A
A/W (All-Weather)
Synthetic racing surfaces used year-round at six UK and Irish courses.
All-Weather racing runs on either Polytrack (Kempton, Lingfield, Chelmsford City, Dundalk) or Tapeta (Newcastle, Southwell, Wolverhampton). Going is described as Standard or Slow, rather than the turf scale of Hard through Heavy.
Ask RaceMetrics RaceMetrics
AI-powered natural language query tool that answers racing questions in plain English.
Built on 25+ years of Proform Racing data. Type a question like "best UK trainers on heavy ground in handicap chases" or "trainer/jockey combinations with positive ROI in Class 3 hurdles" and get back sortable tables and charts. Daily query limits vary by subscription tier from 5 to 100 per day.
B
Beaten Favourite (BF)
A horse that started as the favourite but did not win the race.
Often considered a positive form line for the next race — if the market thought it was best and it underperformed, it may go off a bigger price next time out. RaceMetrics tags these with a BF history badge in At-a-Glance view.
BHA (British Horseracing Authority)
The official governing and regulatory body of British horse racing.
The BHA publishes Official Ratings (ORs) used for handicapping, sets the rules of racing, and licences horses, trainers, jockeys and owners.
BOG (Best Odds Guaranteed)
A bookmaker concession that pays out at the higher of the price taken or the Starting Price.
If you back a horse at 6/1 and it starts at 8/1, you get paid at 8/1. If it shortens, you keep your original 6/1. RaceMetrics' Tips dashboard tracks "Breakfast BOG" and "Morning BOG" P/L variants.
BSP (Betfair Starting Price)
The official starting price published by the Betfair exchange at the off.
Calculated from money matched in the seconds before the race. Used as the standard reference price for P/L calculations on RaceMetrics — exchange-driven, fair, after a typical 2% commission deduction.
Bumper
A National Hunt Flat (NHF) race — a flat race for jumps-bred horses with no obstacles.
Used to introduce future hurdlers and chasers to racecourse experience. Race type 5 in RaceMetrics' classification.
C
Chase (Steeplechase)
National Hunt race over fences (steeplechase obstacles).
Race type 3 in RaceMetrics. Fences are larger and more solid than hurdles. Distances typically range from 2 miles to 4 miles 4 furlongs.
Class 1 to 7
UK race classification scale where Class 1 is the highest and Class 7 is the lowest.
Class 1 includes Group 1, 2 and 3 races, Listed flat races, and the top National Hunt Grade 1, 2 and 3 events. Classes 2-6 are tiers of handicaps with rating bands. Class 7 covers selling and apprentice races. RaceMetrics' filters and pattern conditions use the same 1-7 scale throughout.
Combined Score RaceMetrics
RaceMetrics' weighted average of six connection ratings — Owner 20%, Trainer 20%, Jockey 20%, Dam 18%, Sire 12%, Damsire 10%.
The horse's own rating (H) is shown separately, not included in the Combined Score. Historically the highest Combined Score in a race wins 22.97% of the time — 2.15 times the rate you'd expect from random selection. Elite Combined Scores (1600+) have a 43.75% strike rate.
Connections
The collective term for the people and bloodlines associated with a horse — Trainer, Jockey, Owner, Sire, Dam, Damsire.
RaceMetrics rates all six connection types separately, plus the horse itself, giving seven distinct rating profiles per runner.
Course Winner (C)
A horse that has previously won at the same course.
Shown as a C history badge in RaceMetrics' At-a-Glance view. Course form is one of the strongest historical predictors, particularly at unusual or undulating tracks like Cheltenham, Goodwood and Epsom.
Course & Distance Winner (CD)
A horse that has previously won at the same course over the same distance.
Shown as a CD badge, which overrides C and D. The strongest form indicator of the four standard history badges.
Course Direction
Whether a racecourse turns left-handed (anticlockwise) or right-handed (clockwise) from the runner's perspective.
Used as a pattern condition for horses that prefer one direction over the other. Most UK left-handed courses include Ascot (round course), Goodwood, Epsom (downhill section).
D
Dam
A horse's female parent (mother).
RaceMetrics tracks every dam in the database with full progeny statistics, rating history and profitable angles. Dam quality particularly influences stamina, temperament and ability on testing ground.
Damsire
The sire of a horse's dam — i.e. the horse's maternal grandfather.
Often a strong indicator of stamina, jumping ability and surface preference, because broodmare sires shape physical type as much as direct sires do. RaceMetrics rates damsires by the cumulative performance of their daughters' offspring.
Distance Winner (D)
A horse that has previously won over the same distance, at any course.
Shown as a D history badge. Less specific than CD (Course & Distance) but useful for stamina assessment.
Draw
The stall number from which a horse starts a flat race.
Drawn 1 is closest to the inside rail. Some courses heavily favour high or low draws over certain distances — for example, big-field handicaps at Chester favour low draws because of the tight turns. RaceMetrics' Draw & Pace tool (Enterprise) maps these biases.
DSLR (Days Since Last Run)
The number of days between a horse's last race and the upcoming one.
Used for fitness assessment. Common windows: under 14 days (recent racing), 15-28 days (typical), 29-90 days (mid-break), 90+ days (extended absence). Trainer-specific DSLR patterns are a common profitable angle on RaceMetrics.
E
Each-Way (E/W)
A bet split equally between Win and Place outcomes.
A £10 each-way bet is £10 to win plus £10 to place — total stake £20. Place terms vary by field size: typically 1/4 odds for 1st-3rd in 8+ runner races, 1/5 odds for 12+ runner handicaps (often expanding to 4 places in 16+ runner handicaps).
Elite Rating RaceMetrics
A RaceMetrics rating of 1600 or higher, indicating top-tier performance.
Elite participants (horses or connections) historically win 43.75% of races they enter when topping the Combined Score — 3.54 times random chance. Full RaceMetrics scale: 1500 average, 1550+ strong, 1600+ elite.
F
Field Size
The number of declared runners in a race.
Used as a pattern condition. Smaller fields (4-6 runners) favour favourites; large handicap fields (16+) are more random and reward outsiders. RaceMetrics shows field size on every racecard and in profile breakdowns.
Flat Racing
Racing on the level — no jumps. Includes both turf and All-Weather.
Race types 1 (Turf Flat) and 2 (All-Weather) in RaceMetrics' classification. UK turf flat runs roughly April to October; All-Weather year-round.
Form Expert RaceMetrics
RaceMetrics' historical performance analysis tool showing strike rates filtered by going, class, distance, field size and race type for every runner in a race.
Switch between all seven participant types (Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Owner, Sire, Dam, Damsire), match the current race's conditions in one click, and toggle between Win, Win & Place, and PRB (Percentage of Rivals Beaten) modes.
Form String
A horse's most recent finishing positions, read right to left (most recent on the right).
Positions 1-9 shown as a single digit; 0 = 10th or worse; F = Fell; U = Unseated; P = Pulled Up; R = Refused or Ran Out; B = Brought Down; S = Slipped Up. Year breaks shown as a dash ("-") or slash ("/").
FSP% (Finishing Speed Percentage) Platinum
A horse's speed in the closing sections of a race, relative to the average speed across the whole race.
100% means the horse finished at the same speed as the race average. Above 100% = finishing faster than average (a strong closer); below 100% = slowing down. Available on Proform Platinum subscription plus the TPD Sectionals Add-On.
G
Going
The firmness of the racing surface, scaled from Hard (driest) through to Heavy (wettest).
Turf scale: Hard, Firm, Good to Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, Heavy. All-Weather uses Standard or Slow. The going strongly affects horses' performance and is one of the primary pattern-matching conditions on RaceMetrics. Some courses publish "official going" (pre-race) and "actual going" (post-race) — Platinum users can toggle Form Expert to use the actual going for more accurate historical analysis.
H
Handicap
A race in which horses carry different weights based on their Official Rating, designed to equalise winning chances.
Higher-rated horses carry more weight; lower-rated horses carry less. The BHA handicapper assigns ratings based on performance. RaceMetrics' filters distinguish handicaps from non-handicaps in every analysis, because the betting dynamics and form patterns are very different.
Headgear
Equipment fitted to a horse's head, typically to aid concentration or steering.
Common types: Blinkers (B), Visor (V), Cheekpieces (CP), Hood (H), Tongue Tie (T), Eyeshield (E). In At-a-Glance and racecard views, a "1" indicator shown in bold marks the first time that equipment is fitted — often a strong angle when paired with a new trainer or returning from a break.
HHI (Herfindahl-Hirschman Index) RaceMetrics
A measure of race predictability borrowed from economics, where it measures market concentration.
Each runner's odds are converted to implied probabilities, normalised to remove the overround (bookmaker margin), and the squares of each probability are summed. RaceMetrics displays an HHI band on every race: Wide Open (under 0.15) — very competitive, no clear favourite; Competitive (0.15-0.25); Moderate (0.25-0.40) — market has clear preferences; Concentrated (0.40-0.60) — strong favourite present; Dominant (over 0.60) — heavy favourite, very predictable race.
Horse Rating (H) RaceMetrics
A horse's own RaceMetrics rating, shown standalone in the H column.
1500 is average, 1550+ strong, 1600+ elite. Updated after every race. Crucially, the H rating is not included in the Combined Score calculation — the Combined Score is the weighted average of the six connection ratings only.
HP Dots (High Performer) RaceMetrics
Six dots representing the six connection ratings — each filled gold if that connection is rated 1550 or higher.
A horse with 5-6 filled dots has elite connections across the board. A horse with 0 filled dots has below-average connections. Shown on every racecard and A-Z runners view as a quick visual quality check.
Hurdle
National Hunt race over hurdles — smaller, flexible obstacles versus the larger fences in chases.
Race type 4 in RaceMetrics. Hurdle distances typically range from 2 miles to 3 miles 1 furlong.
I
Impact Value (IV)
Actual wins divided by expected wins, given field sizes — a measure of how much a participant outperforms random chance.
1.0x = average (random chance); 1.5x = good (wins 50% more often than expected); 2.0x = strong (wins twice as often); 3.0x+ = exceptional. RaceMetrics' What Wins tool ranks profitable angles by IV across 11 filter combinations.
In-Running (IR)
Betting that takes place while the race is underway.
Prices change second-by-second based on positions and how horses are travelling. RaceMetrics' Ask RaceMetrics tool includes In-Running price-pattern recipes for analysing trading angles.
ISP (Industry Starting Price)
The official Starting Price published by traditional bookmakers, derived from on-course prices at the off.
Used for level-stakes P/L on RaceMetrics. Differs from BSP (Betfair's exchange SP), which is typically higher because there is no bookmaker margin built in.
J
Jockey Claim
A weight allowance — typically 3lb, 5lb or 7lb — for inexperienced jockeys (apprentices on the flat, conditional jockeys over jumps).
Shown next to the jockey name on racecards as a number in brackets (e.g. "J. Smith (3)" = 3lb claim). The horse carries less weight as a result, which can be a meaningful edge in tight handicaps.
L
Laytown
An Irish racecourse on a sandy beach in County Meath — the only beach racing in Europe under official rules.
One meeting per year, typically in September. Treated as its own surface ("Laytown") in RaceMetrics' pattern engine, distinct from Polytrack and Tapeta.
M
Maiden
A horse that has never won a race, or a race restricted to such horses.
Common entry-level races for two- and three-year-olds. A "maiden auction" is a maiden race restricted to horses bought below a certain price at auction as yearlings.
Morning Price
A bookmaker price published in the morning of race day, after the breakfast lay-out.
One of three price columns on RaceMetrics' racecards: Evening (previous night), Breakfast (early morning), Morning (just before the race). Movements between these three prices reveal market confidence and "steamer" patterns.
N
NHF (National Hunt Flat)
A flat race on a National Hunt card — for jumps-bred horses with no obstacles.
Race type 5 on RaceMetrics. Also called a "bumper". See Bumper.
Non-Runner (NR)
A horse that has been declared but withdrawn before the race.
RaceMetrics publishes a daily Non-Runners page grouped by course with real-time notifications. Common reasons: ground change (declared on Good, raced on Heavy), unsuitable conditions, vet's certificate.
O
Official Rating (OR)
The handicap rating assigned to each horse by the BHA handicapper.
The primary scale used to allocate weights in handicap races. A horse rated 80 carries 8lb more than a horse rated 72 in the same handicap. Ratings are reassessed after every race based on performance against expectations. RaceMetrics shows the current OR alongside its own H rating for direct comparison.
Overround
The bookmaker's profit margin built into a market — the amount by which all implied probabilities sum to more than 100%.
A 110% market has 10% overround. Bigger fields and lower-grade races usually carry higher overrounds. RaceMetrics removes the overround when calculating HHI by normalising probabilities to sum to exactly 100%.
Owner
The registered owner of a racehorse.
Owners pay training fees, entry fees and other costs. RaceMetrics tracks owners as one of the seven connection types — top owners (Godolphin, Coolmore, JP McManus) tend to have strong rating profiles because of the quality of horses they buy.
P
Pace (Running Style)
A horse's preferred running style — front-runner, prominent, stalker, mid-division, closer, or held-up.
RaceMetrics' Predicted Running Styles (Platinum) analyses up to 10 prior races with decay weighting to forecast how a horse will be ridden — showing predicted style, historical runs count, early position average and late position average.
Pattern RaceMetrics
A saved set of conditions (e.g. "Trainer X + Soft going + Class 4 handicaps") that triggers an alert when a runner matches.
Patterns are created from profile pages when you identify a profitable angle. Each pattern captures active filters: specific participant, course/type, distance range, class/type, going conditions, price range. Tier limits: Free 5, Basic 10, Standard 50, Expert 250, Enterprise 1,000.
Penalty
Extra weight added to a horse for recent eligible wins, on top of its handicap rating.
Usually 3lb-7lb in handicaps; common in conditions races (e.g. "5lb penalty for winners of a Group 3 in the last six months"). Shown on the racecard as a Penalty flag.
Place
A finishing position that pays out under each-way terms — typically 1st, 2nd or 3rd, expanding to 4th in large handicaps.
Contextual definition on RaceMetrics: top 2 for 5-7 runners, top 3 for 8-15, top 4 for 16+. Used as a Show Mode in Form Expert (Win, Win & Place, PRB).
Polytrack
A synthetic racing surface used at Kempton, Lingfield, Chelmsford City and Dundalk.
Wax-coated silica sand. Going is described as Standard or Slow. Distinct from Tapeta in how horses perform — many horses have a clear preference for one synthetic surface over the other.
PRB (Percentage of Rivals Beaten) RaceMetrics
The proportion of opponents a horse finishes ahead of, calculated as (field_size − finishing_position) / (field_size − 1) × 100.
A horse finishing 3rd of 10 has a PRB of (10−3)/9 = 77.8%. PRB is a more granular alternative to win/place strike rates: a horse that consistently runs in the top half of fields will show a high PRB even with few outright wins. Non-finishers (Fell, Pulled Up, etc.) score 0%. Used as a Show Mode in Form Expert.
Profit/Loss (P/L)
Theoretical profit or loss to £1 level stakes at Betfair Starting Price (BSP).
A standardised value measure that removes the subjectivity of which bookmaker price to use. RaceMetrics displays Win P/L, Place P/L, ROI and average Win BSP on every profile. The RaceMetrics Tips dashboard tracks six staking methods: BF Win, ISP, BF Place, Evening, Breakfast BOG and Morning BOG.
R
RaceMetrics Rating RaceMetrics
A proprietary Elo-style performance rating updated after every race, tracking form over time for all seven connection types.
1500 is the average baseline; 1550+ indicates a consistent above-average performer; 1600+ is elite. Ratings are recalculated based on finishing position relative to expectations, quality of opposition, and race conditions. See how ratings work.
Random Win %
The probability of picking the winner by selecting one runner at random — simply 1 divided by field size.
Used as the baseline against which Combined Score and Impact Value are measured. A statement like "the highest Combined Score wins 2.15× random" means it wins 2.15 times more often than chance would predict given the field sizes.
RM7 (RaceMetrics 7) RaceMetrics
A free weekly skill-based competition where users pick seven participants within a 10,500-point budget.
Open to all registered users (no purchase or subscription required). Tuesday to Sunday. Cash prizes: 1st £25, 2nd £15, 3rd £10. Score = total rating change across the seven picks. Cross-contamination rule: cannot pick a horse and any of its direct connections (trainer, sire, dam, damsire, or owner) to prevent one runner counting multiple times.
RM Tip RaceMetrics
A daily horse selection from RaceMetrics' proprietary tipping model, published each morning around 7:45am.
Marked with an amber "RM Tip" badge on racecards. Available to Basic subscribers and above; free-tier users see the performance dashboard but the picks are blurred. Performance dashboard (visible to all users) tracks six staking methods including BF Win, ISP, BF Place, Evening, Breakfast BOG and Morning BOG.
RPR (Racing Post Rating)
Racing Post's proprietary form rating — the longest-established commercial rating in UK racing.
Different scale and methodology from RaceMetrics' rating and from the BHA's Official Rating. Not directly comparable across systems — each rating answers a slightly different question and uses a different baseline.
S
Sectionals Platinum
Split-time and positional data captured during a race, broken down by furlong.
Includes section times, finishing speed (FSP%), positions gained or lost, top speed (mph), stride length and frequency. Requires a Proform Platinum subscription plus the TPD Sectionals Add-On. Available on RaceMetrics with 14 analysis tabs and an animated race replay.
Sire
A horse's male parent (father).
The most-studied bloodline connection — sires shape stamina, surface preference, jumping aptitude and class ceiling. RaceMetrics rates sires by the cumulative performance of their progeny.
SP (Starting Price)
The official price of a horse at the moment the race begins.
Calculated from on-course bookmakers (ISP) or the Betfair exchange (BSP). The reference price for P/L calculations because it is the only universally-published, post-hoc verifiable price.
Speed Rating (SR)
A figure derived from a horse's time in a race relative to par, adjusted for conditions.
RaceMetrics surfaces Proform's Speed Rating in inline form lines and the At-a-Glance view (TS column shows the highest SR in the last year). Different from RaceMetrics' own form rating, which weights opposition and class rather than raw time.
Surface
The racing surface — Turf, Polytrack, Tapeta, or Laytown (beach sand).
Derived from race type and course on RaceMetrics. Surface preference is one of the strongest individual horse characteristics — many horses are clear specialists on one surface and underperform on others.
T
Tapeta
A synthetic racing surface used at Newcastle, Southwell and Wolverhampton.
Sand-rubber-wax composite, distinct from Polytrack. Going described as Standard or Slow. Wolverhampton switched from Polytrack to Tapeta in 2014.
Topspeed (TS)
A horse's highest Proform speed rating recorded in the last 12 months.
Shown in the At-a-Glance view and inline form lines on RaceMetrics. A raw-time-based measure that complements the class-and-opposition-weighted RaceMetrics rating — the two tell different stories about a horse's form.
Trainer
The licensed individual responsible for preparing a horse to race.
One of the seven connection types tracked by RaceMetrics. Trainer form is highly cyclical — RaceMetrics' Biggest Movers leaderboards track 7-, 14-, 28-, 56- and 90-day form changes.
Turf
Natural grass — the surface of all UK Flat and National Hunt racing other than All-Weather.
Going scaled Hard to Heavy depending on rainfall and watering. Race types 1 (Flat), 3 (Chase), 4 (Hurdle) and 5 (NHF) all run on turf in RaceMetrics' classification.
W
What Wins (Pattern Discovery) RaceMetrics
Pattern discovery tool that finds profitable betting angles by analysing Impact Value across 11 filter combinations.
For any participant (horse, trainer, jockey, sire, dam, damsire, owner), it ranks combinations of Going, Class, Course, Distance and Field Size by IV. Click any pattern to apply it to Form Expert with the participant type and conditions auto-set. Available on Basic tier and above.