How are race horses weighted?
The horse with the highest rating carries the heaviest weight. The other horses carry less weight proportionate to their handicap ratings. So if a horse rated 80 in this race carries 9-7, then a 70-rated horse carries ten pounds less (that is 8-11) and a 66-rated horse 14 pounds less (8-7).
What weight do race horses carry?
The scale of weights is a range from the lightest to the most substantial weight a horse carries in a race. Generally, race weights are between 113 lbs. And 118 pounds. It is difficult for a jockey to keep his riding weight under 113 lbs.
What does set weights mean in horse racing?
Set Weight Race: A race where all horses competing are allotted the same weight subject to a sex allowance for fillies and mares.
What does weight for age mean in horse racing?
What is weight for age? It is an allowance given to younger horses, usually three-year-olds, to enable them to compete equally with their older counterparts. It is designed to compensate them for their lack of physical maturity. How does it work?
What does weight for age indicate?
Weight-for-age reflects body weight relative to the child’s age on a given day. This indicator is used to assess whether a child is underweight or severely underweight, but it is not used to classify a child as overweight or obese.
What does it mean when a horse is out of the handicap?
When a horse runs outside of the handicap it means that it cannot run off the correct weight for its official rating in the class it runs in. So the fact he has to carry 8st 2lbs means that he is 2lbs wrong, or 2lbs outside the handicap. …
What does long handicap mean in horse racing?
The long handicap is shown when one or more of the horses competing in the race has a handicap mark so much lower than the highest rated horse that the actual weight they should carry according to their official rating is lower than the minimum weight allowed in the rules of the race.
Does weight matter in horse racing?
No matter how good the runner, the handicap will eventually beat him. And so it is with weight in horse-racing. As weight increases, a horse’s ability must start to decrease – and thus his chance against his rivals lessens while theirs increases. Weight is all-important.
What does out of the weights mean?
Horses are out of the weights when they run in a handicap where their Official Rating is lower than the lower limit of the weight range of the race.
How heavy is a jockey?
The weight of a jockey usually ranges from 108 to 118 lb (49 to 54 kg). Despite their light weight, they must be able to control a horse that is moving at 40 mph (64 km/h) and weighs 1,190.5 lb (540.0 kg). Though there is no height limit for jockeys, they are usually fairly short due to the weight limits.
How does a handicap work in horse racing?
A handicap race in horse racing is a race in which horses carry different weights, allocated by the handicapper. A better horse will carry a heavier weight, to give it a disadvantage when racing against slower horses. The skill in betting on a handicap race lies in predicting which horse can overcome its handicap.
What does 10lb out of the handicap mean?
In short, horses that run from out the handicap are runnig with more weight than they should be (according to their official rating), but have no choice as the bottom weight is a minimum of 10 stone. The more weight the top horse carries, more chance the bottom horse will ‘stay in’ the handicap.
How heavy is a racing horse in stone?
The weight that the horse is carrying in stones and pounds. So, 10-04 means that the weight that the horse has to carry is ten stone and four pounds. This weight figure includes overweight, penalties and allowances. For those not used to the imperial weights and measures there are fourteen pounds to one stone.
What does RPR mean in horse racing?
Racing Post Rating
How heavy is a horse in stone?
A Thoroughbred horse that’s primarily used for racing would be expected to weigh in at around 500kg (1,100lbs) on average, ranging from about 400kg (900lbs) for a 15hh horse to roughly 600kg (1,300lbs) for a 16.3hh horse.