Racing Form Guides

Ausralian form guides are fairly comprehensive these days and can be a bit of a minefield to get your head around, particularly if you’re new to the game. Every form guide you read will vary in the way it’s presented and the information that is printed, but most form guides will have some common features.

For each race, common features of different form guides will include things such as the Race Number, Race Name, Start Time, Prize Money, Distance, Class Restrictions, Weight, Last Three Starts, Record, Apprentice Claiming or Not.

As these are common features on most form guides, we suggest you concentrate on the race distance, class restrictions, the horses record and form, and if apprentices can claim their weight allowance. We will provide information on understanding these key points in detail in articles on the previous page, but since most form guides will provide this data, it’s important to understand it.

Another key feature of form guides is a horse’s form in their most recent races. While different form guides may vary a little, the idea of form numbers will genially be the same. If a horses finishes between first and ninth, this will be represented by a number between 1-9, while if a horse finishes tenth or above, it will be represented by the number 0. If a horse has had a spell, meaning it has not raced for three months or more, this will be represented by either an S or X.

Usually this will be listed next to the horses name in a format such as ‘01X34’. The example here shows that in this horses last five starts it has finished 10th or higher, 1st, had a spell, 3rd and 4th. An asterisk * will indicate a last start beaten favourite.

When analysing form numbers, look for runners which have improving stats. This indicates that the runner is improving with each race and has to be worth consideration, or at least worth having a closer look at. Written below is a key to what the numbers mean:

1-9 = finished 1st to 9th
0 = finished outside 9th
s = spell
f = fell
p = pulled up
l = lost rider

On most form guides, there will be little letters used to indicated different figures and can be a very useful insight into a horses history. Below we’ll list a few abbreviations that will appear on most form guides around the country:

b = beaten favourite last start
t = wont at track
c = won at course and distance
d = won at distance
n = won at night
h = home track
w = won in wet

Listed above are the main features of a form guide, but there are plenty more to be found as well. Below we will list other key points of information you can find on form guides. Because we have covered the topics below in more detail in other articles, you can click the ‘more information’ link to visit these articles.

Barrier Draw: A key piece of information. Generally a horse drawn inside gate 10 have an advantage, while horses drawn further out need to cover more distance. More information

Weight: This is how much weight a horse has to carry and is the handicap part of racing. In most races horses will carry different weights based on different criteria. More information

Prize Money: Most form guides will list how much prize money a horse has won in their life. Looking at average prize money can be an excellent way to analyse quality horses. More information

Owners/Trainers: This lists who owns a particular horse. If a horse is coming from a stable of one of the better trainers, there’s a good chance this horse is a good shot at winning. More Information

Jockey: A form guide will always list who the jockey is. Some jockeys are particularly good, especially in the big events, so pay close attention to who the jockey is. More information

Stats: All form guides will list a horses performance stats. It will often be listed as 12:4-7-1, this meaning the horse has had 12 starts for 4 wins, 7 seconds and a third. More information

Win/Place Ratio: Further to a horses performance history, the win and place ratio is a percentage version. A Horse that has 4 wins from 10 starts would have a win ratio of 40%. More information.

Distance: Keep an eye on the distance of the race and the form of the particular horse over a distance. If a horse has won at this distance before, it is a good bet. More information

Conditions: The weather conditions are very important. Some horses are hopeless in the wet, but excellent on a dry track, while others are the opposite and can win in the wet. More information.

Price Fluctuations: Another key piece of information. Here you can see which horses are being back in or backed out. If you see a horse being backed in heavily, its a good sign. More information.

We have just listed above many of the features you will find on most form guides and given you a good idea of what they mean. We have written another article on how to analyse all this information and provided you with a detailed guide on how to pick winners with this information. To view this article, click here.

When it comes to having a punt on the races, having access to a form guide is an essential tool. In Australia, form guides are now readably available free of charge from a number of different sources such as the daily newspapers, racing magazines, and of course the internet. The idea of a form guide is to provide punters with a guide to analyse a racing field with stats and information to help make an informed decision. The secret is to use any information as well as you possibly can.