Blinkers in horse racing: what they do and when they work

What do blinkers stop a racehorse from seeing?

Blinkers block most of a racehorse's side and rear vision, leaving it a forward view, so it is less distracted by rivals behind it, the crowd and movement at the edge of its sight.

A horse's eyes are set on the sides of its head, giving it a very wide field of view, with small blind spots directly behind it and just in front of its nose. That wide view is why horses spook at things beside them. Blinkers narrow it, so the horse's attention stays on the track ahead and on the jockey's instructions.

The cups come in different depths. Full cups block almost everything to the side, while shallower cups leave a little more view. Trainers pick the size to match the horse, and a visor, which has a slit in each cup, is the next step down.

Why do trainers put blinkers on a horse?

Trainers fit blinkers when a horse is not running to its ability because of its attitude: it idles when it hits the front, hangs, looks around or does not respond fully under pressure.

The classic case is a horse that travels well in a race and then finds little. Blinkers can make it concentrate through the finish. They are also used on horses that are slow away or need waking up, and on some that run too freely, where the aim is to make them focus rather than race faster.

Blinkers do not change a horse's ability. They help it show the ability it has, which is why their effect is strongest on horses whose form suggests they have more to give.

What does b1 mean on a racecard?

On a British or Irish racecard b1 means the horse is wearing blinkers for the first time in a race, while a plain b means it has worn them before.

The first-time marker applies to each type of headgear separately, so a horse that has raced in a visor can still show b1 the first time it wears blinkers. A horse that has had blinkers removed and later refitted is not marked as first time.

Headgear is part of the declaration, so b1 is known once declarations are published. It is one of the clearest signals a trainer can give that something has been changed to get more out of the horse.

Do horses run better in first-time blinkers?

Public racing records and results from Britain and Ireland.

One reason first-time figures matter is novelty. A horse wearing blinkers for the first time reacts most strongly to the change, and some settle down once they are used to them. That is why a horse can run well in first-time blinkers and then less well the next time.

When do blinkers stop working on a racehorse?

Blinkers often have their strongest effect the first time or two, then less as the horse gets used to them, which is why trainers remove them for a while or switch to a visor or cheekpieces.

Watch for horses whose best runs all came in the first few races after blinkers went on. A trainer may take them off to freshen the horse's mind and then refit them later, when the change can work again. Horses sometimes improve for having blinkers removed too, if the equipment was making them too keen.

The racecard only shows the current headgear, so the horse's past form lines are the place to check which runs came with blinkers and which without. A horse whose wins all came in the first two runs after blinkers were fitted is a pattern worth noting.

Are blinkers a sign a horse is ungenuine?

Blinkers are not proof that a horse is ungenuine: many high-class horses have raced in them, and trainers fit them for concentration as often as for attitude.

Blinkers used to carry a stigma as a sign of an unwilling horse. Modern trainers use blinkers far more routinely, often on young horses that are simply green and need to learn to concentrate.

A better reading is to ask what problem the blinkers are meant to solve. The horse's race comments, such as hung left, found little or idled, usually tell you, and they show whether the blinkers have fixed it in later runs.

• Idles or pulls up in front
• Hangs away from the whip or the rail
• Looks around or races lazily
• Slowly away from the stalls

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