How do I read horse racing form and result figures?

Form figures are the string of numbers and letters displayed to the left of a horse's name on a result card or racecard. Each character represents the finishing position from one recent run, reading from left to right with the most recent result on the far right. A "1" means the horse won, "2" means it finished second, and so on up to "9." A "0" denotes a finishing position of tenth or worse. Letters replace numbers when a horse did not complete the race: P (pulled up), F (fell), U (unseated rider), R (refused) and BD (brought down) are the most common. A dash (-) separates runs within the same season, while a diagonal slash (/) marks a break between seasons. So a form line reading "213/1-42" tells you the horse placed second, first and third last season, then ran first, fourth and second in the current campaign. Start by focusing on the last three figures — they give you the most current snapshot of a horse's trajectory — and work backward from there as your confidence grows.

What do the abbreviations SP, P, F, U, R, BD and OR in racing results mean?

SP stands for Starting Price — the odds at which a horse was offered by on-course bookmakers at the moment the race began, and the default settlement price for many bets. OR is the Official Rating, a numerical measure of ability assigned by the BHA handicapper. P means the horse was pulled up by its jockey before the finish, usually due to fatigue or injury. F means the horse fell at an obstacle in a jump race, and U means the jockey was unseated. R stands for refused — the horse declined to jump or start. BD (brought down) indicates the horse was brought to the ground by another horse's fall, through no fault of its own. These abbreviations appear most frequently in National Hunt results, where obstacles create more opportunities for a horse to exit the race early. In Flat racing, you will mainly encounter SP, OR and occasional non-completions like P or DSQ (disqualified).

What is the difference between National Hunt and Flat racing results?

Flat racing takes place without obstacles over distances from five furlongs to about two miles and six furlongs, predominantly on turf between April and November (and year-round on all-weather surfaces). National Hunt racing involves hurdles or steeplechase fences and runs over longer distances, typically between two and four-plus miles, mainly from October to April. The results differ in several respects. Flat results tend to show tighter finishing margins and feature draw (stall) positions, which can be decisive at certain tracks. National Hunt results include information about falls, unseated riders and pulled-up horses, producing abbreviations like F, U and P far more frequently. Jump results also typically show smaller fields of finishers relative to the number of starters, because the attrition rate over obstacles is inherently higher. Roughly 60% of the approximately 10,000 annual British races are Flat contests, with the remaining 40% staged under National Hunt rules.

Updated: 26 August 2026 Independent Analysis

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