updated.

The computers provide a handicap rating for all horses which are qualified to run, based on a scale from zero upwards for the graded handicaps prevalent in recent times, these ratings give more equal opportunities all round for handicapped horses.

Further down the scales, handicaps may be designed only for horses rated between zero and 70 meaning horses rated above this mark would be ineligible to compete. Handicaps are often organized in this fashion in order that lesser horses can compete against each other.

The really big handicaps like the Cambridgeshire and the Ebor are open to all handicap horses between 0-115

Each week, ratings are revised with significantly changed ratings being published in the sporting literature. It is good practice to keep track of these changes.

Flat race handicap weights vary between 7 stone 7lb. to no less than 10 stone; National Hunt race weights are between 10 stone and 12 stone with the exception of handicaps over 3 miles where the top weight is 11 stone 10lb.

When a handicapper attends to the entries for a race, despite the restricted range, he will allocate weights below the allowed lower limit, as often the top weight is withdrawn, meaning weights must then be duly raised.

The first Jockey Club handicapper was Admiral Rous, generally acknowledged as the best who ever lived. Having finished an especially difficult bit of handicapping he remarked famously “there, now none of them can win!”

Handicaps are “created” instinctively, by good handicappers; they are balancing acts resulting from an array of intelligent best guesses.

Private handicap’s sometimes published in newspapers as “ratings” as well as in the literature such as the Racing Post, give an indication of how a private handicapper’s assessment differs from the official assessment of a horse’s chances and its ability with respect to the other horses in a given race.

HANDICAPPERS

There are 2 definitions:

• The official BHB team who frame handicaps.
• Horses that run in handicaps, sometimes in a “stuffy” sort of way as in “he’s only a handicapper”

HEAD LAD

Second in command of a stable, generally not a “lad” at all.

Head Lad is in fact a very responsible position with duties which include feeding the horses and running the yard.

A competent head lad can mean the difference between success and failure.

There is usually a traveling “head lad” whose main duties include accompanying horses on their journeys between racecourse and stables.

Clive Britton, a highly successful trainer was once a head lad, similarly Barry Hills another top trainer, was once traveling “head lad” to John Oxley.

An example of a highly successful trainer who was once a head lad is Clive Britton while another top trainer is Barry Hills, once traveling head lad to John Oxley.

HANGING

Not as terminal as one might assume. Fatigued horses often “hang” in towards the end of a race, either towards the rails or more dangerously towards an opposing horse.

The jockey will usually show a horse the whip to correct the situation.

HOBDAYED

If a horse is unsound in wind then it may have a hobday operation. This operation was pioneered by Sir Frederick Hobday, an eminent veterinary surgeon at the time.

HOMEBRED

A horse bred at its owner’s stud, rather than through a public auction.
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GELDING

After being castrated a male or colt horse is said to have been “gelded”. There are a variety of reasons behind this seemingly rather harsh practice.

By taking a horses mind off sex it becomes more amenable, and calm. A horse becomes less temperamental due to the shift in hormonal balance, which occurs with all neutered animals, including humans.

After gelding, horses are generally regarded as being easier to train and concentrate more readily on their racing.

Even more practical for National Hunt, gelding can prevent the extreme discomfort experienced by “entire” horses when jumping over hard fences, historically made from birch.

Irish horses intended for chasing are gelded automatically at an early age.

Most chasers are in fact geldings.

For a long time, many big flat races were not open to geldings, but this has now changed with most of the classics now being opened up to them.

One obvious financial argument against gelding is that after winning a major, a colt is instantly worth millions to big stables or stud syndicates.

Whereas “The Arkle” who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964, 65, and 66, was valued at the same price the day after the races as he was the day before.
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EACH WAY BET

The practice of staking equal amounts for a place and for a win is known as making an “Each Way Bet”.

Bookmakers used to be reluctant to take each way bets from everyday punters except in the big events like the Grand National and the Derby, however this is not the case nowadays, with most bookies taking each way bets and advertising the fact on their boards with the odds on offer.

Credit bookmakers, on and off course bookmakers, betting shops, Betfair and the other exchanges, all now take each way bets.

EBF

The European Breeders Fund originated in June 1983. Breeders in France, GB, and Ireland signed an agreement to start a fund for stallion owners to contribute annually a sum equal to the median covering fee for all sires nominated to the scheme.

Only the offspring of participating stallions being allowed to benefit.

In relation to the British side of the scheme, proceeds are channeled into prize money, breeder’s prize money for horses sired by British stallions, veterinary research, and owner’s premiums for selected listed and patented flat races.

ENTIRE

An “entire” horse is in the lucky situation of having not been castrated, or “gelded”.

ENTRIES

Five days before a race, most entries are made to Weatherbys.

Weights for these races are allocated the day after, based on the published race conditions. If the race is a handicap then weights are allocated by the official handicapper.

At any time up to the day before the race, entries may be withdrawn, or “scratched”, at which time the horse must be declared to run, if the intention is to compete. The next stage is known as the overnight declaration stage whereby trainers have to telex or fax Weatherbys with odecs (overnight declarations)
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DEAD HEAT

When there is a photo finish and the judge still cannot determine the winner – this is said to be a “dead heat”. Frequently before the days of photo finish, there would be mayhem when a dead heat was declared by a judge but everyone else could see there was an outright winner.

Often it would be the angle of the finishing line that gave an impression of an outright winner, meaning the mayhem was not justified. However oftentimes it would be the judge who had got it wrong and the chaos was entirely justified.

Punters, trainers, owners would all be outraged by the judge’s poor decision and eyesight (or lack of it); obviously where there is a dead heat the prize money about a horse is substantially reduced.

The first record of a decision being determined by a “dead heat” was at Doncaster in October, 1947, between the horses Phantom Bridge and Resistance. More dead heats occur in Sprint Handicaps than in any other race, this is as one would expect, i.e. short unpredictable races with weights set to reduce advantage. These races often have “blanket finishes”

DISTANCE

• This is generally recognized as being a point 240yds from the winning post. Not officially marked on the racecourse, but always referred to in form summaries and the formbook i.e. went well clear after leading at the distance. Courses are all marked with furlong markers indicating how far one is from the finishing post, so it can be seen that the distance is 20yds before the final furlong marker is reached.

• Sometimes horses may be judged to have won by a distance (more often at jumps meetings rather than flat). Although this is supposed to be 240 yards it usually means that the distance is so large that the judge cannot be bothered to estimate it.
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