A Racecard is a printed program containing details about a race meeting. It usually lists the scheduled races, the names of the horses, and other pertinent race information. A racecard helps bettors make an informed betting choice.
The race's starting time.
The purse is the prize money that is split between the owner, trainer and jockey and possibly others in the winning group. Prize money is also distributed, on a sliding scale, to those finishing in the first few places.
Flat races are usually run at distances from 5 to 12 furlongs. A furlong is one eighth of a mile or 0.2 km.
This is the race number.
The horse's odds at the start of the day. This changes as the day progresses and more bets are placed.
This is included to help the spectators and bettors identify their horses at a distance.
The position assigned to the horse in the starting gate.
Owners often use a name that stands out and is easily recalled by bettors. This is done since the horse's name is often used by many neophyte bettors to select their bet.
The major colors are bay, chestnut, black, brown, white, gray, pinto (patches of brown, white and black), buckskin, dun, and roan.
Contains an abbreviation of the horse's sex - c: colt; f: filly; h: thoroughbred age of 5 or older; g: gelding.
All horses count January 1 as their birth date. Individual horses mature at different ages. Most horses reach mental maturity at around seven or eight years old, when their behavior generally becomes calmer and more accepting.
The names of the horse's parents. The dam's sire is often included. This data is useful for bettors to determine possible horse performance through lineage.
The person who handled the horse's upbringing.
The amount of weight, including the jockey, which the horse will carry. Many jockeys are on strict diets so they can 'make the weight' for their rides.
The Claiming Price is the price at which the horse is available for sale to a qualified buyer. As not all horses are competitors in stakes level races, racing in the claiming ranks gives the opportunity to race against horses of similar caliber. Thus, for example, when a horse easily wins against $5,000 claimers, he may be moved up in value to avoid his being claimed. More prominent tracks would generally feature horses of higher value. Claiming Prices vary from $5,000 to $150,000 depending on the track.
The trainer is responsible for getting the horse in perfect shape for race day.
The owner pays for a horse's training, and is eager to receive a return on his investments.
The rider has a massive part to play in a big race. His ability to guide the horse in the race often spells the difference between victory and defeat.
The rider's silks differentiate one mount from another, and are crucial to viewers who want to distinguish which horse they have backed. The variations can include spots, hoops, stars and stripes. A more recent innovation is the use of a sponsors' logo.
This section includes a breakdown of the horse's racing results during the current year, during his lifetime, under wet track conditions, on the same distance and on the same track. It also lists the horse's previous earnings.
It also contains the horse class rating which is a mark that is based on the horse's speed in previous races, with emphasis placed on recent performance and races run at today's distance. It's usually a number between 50.0 and 100.0.
This section is usually found on the lower portion of a horse's slot on a racecard and contains a performance summary of the horse's most recent races. It includes the following: