The Horse Card Shop

Introduction

A number of cases of alleged "race fixing" and fraud, involving high profile jockeys and trainers, have brought horse racing to the attention of general public for all the wrong reasons in recent years. These - it has to be said, isolated - incidents of dishonesty have made many people sceptical of legitimacy of the sport, as a whole. They have also, unfortunately, played right into the hands of seasoned, betting shop "professionals", who would rather believe that they were swindled out of their money, as the result of a conspiracy on par with the JFK assassination, than admit that it was their own judgement that was at fault. The fact remains, however, that roughly 65% of the horse races run in the United Kingdom, in the last 10 years, were won by one of the first three in the betting market, or in other words, by the "fancied" horses.

Types of Horse Race

Thousands of horse races, Flat and National Hunt, take place up and down the country each season, but not all horse races are alike, in terms of the relative merits of the runners and other factors that may influence the outcome.

Races such as 2-year-old and 3-year-old maiden races on the Flat, or novice hurdles, novice steeplechases and National Hunt "Flat" races invariably feature horses that are unraced, or have limited experience of racing of any kind, or in their selected discipline. In any case, their level of ability and preferences with regard to going, distance, etc. cannot be established with any degree of certainty, making it difficult find winners.

Similar comments "selling" and "claiming" and low grade "classified stakes" races, whether they are operated under Flat or National Hunt rules. These races feature horses of, at best, moderate ability and often in the twilight of their racing careers. The overall level of form is low, inconsistent and unpredictable and therefore equally difficult to assess.

A handicap is a race where each horse is allotted a weight to carry, according to its ability. Better horses, in the eyes of the handicapper, carry more weight than less able rivals and, theoretically at least, each horse in the race has an equal chance. This is, of course, never absolutely true, in practice.

In order to be eligible to run in handicaps, a horse must have run three times - in certain circumstances, once or twice, including a winning run - and been received a handicap mark, or rating. Handicap ratings, on a scale from 0 upwards, are allotted by the official handicapper. Every time a horse with a handicap rating runs, the handicapper must decide, based on its performance in the race, whether its handicap rating should be adjusted, up, or down, or whether it should remain the same. The handicap rating of a horse ultimately determines the class of race in which it can compete.

Pattern, or Group races on the Flat and Graded races under National Hunt rules feature the best horses at all ages and distances. Group One races include the Classics - the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, the Derby, Oaks and St. Leger - and other races of major international importance, while Group Two races are slightly less important and Group Three races primarily domestic affairs.

Apprentice Jockeys

Compared with their fully licensed, professional jockeys, young jockeys - known as "apprentices" on the Flat and "conditionals" under National Hunt Rules - are at a disadvantage in terms of experience and success. They therefore receive a weight allowance, between 3lbs and 7lbs - based on the number of winners they have ridden - when riding against professionals. On the Flat, for example, apprentices can claim 7lbs until they have ridden 20 winners in total, 5lbs until they have ridden 50 winners and 3lbs until they have ridden 95 winners. At this point, they are said to have "ridden out" their claim, but it may also be lost if they reach the age of 25, or 26, before riding the requisite number of winners.

The physical ability and tactical awareness, of a jockey can make the difference between winning and losing a horse race. Whilst there are, without doubt, many competent amateur jockeys, betting in races restricted exclusively to amateur riders, or apprentices, can always be something of a lottery, unless, of course, you can be 100% certain that a jockey is capable of riding a horse to its maximum potential. Professional jockeys are, of course, not infallible, but are far less likely to be beaten for lack of strength in a finish, or by allowing their mounts to race too freely in the early part of a race. This is something to bear in mind when assessing horse racing form and, indeed,