| Handicapping is one of the fundamentals in horseracing. | | | | handicapper whether to adjust his rating depending on |
| If you want to be able to bet on a horse for any other | | | | a good or a bad performance. |
| reason than you like the name of the horse, fancy the | | | | While this all sounds confusing, and to be fair, it must |
| jockey, or like the colour of his outfit then maybe it's | | | | be a lot of hard work for the handicappers and |
| best if you learn a little about handicapping! | | | | Weatherbys, it all basically means: the higher the |
| All horse races fall into one of two categories ? a | | | | horses rating, the better he is. However this could also |
| handicap race or a conditions race, with handicap | | | | mean that if you are betting on the horse with the |
| races far outweighing conditions races at most events. | | | | highest (best) handicap, you could be betting on the |
| A handicap is a race where each horse is allocated a | | | | heaviest horse in the race, as each point in the scale is |
| different weight according to ability so in theory each | | | | equivalent to one pound (lb) in weight. This means that, |
| horse has an equal chance of winning. The British | | | | for example, a horse with a rating of 45 will carry 10lbs |
| Horseracing Board (BHB) have handicappers who | | | | less than a horse in the same race which is rated at |
| produce an official rating (the horse's 'mark') for each | | | | 55, and a horse that had been rated 119 on the scale |
| horse in the UK who qualifies to run in a handicap race. | | | | would be 4lbs better than a horse rated 115 by the |
| This mark that the handicappers give the horse will be | | | | handicappers. A perfectly handicapped race would be |
| on a sliding scale between 0 and 120. Zero marks | | | | one where all horses crossed the finishing line at |
| would basically be a crippled horse ☹ while | | | | exactly the same time, which as we all know doesn't |
| three year old horses at the top of the scale would be | | | | happen ? but it does make things as fair as possible. |
| the horses entering races such as the Derby. | | | | There is also a 'weight-for-age' adjustment when |
| Sometimes horses do run 'out of handicap' which | | | | horses of differing ages compete against each other |
| means that the horse will be running in the race at a | | | | in a race, as horses grow through the ages of 3, 4 and |
| disadvantage - the trainer will be aware of this, but will | | | | 5 years. |
| still believe that his horse has a chance of winning. | | | | Handicaps have different levels, races being classed |
| The evaluations are made on a weekly basis and their | | | | as A, B, C, D, E, F or G with A being the highest class |
| results stored on computer by Weatherbys, who are | | | | handicaps and G the bottom class, and the horses |
| horseracings main administrative body, and each time | | | | official mark will determine which class of race he can |
| a horse runs in a race it must be decided by the | | | | be entered into. |