Beginners’ Guide to horse racing - ready for the off!
Sometimes it’s good to be a beginner. The beginner’s mind has no fixed ideas to get in the way of understanding a subject…
In Horse Racing there are many tales of the rank beginner who trumps the expert and this should give you confidence as you start out to take part in this wonderful sport. Sport is too small a word for it actually. Racing is a sport, surely, and one at which Ireland excels; it is also a social occasion without equal and a very special ‘slice of Irish life’.
You will find, however, that a little knowledge is a useful thing. This guide will take you through the first steps towards understanding what is happening out there on the course. What does a good horse look like? What is the ‘going’? What is all this about weights and distance? What is a bumper? Do I wear a hat? ¬Your enjoyment of racing will grow as you begin to know how it all works, as will your appreciation of the great traditions and skills which are part of Irish Racing.
THE ORIGINS OF RACING
The horses that compete in racing are members of the thoroughbred breed. Their origins can be traced back to 3 Arabian stallions that were imported into England in the early eighteenth century and were bred with native stock to produce a faster, stronger breed. So, all racehorses are in fact distantly related. Thoroughbreds are now to be found in all parts of the world and many of the best are bred in Ireland.
They compete in 2 different types of races:
Flat Racing
These races are run over distances ranging from 5 furlongs (5/8 mile or 1000 metres) to 20 furlongs (2 1/2 miles or 4000 metres) and are started from stalls. As the name suggests, there are no obstacles in flat racing. The flat racing season runs from mid-March to mid-November. Flat horses mature quickly and start running as 2 or 3-year-olds. The Curragh in Co. Kildare has been the headquarters of flat racing in Ireland since the early 18th century and according to history the ancient Celtic Kings held racing there.
Hunt or ‘Jump’ Racing
All jump races are contested over at least 2 miles and the horses have to jump a number of obstacles. This makes for spectacular viewing. These races are started from a tape barrier. Jump horses mature more slowly and don’t run until they are 4 or 5-year-olds. Jump racing goes on all year round but its main season runs from November until the end of April. Some flat horses also run in jump races when they get older.
Steeplechase
Run over “fences” which vary in size. The word steeplechase was coined in County Cork in 1752. Two gambling men, Edmund Blake and Cornelius O’Callaghan wanted to settle a bet as to whose horse was faster. So they organised a race across country from the steeple of the church in Buttevant to that of St Mary’s in Doneraile. Hence the name, which is often shortened to “chase”.
Hurdle
Run over obstacles measuring about 3 feet 1 inch in height.
Point to Point
Run over fences on designated farmland throughout the country in the Spring and Autumn. This is basically the nursery for young jump horses and many champions have emerged from this circuit. Racing at its most rustic.
TYPES OF RACES
Maiden
For horses that haven’t won a race before.
Handicap
All horses carry weights based on their ability which is assessed by the official handicapper.
The highest rated horse carries the most weight and the one on the bottom carries the least. Theoretically they all have an equal chance of winning. A Nursery is a handicap for 2-year-olds only.
Novice
Hurdles and steeplechases for horses that haven’t won such a race prior to that season. However, a horse that has won over hurdles the season before can still run in a novice chase and vice versa.
Bumper
A special flat race for young jump horses (also called National Hunt Flat Races). Between 2 and 2 1/2 miles. Usually confined to amateur jockeys.
Group 1, 2, 3
Valuable races (Group 1 being the most valuable) in which the weights carried are the same for all horses.
Classics
The 5 highest quality Group 1 flat races: Irish 2000 and 1000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks (confined to fillies), St Leger, all run at the Curragh. The winners of these are the crème de la crème of thoroughbreds. Frequently the winner of the Irish Derby is the best horse in Europe.
Listed
Just below Group standard but still quite prestigious, it is a ‘weight for age’ race.
Conditions race
A notch below listed standard; there are certain conditions for qualification, eg winner of one race or more, winner of races of a certain value etc,.
The form guide
Form is basically the information you need to know in order to make the right decision on what horse to back and consists of the following:
Form of the horse
Basically, has the horse been running well recently? It is usually best policy to bet on a horse that has good form figures: i.e. has finished in the first 4 in at least some of its previous runs. Your racecard provides details of its last 3 races as well as helpful comments concluding with a summing-up of its chance in the race.
Going
What the ground conditions are like on the course. The descriptions are as follows: heavy, soft, yielding, good, good to firm and firm. Some horses run equally well on any type of ground but many have a preference.
Distance
It’s important that the horse has run well over a similar distance to the one it’s running on the day. Though some horses are quite adaptable as regards distance beware of radical changes, more than half a mile (4 furlongs) up or down, from its previous run.
Weight
An old racing adage is that weight brings horses together. The issue of weight is not the amount the horse is set to carry but the amount it’s set to give to or receive from other horses it has run against before. A few pounds difference from a previous race can have a huge bearing on the result.
Course
We have all heard of the horses for courses theory. Well, it has an element of truth and certainly some horses do run better at particular courses because the configuration of that course suits them. Often a big, long striding horse that needs to build momentum will prefer a wide, open course whereas a smaller, speedier horse will run better on a tight, turning course.
Trainer and jockey
Some trainers and jockeys are specialists at certain courses, particularly their local one, so bear this in mind. Check up if the trainer has been getting winners of late, if not it’s probably better to avoid his horses until they hit form again.
Jockeys are like any sporting performer, when their confidence is high they perform best so it’s good policy to follow one who has ridden winners recently.
If you want some extra information read the racing section in the daily papers. For serious punters there are also dedicated racing publications such as the “Racing Post” and “Irish Field”. Put all the above information into the pot, give it a stir, and then have a look at the horses.
