Weight for age scale explained, month by month

Why do younger horses receive weight from older ones?

Younger horses receive weight because they are still growing. A 3 year old in spring is physically behind a 4 year old, and the allowance evens up that gap so the two can meet on fair terms.

Every British and Irish racehorse shares a birthday on 1 January, so a 3 year old in April may not yet be three years old in real terms. Its bones, muscles and stamina are still developing. Without an allowance, older horses would win almost every mixed-age race in the first half of the year and 3 year olds would be kept apart from them.

The weight for age scale is the official table of those allowances. It is used in every mixed-age race, from Group 1s such as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes to everyday handicaps.

How do you read the weight for age scale by month and distance?

The scale is a grid: months run across the top, distances down the side, and each cell gives the pounds a younger horse receives. Allowances are biggest early in the year and over long trips, and smallest late in the year over sprints.

To read it, find the race distance and the month, then the cell for the age pairing, such as 3 year olds against 4 year olds and up. Some grids split each month into halves. Over 5f the 3 year old allowance fades away during the summer and autumn, while over 2 miles a 3 year old still receives a clear allowance into the autumn, which is why 3 year olds can do well in autumn staying races.

The allowance also appears in the race conditions, so the racecard weights already include it. You never add weight for age yourself; you only need to know it is there when judging how a 3 year old's form stacks up against older horses.

How much weight do 3 year olds get from older horses?

A 3 year old gets the most weight in spring over staying trips and the least in the autumn over sprints. The exact pounds come from the official scale for each month and distance.

The allowance falls steadily through the year. A 3 year old meeting older horses over a mile in spring receives a sizeable allowance, the same horse over the same trip in September receives much less, and by the end of the season the allowance over sprint trips has all but gone. The BHA and its European partners revised the flat scale in 2017, trimming allowances over 1m2f and further from the second half of June after analysis found 3 year olds had been winning more than their share.

How does weight for age work between 2 year olds and 3 year olds?

Two year olds rarely meet older horses, but when they do the scale gives them a very large allowance, because a juvenile is far less mature than a 3 year old.

The best-known meeting point is the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August, a Group 1 over 5f open to 2 year olds and up. A 2 year old in the Nunthorpe carries far less than older sprinters, yet only a few have won it, the most recent being Kingsgate Native in 2007. Most juveniles stay within their own age group all season.

Do 4 year olds get weight for age over jumps?

Four year olds receive weight for age from older horses over hurdles, and jumps racing uses its own scale, separate from the flat one.

Most 4 year old hurdlers run in juvenile races against their own age group until the spring, when some take on older horses. In the Champion Hurdle a 4 year old receives 10lb from its older rivals. Mares' allowances over jumps sit on top of weight for age, so a 4 year old mare can receive both.

Is weight for age included in handicap weights?

Weight for age is applied within the weights of a mixed-age handicap, so a younger horse carries less than an older horse on the same official rating. The allowance is not added again on top.

Suppose a 3 year old and a 5 year old are both rated 80 in a June handicap over 1m2f. The handicapper's weights already give the 3 year old its weight for age allowance, so it carries less. When a 3 year old runs well against older horses in a handicap, that allowance is part of the reason, and it will shrink as the season moves on.

How do different ages perform in the biggest races?

Public racing records and results from Britain and Ireland.

The figures show how the weight for age scale plays out at the top level. On the flat, 3 year olds make up a large share of Group 1 runners because the Classics and many championship races are restricted to them, while older horses carry weight for age in the open races. Over jumps, the middle ages dominate Grade 1 runs.

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