Studying the racecard is crucial for punters before placing a bet on any horse race, with lots of crucial information available that will help you to make a clear and informed decision before backing a horse.
There are lots of terms on the racecard that are second nature to seasoned punters and racing aficionados, but they may leave less frequent racing enthusiasts pondering what is what.
Below we explain what C, CD, D and BF mean – key terms you will encounter on the racecard. We also talk about how interpreting them should help you understand the formbook better.
C (Course Winner)
A course winner is represented by a C on the racecard and this means the horse has won at this course in the past. There are 59 racecourses in Britain and 26 in Ireland. Some horses will give their best at any track, but in some cases, a horse tends to run best at a particular track.
This trend will clearly take some time to form, but checking out any previous form at the course is crucial. Horses can also excel on similar types of track, one with less undulations perhaps, so that can also be factored in when considering course form.
D (Distance Winner)
Races are run at a variety of distances. On the Flat these typically range from five-furlongs to around two-miles, though some races – like the Ascot Gold Cup – are run over even further. Flat races typically don’t go further than two-miles, save for a few examples, with Newmarket’s Cesarewitch and the Chester Cup other examples.
Sprint races are run over 5f/6f, before stepping up to 7f and a mile, while intermediate races are run from 1m2f-1m4 and anything beyond is essentially a stayers’ race, for horses with stamina.
Knowing what distance(s) a horse has previously won at is crucial. Breeding helps form a picture of what types of trip (distance) a horse should relish, but ultimately it’s only once we have watched them race that this becomes solid information. This is true both on the Flat and over jumps.
In National Hunt racing, the minimum trip is generally two-miles, with the vast majority of races run over trips from two-miles up to 3m2f (three-and-a-quarter-miles). Through racing, it will be possible to establish what trip is best suited to a given horse.
Races beyond 3m2f are typically starting to verge towards extreme tests of stamina, in marathons such as the Grand National at Aintree.
CD (Course and Distance Winner)
A course and distance winner is identified on a racecard by the symbols CD, while you will sometimes see it written as C&D in formlines. Simply, this means that the horse has won in the past at this course and over this exact distance.
Based on that information, we can assume that the impending test is one that suits the horse based on past form.
Other factors to consider in addition would be the ground conditions for that previous course and distance win, and whether or not they are going to be similar for the race you are assessing.
BF (Beaten Favourite)
Every race has a favourite, i.e. the runner with the shortest odds and, therefore, the one with the highest expected probability of winning. When you see the BF symbol next to a horse, it means the horse was a Beaten Favourite on its previous appearance.
When seeing the BF symbol next to a horse, it would be wise to try and establish mitigating factors for a perceived underperformance in that previous race. These could include, but are not confined to: unsuitable track, ground conditions or trip; poor luck in running; some underlying factor that was only discovered after a race by the trainer and/or vets; or simply that it clashed with an improving rival.
Further analysis on why a horse was beaten favourite last-time-out should help establish whether or not we believe it can run well the next time.
How Punters Use C, CD, D, and BF in Betting
Reading the form for a race is vital before placing a bet on it. The abbreviations covered above are crucial factors when assessing any race. Horses with form at the course are always liable to be favoured in the betting.
Punters may wish to form their opinions based on these factors. On average, a favourite will win less than one in three races, so it’s also important to consider what factors contributed when a horse is listed as Beaten Favourite last time.
Often, that past performance is worth forgiving and punters will remain keen to back the horse on its next start, though factors such as the price are clearly key in that regard.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Racecard Abbreviations
These are some of the most important racecard abbreviations that should be understood before trying to read the card.
They aren’t the only ones, however, there are lots more helpful facts and figures that we can use to make deeper analysis. Any seasoned punter will tell us that there is no such thing as having too much information.
To the left of the horses’ name will be a string of numbers, letters and symbols – for all races where the horses have actually run before.
The numbers are ready from left to right in terms of the most recent run, and tell us where in the race the horse finished, while dashes indicate notable period of time off the racetrack, where the horse may have been out season or laid low.
For example, form listed as 312-4 tells us that the horse came third, then first, then second prior to a break, after which it finished fourth on its latest outing. Letters here could be:
· PU/P – Pulled up
· BD – Brought down
· F – Fell
· UR/U – Unseated rider
· R – Refused or ran out (refused to race or ran off the course)
Understanding all of these terms greatly increases the ability to read a racecard and to make good use of the information it contains before deciding how and when to have a bet on any race.