Pulse: the RaceWatch live race day board

What is Pulse for on race day?

Pulse is the RaceWatch board for following the day as it unfolds. Rather than one race in depth, it is about noticing what has changed across the day's meetings.

During a busy afternoon, information changes faster than anyone can check racecards one by one. The useful habit is to know what to look for between races, so that a change at one meeting sends you back to the races it affects.

Four questions cover most of what changes on a race day. How are favourites doing? Who is trying something new? Has the ground changed? Which races were run fast? Together they give a quick read of the day as it unfolds.

Why watch how favourites are faring?

Over a long period favourites win at a consistent rate, but individual days swing widely. A run of beaten favourites at one meeting can be a sign that something about the day is different.

Over ten seasons favourites have won 35.5% of their runs over jumps and 32% on the Flat, but individual days swing widely. A run of beaten favourites at one meeting can point to ground that is riding differently from the report, or a draw or pace bias on the day. Spotting that early is the reason to keep count through the day.

The live panel on this page shows the latest day's count, and the free favourites page shows the long run figures by month, race type and going for context. A day that is running well below the usual rate at one course is worth a closer look at that meeting's ground and draw before its later races.

Why do first time runners matter on race day?

A first handicap, first blinkers or a first tongue tie is a change the form book cannot yet measure, and trainers make these changes for a reason.

Firsts matter because they are changes the form book cannot yet measure. A horse making its handicap debut is running off a mark for the first time; a horse in first time blinkers may race more keenly; a first tongue tie may help a horse's breathing. Trainers make these changes for a reason.

The racecard's Trainer Patterns tab is the place to look at the yard behind the runner. Some yards have strong records with first time equipment and others do not, so the trainer's record matters more than the change itself. The free first time headgear page shows those records by trainer.

Why do going changes matter during the day?

Going changes during the day are easy to miss when you are focused on one race, and a single step on the going scale can change the chances of half a card.

A shift from good to good to soft at one meeting can change the chances of many runners on its card, especially horses that need a fast surface. The going report guide explains how clerks announce changes through the day and how to read them.

When a change appears, check the affected runners' records on the new ground. F channels, one of the three families of RaceWatch alert channels, cover going and conditions for anyone who wants those alerts on their phone.

How should I follow a busy race day afternoon?

Treat the day as a checklist between races: look for going changes, note how favourites are faring, scan the first time runners for the next race and read results against par as they arrive.

The value of the checklist is that it points you to what has changed. A going change or a run of beaten favourites at one meeting is a reason to revisit its remaining races, while a race run well outside par tells you something about the horses that ran in it.

Anything worth following up can go on your Watch Slip for today or into Tracker+ for another day, so the thought is not lost once the afternoon moves on to the next meeting.

How do winning times against par help?

A par time is the standard time for a race of a given type over the course and distance on typical ground. Comparing winning times with par shows which races were run fast or slow.

A par time is the standard time for a race of a given type over the course and distance on typical ground. A winner that beats par by a clear margin has run a fast race; one well outside par may have won a slowly run race, or been helped by the way it was run.

Times against par also reveal how the ground rode. When every race on a card is slow against par, the going was probably softer than the official description, which is worth noting for every horse that ran that day.

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