How to read a racecard 5u316e

To a newcomer, interpreting the racecard can be a daunting task with facts & figures aplenty, yet understanding the finer details can give any budding punter the tools to make informed decisions and potentially make the whole experience a profitable one.

The best way to set about understanding the racecard is to dissect it piece by piece and below we do just that. Our assessment draws upon the most common interpretations of both hard copy & online racecards.

HEADER -  Top left or right will usually include specified off time, race number, distance race is due to be run over (in metres) & grade classification.

TRAP NUMBER – On the left you will find the trap the greyhound will be starting the race from, in our example it is trap 3. The trap numbers (1-6) are also represented by a colour in order of Red, Blue, White, Black, Orange & Black & White stripes.

INDIVIDUAL GREYHOUND INFORMATION – Alongside the trap number is each individual greyhound’s name, in our race the example is Squiggle Or Two – owner(s) and trainers name follow.

Stated below is season information (if a bitch) followed by abbreviated colour & sex of the greyhound (BE B) accompanied by sire and dam, in our example they are Romeo Recruit & Adrigole Trudie. The date stated (Jn’ 18) represents the individual dog in question’s whelping date, followed by place of birth – Britain (Br) or Ireland (Ir).

Directly below will often feature the greyhound’s career record to date highlighting runs, wins & placed efforts.

PREVIOUS RACES/FORM- As we move down the page analysis of previous form (for last 6 races) is best broken down by the titles of each column:

DATE - Date race was run on highlighted by date & month                                  

DISTANCE - Distance dog/bitch ran over on each stated date

TRAP - Trap number dog/bitch operated from in each race

SPLIT/START TIME - Time recorded from leaving traps to crossing the line first time

BENDS - A dog/bitch’s position at each bend throughout the race

FIN - A dog/bitch’s finishing position in that race        

BTN - Distance dog/bitch won race or was beaten by winner

1st/2nd - Name of race winner or runner-up should dog in question have won

REMARKS - Comments attached to individual performance eg EPace (Early pace) SAw (Slow away) Crd (Crowded) Bdblk (Badly baulked) VW (Very wide)

WnTm – Time recorded by the race winner

GOING - In hundredths of a second positive/negative figures indicate fast or slow conditions – N denotes Normal going

KILOS - Greyhounds weight for each race defined in kilos

SP - Starting price for the dog/bitch or number of runners if a trial (eg T3)

CLASS - Class or grade in which greyhound ran or reason for trial (eg ex-lame)

Calc Tm - Final time recorded, adjusted to incorporate “going” allowance – Use of a star (*) indicates best recent time over distance.