Race comment abbreviations explained

How is a race comment put together?

A race comment follows the race in order: where the horse raced early, any move it made, how it responded when ridden and how it finished.

Take a made up example: hld up, hdwy 2f out, rdn and ev ch ins ff, no ex. In plain English that reads: held up, made headway two furlongs out, ridden and had every chance inside the final furlong, found no extra. Once you know the stages, most comments read in a few seconds.

Distances in a comment count back from the finish, so 2f out means two furlongs from the line. Each note is short on purpose, and the order of the notes matters as much as the words, because it tells you when each thing happened.

Which abbreviations describe where a horse raced early?

Early position shorthand includes ld for lead, ldr for leader, pr for prominent, trkd for tracked, chsd for chased and hld up for held up.

These notes describe running style. A horse that is regularly noted leading or prominent is a front runner or races close to the pace; one that is usually hld up is ridden to come from off the pace later. Tracked and chased both describe a horse racing behind the leaders, close enough to take them on.

Reading the early notes across a horse's last few runs gives a fair picture of how it likes to race. If several runners in today's field have led in their recent races, the early pace may be strong, which can change how the whole race unfolds.

Which abbreviations describe a move during the race?

Moves are described with hdwy for headway, prog for progress, qknd for quickened, chal for challenge and chald for challenged.

Pair the move with the finishing note to see whether the effort lasted. Hdwy followed by styd on describes a sustained run; hdwy followed by wknd describes a move that ran out. Where the move happened matters too, since a horse making ground from well back had more to do than one that was already close.

A note of sw, for switched, often sits beside a move and shows the rider had to change course to find a run. Read it alongside the finishing note before judging the run.

Which abbreviations describe effort under pressure?

Pressure is recorded with pshd for pushed, rdn for ridden and drvn for driven. The response is kpt on for kept on, styd on for stayed on, rlld for rallied, no ex for no extra or wknd for weakened.

The timing of the pressure is the key. A horse rdn a long way out that kpt on found more under pressure; one rdn late that sn wknd, soon weakened, had run its race. Styd on is often useful for future races, because a horse still going on at the finish may be suited by a longer trip or a stronger pace.

Outpcd, for outpaced, is a different note: the horse could not match the speed of the others at a key moment, which can point to a trip that was too short or ground that was too quick.

Which notes suggest trouble in running?

Trouble notes include hmprd for hampered, sw for switched, mstk for mistake and blndrd for blundered. Each can hide the true merit of a run.

These are the notes that make reading comments worthwhile. A horse that finished sixth after being hmprd and sw, then styd on, may have run better than its finishing position suggests. In jumps races, mstk and blndrd record errors at an obstacle, and a horse that made a serious error and still finished close deserves a second look next time.

Treat trouble notes as a reason to watch the replay rather than a verdict on their own. The comment tells you something happened; the replay shows how much it cost.

What do F, PU, UR and BD mean in a result?

Result codes mark horses that did not finish. F means fell, PU or P means pulled up, UR or U means unseated rider and BD or B means brought down by another runner.

A horse that is pulled up has been brought to a halt by its jockey during the race, while a horse that is brought down fell because of another runner rather than falling on its own. Other codes you may meet include R for refused and S for slipped up.

The same letters appear in form figures on the racecard, where each character is one run. A fall or unseat in a horse's recent form is worth checking in the race comment, because the reason for it matters.

What is in the A to Z of race comment abbreviations?

The table lists common in-running shorthand with its meaning. Spellings vary between publishers, so the root word is often the quickest way to decode a note you have not seen before.

Some results services use slightly different spellings for the same word, and some use symbols rather than words. Keep the table open beside a results page for a week and most comments become second nature.

The value of comments grows when you read them across several runs. A horse that is hld up and styd on in three races in a row, or one that led and wknd each time, is showing a pattern that form figures alone rarely reveal.

Keep reading

Sources checked

• DataForm Pro Form-Book: comments in running abbreviations
• Hambleton Racing: horse racing terms explained
• British Racecourses: how to read form
• William Hill: horse racing terms and abbreviations
• Racing Post: jargon buster
• Timeform: abbreviations