Daily Racing Form: How To Use DRF (2024)

:: Interactive guide to reading DRF past performances
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Data in a Past Performance

There is a tremendous amount of data available for interpretation in a DRF past performance.Below, you'll see a sample past performance (PP). This list will help you identify what each piece of data means, including six new features from DRF: Tomlinson Ratings, New Class Codes,Next Out Winners Italicized in Company Lines, Stud Fees, Bar Shoes, The Career Box. Hopefully, all this information will help you become a winning handicapper.

The following data elements are in a Daily Racing Form Past Performance (* - new features):

Tomlinson Ratings - Tomlinson Ratings, which appear next to the "Turf" and "Wet" headings in each horse's career box, measure a horses potential to handle turf and muddy/sloppy track conditions.Previous Trainer Line - This indicates horse's previous trainer.

Date Race was Run - 1Jan96. This race was run on Jan 1, 1996.

Race Number, Track - 10CRC. This was the tenth race at Calder. A complete list of track abbreviations is published in the past performance section of most issues of Daily Racing Form. A u (diamond symbol) preceding a track name denotes a foreign racetrack.

Track Condition - gd. The track was good. Track condition abbreviations for dirt and turf tracks are listed on page 10.

Distance of Race - 5 furlongs. This race was at 5 furlongs on the main dirt track. An asterisk (*) before the distance indicates it was an approximate, or "about," distance (*7f = about 7 furlongs).

Fractional Times - :22 :46.1. Three fractional times are given for each race at all distances over 5 1/2 furlongs. In this 5 furlong race, the first fraction (:22) is the leader's time after a quarter-mile; the second fraction (:46.1) is the leader's time after a half-mile.

Final Time - :59.2. The winning horse stopped the teletimer in :59.2. This is always the time of the first horse to cross the finish line, even if the winner is disqualified from first position.

Type of Race - Alw 18700N1X. This was an allowance race for non-winners of a race other than maiden or claiming.

*New Class Codes - In claiming races the range of claiming prices is noted - 16/14000.

Beyer Speed Figure - 53. Beyer Speed Figures are available exclusively in Daily Racing Form. Every performance by every horse in North America is assigned a number which reflects the time of the race and the inherent speed of the track over which it was run, and permits easy comparison of efforts at different distances. A figure of 95 denotes exactly the same quality of performance whether is was earned at Santa Anita or Suffolk Downs.

Post Position - 6. The horse left the starting gate from stall number six. Post position can differ from official program number because of late scratches, horses coupled as a betting entry, or runners grouped in a mutuel field.

First Call - 9. The horse's position immediately after leaving the starting gate or after quarter-mile depending on the distance. This horse was ninth after the start.

Second Call - 10-9 1/2. This horse was tenth, 9 1/2 lengths behind the leader after three-sixteenths of a mile. The large figure indicates the horse's running position, the smaller figure is the margin behind the leader. If the horse had been in front at this point the smaller figure would indicate the margin in front of the second horse.

Third Call - 9-14. The horse was ninth, 14 lengths behind the leader after three-eighths of a mile.

Stretch Call - 9-14. The horse was ninth, 14 lengths behind the leader at this point. The stretch call is always made one furlong (one-eighth of a mile) from the finish line.

Finish - 9-10 3/4. The horse finished 9th, 10 3/4 lengths behind the winner. If the horse was the winner, the smaller figure would indicate the margin ahead of the second horse. A symbol after the finish means the horse finished in a deadheat with one or more horses for that position.

Jockey - Davis RG. This horse was ridden by Robbie Davis. When a small number follows the jockey's name it indicates the apprentice allowance claimed. Apprentice riders are entitled to weight allowances of 3, 5, 7 or 10 pounds, based on experience and contract rules. Daily Racing Form publishes complete jockey/trainer standings for every track several times each week.

Medication - L, B. Where state rules permit, horses may run on various medications. L indicates a horse has been treated with Lasix (generic name: furosemide); B indicates horse has been treated with Butazolidin (generic name: phenylbutazone).

L - lasix. The L1 indicates first time lasix.

Weight Carried - 119. The horse carried 119 pounds in this race. This is the weight of the rider and equipment (saddle, lead pads, etc.) and includes the apprentice allowance when an allowance is claimed.

Blinkers - On or Off. This indicates blinker changes from last start

Equipment - f The letter "f" indicates the horse wore front bandages. If the horse wore blinkers, the letter b would appear after the f (fb).

*Bar Shoes - r The letter "r" indicates the horse wore bar shoes.

Closing Odds - 41.00. The horse was $41.00 to the dollar. The * symbol preceding the odds indicates the horse was the betting favorite. The letter "e" following the odds means the horse was coupled in the betting (an entry) with one or more horse. The letter "f" in this position would indicate the horse was in the mutuel field.

Speed Rating, Track Variant - 81-18. The first number is the speed rating, a comparison of this horse's time with the best time at the distance at that track in the last three years, which is represented by the par value of 100. The second figure (18) is the track variant, which shows how many pointsbelow par the times for all races at the distance on the samesurface were that day. See the SpeedRating/Track Variant page for detailed explanation.

First Three Horses at Finish - Outlaw Sweetie 119 1/2, Family Influence 119 hd, Devils Reality 119 2 1/2. The "company line" shows the horses which finished first, second and third in the race, the weight each carried and the margins separating each one from the next horse.

*Next Out Winners Italicized in Company Lines - Names printed in bold face type are also entered in today's race. Horses italicized won their next start.

Comment Line - Outrun. A capsule description of the horse's performance written by the chart caller, with special emphasis on pointing out any trouble encountered.

Number of Starters - 10. Ten horses started in this race.

Workouts - Latest workouts are printed under each horse's past performances. Daily Racing Form carries up to six works for all horses, with up to 12 for first-time starters. The bullet indicates this was the best workout of the day at that track and distance. Workouts are ranked by the numbers in italics (1/10). Another example would be the December 24 workout at Calder. Gina's Angel worked six furlongs in 1:14.4 seconds (4/20), the fourth-best workout of the 20 horses that went six furlongs that morning.

*Career Box - Indicates lifetime, current year, prior year and record at track on left side. Indicates dirt, wet, turf and record at distance on right side. Beyer figures following these lines indicate best Beyer Speed Figure on dirt fast tracks (58), wet tracks (73), turf (53) and today's distance and surface (22).

Pedigree Information - Top line indicates color, sex, age and month fooled. Second line indicates sire, sire's sire followed by *sire's stud fee if available. Third line indicates breeder and state bred.

Owner/Trainer/Jockey - This information appears above the past performances. The record of the jockey at the current meeting and for the current year appears after his/her name. The same information follows the trainer's name.

To receive a free guide to Daily Racing Form past performances, send your name and mailing address via e-mail to cservice@drf.com.

Daily Racing Form: How To Use DRF (2024)

FAQs

How to read the DRF program? ›

The first number is the horse's post position. Then, there are several numbers indicating where a horse was positioned at various points in his previous race, usually in quarter-mile increments depending on the race distance. Finally, the last number in the running line tells you how he finished.

How do you read the Racing Form Guide? ›

Form runs from left to right, with the oldest races on the left and the most recent on the right.
  1. The numbers 1-9 indicate the position the horse finished in the race.
  2. The number 0 indicates that the horse finished outside the first 9.
  3. The symbol – separates racing seasons.

How do I get free DRF past performances? ›

ALL ACCESS PPs
  1. How to Access Free PPs? Login to your DRF BETS account.
  2. Login to your DRF Bets account – either on bets.drf.com or the DRF Bets app. Access Free PPs on Desktop.
  3. On the DRF Bets app, navigate to the card that you want to play and tap on the blue Get PPs button on the top right.

What does D mean in horse racing form? ›

As well as numbers showing the horses' most recent finishing positions, look out for letters such and C and D next to its name. C means they have won previously at the course and D means they have previously won over the same distance.

What is the best horse racing handicapping software? ›

TrackMaster Plus Pro is our extremely popular, top-of-the-line handicapping software program. Exclusive ratings and statistics make it the most powerful and comprehensive product available. Start handicapping the faster, better way with TrackMaster Plus Pro!

What do the symbols mean on daily racing form? ›

The * symbol preceding the odds indicates the horse was the betting favorite. The letter "e" following the odds means the horse was coupled in the betting (an entry) with one or more horse. The letter "f" in this position would indicate the horse was in the mutuel field.

What is the best horse racing form guide? ›

If you are serious about your form study then you can't go past The Sportsman, which is widely considered to be Australian's best form guide. The Sportsman is a national publication produced twice weekly, with extra issues produced during all major carnivals. It is around the same size as the Melbourne Herald Sun.

How to read racing post form guide? ›

The string of numbers to the left of each horse's name are the form figures and they are places they have finished in their most recent races, reading from left to right with regards to their latest position. So if a horse has figures of 616111, it would have won its last three races but finished sixth the time before.

What does f mean in horse racing form? ›

F = Fell | U = Unseated rider | B = Brought Down | CD = previous Course & Distance winner | BF = Beaten favourite in last race | R = Ran out or Refused to race.

How much does DRF cost? ›

Classic DRF.com Past Performances cost $4.25 per race card and DRF Formulator PPs cost $4.95 per race card. We also have subscriptions that offer significant value if you buy multiple cards. We have monthly, quarterly and annual plans which offer great discounts on past performances.

Does DRF have an app? ›

DRF Bets is the official mobile app of the Daily Racing Form, the most trusted name in horse racing betting since 1894.

Who owns DRF? ›

In 2007, the Wicks Group sold DRF to Arlington Capital Partners for nearly $200 million. Arlington sold the DRF's parent company, Sports Information Group (SIG), to Z Capital Partners in 2017 for less than $100 million. In 2021, Z Capital merged SIG into a sister company, Affinity Gaming, to form Affinity Interactive.

How to read the daily racing form? ›

These give you a sense of how the horse paces itself through a race. The first number is the horse's time at a quarter of the distance of the course, the second at a half-mile, the third at three-fourths of a mile and the last number the horse's final time.

What does bf mean on a horse? ›

BF. Stands for the beaten favourite and indicates a horse was favourite for a race but did not win. CD. Indicates a horse has won over course and distance.

What does p mean in horse racing form? ›

P or PU – indicates the horse was pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race. F – indicates the horse fell. R – indicates a horse refused. BD – indicates the horse was brought down by another runner.

How to read the Kentucky Derby program? ›

It begins with the date, listed in day-month-year format. The track is abbreviated and the number in the exponent is the race number that day (there are typically multiple races at a track on a given day). Then study the distances the horse has run and the track conditions in the next column.

How do you read a horse payout? ›

The numbers displayed as 4-7 or 2-5 tell you what you pay and how much you get back if the horse you bet on wins. The first number tells you how much you could win, the second number is the amount you bet. So, if the odds are listed as 2-1, you'll get $2 for every $1 you bet.

How to read horse handicapping? ›

Using a handicap with a ratings band of 66-80 as an example, broadly speaking, if a horse has a handicap rating from 66 to 80, this would be a suitable race to enter. In this case it might be 9 stones and 7 pounds. 9-7 is the combined weight of the jockey and his equipment.

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