Weighed in: what it means after a horse race

What is the difference between weighing out and weighing in?

Weighing out happens before the race, when each jockey is weighed with the saddle and equipment to confirm the horse will carry its allotted weight, and weighing in repeats the check after the race.

Before a race the jockey sits on the scales in the weighing room with the saddle, weight cloth and lead, and the clerk of the scales confirms the total matches the weight on the racecard, allowing for any claim or overweight. The weight cloth carries lead to make up the difference for lighter riders.

After the race riders return to the scales to weigh in, as the rules require. The check confirms that the horse carried the right weight throughout, with nothing lost or added during the race.

What does the clerk of the scales check after a race?

The clerk of the scales checks that riders weigh in at the weight they weighed out, and weighed in is signalled once the stewards have no outstanding enquiry.

Riders can gain a little weight from mud and rain or lose a little through exertion, so the rules allow a small tolerance. A rider outside it is reported to the stewards, and weighing in light raises the question of whether the horse carried the correct weight.

Objections are also lodged before the result is confirmed, which is why the weighed in announcement is held until any objection is resolved. A long delay before weighed in usually means an enquiry or objection is being heard.

• Each rider's weight against the weight carried out
• Any claim or overweight declared before the race
• Equipment the rider must weigh in with, such as the saddle and weight cloth
• Any objection lodged by a rider
• Any enquiry the stewards have opened

Are bets paid once a race is weighed in?

Bookmakers and betting exchanges normally settle bets on the result at the weighed in announcement, and later changes on appeal or after a positive drug test are disregarded for settlement.

That rule gives certainty. A horse can be disqualified weeks after the race for a prohibited substance, and the official result and prize money will change, but bets already settled on the weighed in result stand. Some bookmakers also run concessions that pay out on the first past the post as well as the weighed in result, but that is their own offer, not a rule.

The result that counts for betting is therefore fixed by the weighed in call on the day, not by the final official record. That is why a horse can appear as the winner in the record books while bets were settled on a different horse, or the other way round.

What happens if a jockey weighs in light?

A jockey who weighs in light, below the weight they carried out by more than the permitted margin, is reported to the stewards, and the horse can be disqualified because it may not have carried its weight.

The usual causes are equipment lost during the race, such as lead falling out of a weight cloth, or a mistake in weighing out. Whatever the reason, a horse that has carried less weight than allotted has had an advantage, so disqualification can follow.

Cases are rare, which is why they make news when they happen. They are also a reminder that the result is not final until the weighed in announcement, however clear the finish looked.

Can the stewards change the result after weighed in has been called?

Once weighed in is called the raceday result is confirmed for betting, but the official result can still change later through an appeal to the regulator or a disqualification after a failed drug test.

Appeals against a stewards' decision are heard later by the regulator's disciplinary panel. If an appeal succeeds, the official placings and prize money are changed, but bets settled on the weighed in result stand. Drug test disqualifications work the same way and can come weeks after the race.

When you look at historical results, the official placings may differ from the weighed in result on the day. The free results tools show the result as it stands in the official record. Such changes are rare, but they explain the occasional result that does not match memory of the race.

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