BHA Horseracing bettors forum

The inaugural meeting of the Horseracing bettors forum will take place on 4 September 2015. The nine members who will comprise the forum were announced on Monday 17 August and include its chairman Simon Rowlands (Timeform) and Tanya Stevenson (Channel 4 Racing).

The purpose of the forum is to "deliver proposals and recommendations to the BHA and the BHA Racing and Betting Group for developments to British Racing that would be of benefit to the wider community that bets on British Racing".

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/bha/horseracing-bettors-forum/ 

Judging by the BHA's response to its role in the Speculative Bid shambles at Ascot and the publication of the results of its internal investigation, the forum will have its work cut out to improve the punter's lot.

In that publication the BHA said:

"Rule (B) 10.5.2

The Rule itself is a relatively new one, established to protect betting operators and bettors in the event that a horse is denied a run in particular circumstances. The fact that this was a relatively new (and little-used) Rule certainly contributed to its failure to be delivered effectively.

The BHA will review whether Rule (B) 10.5.2 should remain in place, or is in effect unwieldy to operate even in straightforward circumstances. The Horserace Bettors Forum, set to hold its first meeting next month, will be asked for its views in this area, and in relation to associated on-course announcements."


http://www.britishhorseracing.com/press_releases/bha-publishes-findings-of-internal-investigation-relating-to-speculative-bid-incident/

BHA Handicapper's view of Royal Ascot

The BHA handicapper has published his thoughts on the performance of various runners and Royal Ascot 2015.

His thoughts can be found here:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/royal-delights/

Jump racecourses re-measured

The BHA has announced the results of the survey and re-measurement of every jump racecourse in Britain. The measurement involved a new methodology as explained by the BHA:

"Jump races were previously measured along the mid-point of the course using a surveyors wheel, but under the agreed new methodology have been measured along a line 2yds off the innermost running rail position and professionally surveyed to the nearest yard.

The result is that, as of the implementation date of 1 June 2015, all Jump race distances will be advertised using both the traditional description – rounded to the nearest half furlong – alongside a new, exact ‘baseline’ distance, described to the exact yardage."

From 1 June 2015 the new race distances will be stated "using both the traditional description – rounded to the nearest half furlong – alongside a new, exact ‘baseline’ distance, described to the exact yardage."

BHA Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation Jamie Stier explained:

“This project was instigated to bring the measurement of Jump races in line with the methodology already used to measure Flat races, and ensure greater accuracy of Jump race distances.

“This new methodology will improve the quality and quantity of data we provide our participants and the increased accuracy will be of benefit to trainers, jockeys, owners and betting customers. It has been an extensive project and not without cost to racecourses, so we thank them for their involvement.”


New jump racecourse distances:
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Jump-distance-changes-1-June-2015.pdf 

Handicappers' view of Glorious Goodwood

The BHA handicappers have given their assessment of last month's Glorious Goodwood festival.

Their thoughts can be found here: http://www.britishhorseracing.com/gosdens-goodwood/

Some of the comments are below:

QIPCO Sussex Stakes

"Whilst Kingman was undoubtedly the star of the show in asserting his superiority over Toronado in the QIPCO Sussex Stakes the slow gallop and subsequent bunched finish prevented the star milers from running close to their lofty pre-race marks." 


Nassau Stakes

"The race itself was rather difficult to get a handle on. Firstly, there was quite a spread of opinion from the International Handicappers on the runner-up Narniyn’s level of ability for all she was rated 112 at home in France, and then Venus de Milo compounded matters by failing to run her race."


Lennox Stakes

"The 7f Group 2 Bet365 Lennox Stakes on Tuesday was a slowly-run affair and this played into the hands of Es Que Love who had been showing plenty of foot in 6f Group races this season.

I have Es Que Love running to 113, which is higher than Garswood (111) last year and Chachamaidee (112) in 2012, but some way below Finjaan (117) in 2009. This is a career high and despite having plenty of miles on the clock he seems on an upward curve since joining Clive Cox this year."


Artemis Goodwood Cup

"To the Group 2 Artemis Goodwood Cup and it was nice to see Cavalryman register another success, not least because he was the highest rated on BHA figures. It was a good race for Godolphin too, with Ahzeemah completing a one-two for the organisation and trainer Saeed bin Suroor."

BHA unveils new website

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has unveiled its new website and logo.

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/

In a press release the BHA says the highlights of the new website are:

• A cleaner design with a more logical navigation
• Improvements to the user experience, especially in the more coherent linking of data such as non-runners, going and weather reports with racecards, and data such as photo finishes and Stewards reports with results. Users can now reach all of this essential racing data in a much more logical, accessible and user-friendly manner
• New content areas including race entries and horse, jockey and trainer databases
• Fully responsive design for mobile devices
• A new ‘Ask BHA’ section with FAQs on a range of topics
• A streamlined Resource Centre offering a range of information tools for the sport’s participants

Handicapper's view of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2014

BHA head of handicapping Phil Smith has published his views of last week's Betfred Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.

He writes:

"Definitely one of the most exciting but perhaps not one of the most outstanding [Gold Cups]."

"It seemed a very straightforward race to rate. You can set your clock by The Giant Bolster at Cheltenham in March. He is always placed. In both 2012 and 2013 I had him performing to 164 and have assessed him at that level again this year."

"As a result Lord Windermere improves from 153 to 165. Time was that observers criticised the RSA Chase claiming that its winners didn't go on but Bobs Worth, Albertas Run, Denman, Trabolgan and now Lord Windermere in the last nine years have shown that winning it is no barrier to success the following year." 

Read the handicapper's full thoughts here:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/goracing/blogs/head_of_handicapping.asp

The Economics Of Racing

The BHA’s report Economic Impact of British Racing 2013 reveals some interesting statistics on the state of British horseracing.

Attendances at UK race meetings totalled 5.58 million in 2012, down from a 10-year high of 6.15 million in 2011. But this was a respectable performance given that the Olympics were held in London in 2012. There was also some spectacularly wet weather during the summer of 2012, which caused fixtures to be abandoned.

Not surprisingly, Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival, and the Epsom Derby were the top three meetings by attendance in 2012.

The report also highlights the dilemma that racecourses face in trying to attract new visitors but also trying to please the regular racegoer:

“Racing benefits from a loyal but relatively small core of high frequency racegoers who make up a sizeable proportion of total attendances… however, the sport appeals to, and needs, other less frequent racegoers for whom racing is only a part of the raceday experience – with other factors as, or indeed more, important”.

The number of owners with a horse in training has fallen by 14% from its peak of 9,551 in 2007 to 8,215 in 2012, a decline that mirrors the fortunes of the wider UK economy. When the average cost of keeping  a Flat horse in training is over GB£21,500 a year (2012), owning a racehorse is a luxury and one that is soon dismissed when a businessman’s company is struggling or jobs are being lost.

The number of owners with one horse in training fell by 900 between 2008 and 2012, whereas the number of owners with 11-20 horses in training fell by just 1 over the same period. Again, this suggests that the very wealthy were able to keep their luxuries, while the smaller owners quickly gave up their racing interests when the financial troubles hit.

The Un-dead Heat

Last month we drew attention to some of the tools and information available on the BHA's website www.britishhorseracing.com. One of the features we mentioned was the ability to review photo finishes and this tool came in very handy at the end of June.

The BHA has amended the result of a maiden stakes race at Kempton on 26 June 2013. The race was originally called a dead-heat by the judge between Extra Noble (Evens f) and Fire Fighting (16/1).

There was immediate disquiet among bettors about the result and BHA spokesman Robin Mounsey subsequently revealed that 'punter power' had resulted in the BHA requesting a high-resolution image of the finish in question.

"The British Horseracing Authority contacted the judge Mr David Smith and asked him to reconsider his original decision of a dead-heat for first place between Extra Noble and Fire Fighting in the £200 Free Bets At Betdaq Maiden Stakes at Kempton Park on 26th June 2013."

"After further consideration, within the time period laid down in Rule (B)62.2 of the Rules of Racing, Mr Smith agreed that the result was incorrect and that Extra Noble should be placed first and Fire Figthing second. The BHA confirmed the revised placings."

"When we heard there were concerns about the result we requested that [high-definition image] and got it. We looked at that."

It has subsequently transpired that Mr Smith has had his contract terminated by the BHA. A statement read:

"The British Horseracing Authority has established that Standard Operating Procedures were not followed, and has today informed Dave Smith that it has terminated its contract of services with him".

Following the amended result, Sky Bet, Stan James, Paddy Power and William Hill agreed to pay out on single bets on Extra Noble, who was declared the winner.

Why They Ran Badly

The website of the British Horseracing Authority (www.britishhorseracing.com) is a very useful source of information to the racing enthusiast and well worth taking the time to explore.

One page in the ‘Stewards’ Room’ section of the site is called ‘Why they ran badly’ and gives trainers’ and jockeys’ explanations as to why a particular horse underperformed in a race.

Sometimes the explanations can be helpful for future betting insight. For example the trainer might say the horse “was unsuited by the good, good/firm in places going” or “the trainer reported the gelding had a breathing problem”, or “bled from the nose”.

If you have watched the race in question then sometimes the reason for the poor run is obvious. The report for Dawn Approach in the Investec Derby reads “the colt ran too free”, which was visible to all spectators.

Other times the explanations offered are tautological – the horse ran badly because it ran badly. Only, it is dressed up in racing speak e.g. “the gelding was never travelling”; “the filly stopped quickly”.

You can also review all the official photo finishes on the site to see how narrowly your selection was beaten.

The blogs written by the BHA handicapping team are also worth perusing. The handicappers write about their views on particular races, the performance of horses, and why they have raised (or not) a particular runner in the handicap.

Talking Race Horses: Schedule 1 - Registration of horse names

Schedule 1 - Registration of horse names

Source: British Horseracing Authority
1.1 The following names are not available for registration for a horse
 1.1.1 subject to Paragraph 3, a name already registered in the register of horse names under Part 2;
 1.1.2 subject to Paragraph 4, a name followed by one or more numbers;
 1.1.3 a name on the International and Domestic Lists of Protected Names;
 1.1.4 a name of more than 18 characters, including signs or spaces;
 1.1.5 a name made up entirely of initials, or include figures, hyphens, full-stops, commas, signs, exclamation marks, inverted commas, forward or backward slash, colon and semi-colon;
 1.1.6 a name that starts with a sign other than a letter;
 1.1.7 a name containing more than seven syllables;
 1.1.8 a name the pronunciation of which the Authority considers to be identical or unacceptably similar, to
 1.1.8.1 a name that is on the International or Domestic Lists of Protected Names, or
 1.1.8.2 a name that is already registered for a horse foaled in a year that is within 10 years of the year of foaling of the horse to which the application relates;
 1.1.9 a name which the Authority considers
 1.1.9.1 is suggestive or has a vulgar, obscene or insulting meaning,
 1.1.9.2 is in poor taste,
 1.1.9.3 may be offensive to religious, political or ethnic groups,
 1.1.9.4 may otherwise cause offence,
 1.1.9.5 may cause confusion in the administration of racing or betting, or
 1.1.9.6 is the name of a well-known horse.

1.1.10 a name already registered to a sibling or parent of the horse in question;
1.2 For the purposes of Paragraph 1.1, the use of the definite or indefinite article does not constitute a different name.
 2.1 The following names are available for registration for a horse if the conditions specified are met
 2.1.1 the name of a public Person may be registered if the Person or his family have given permission;
 2.1.2 a name which the Authority considers to be of commercial significance may be registered if appropriate permission has been obtained;
 2.1.3 a name which the Authority considers to be that of a prominent company, product or trade name may be registered if
 2.1.3.1 the written approval of the company or body associated with the name has been obtained, or
 2.1.3.2 the Authority is satisfied that the name has an alternative meaning in common usage.

3.1 A name which has already been entered in the register of horse names shall become available for registration for a different horse at the end of the month of the relevant year during which it became available, as determined in accordance with Paragraphs 3.2 to 3.4.
 3.2 Where the name was registered to a brood mare, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
 3.2.1 10 years after the mare's death,
 3.2.2 10 years after the last recorded year in which the mare was covered or produced a foal, or
 3.2.3 when the mare attains 30 years of age.

3.3 Where the name was registered to a stallion, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
 3.3.1 15 years after the stallion's death,
 3.3.2 15 years after the last recorded year in which the stallion covered one or more mares, or
 3.3.3 the year when the stallion attains 35 years of age.

3.4 Where the name was registered to any other horse, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
 3.4.1 5 years after the horse's death, or
 3.4.2 the year when the horse attains 20 years of age.

Talking Race Horses: Part 1

When it comes to discussing thoroughbred race horses there is a number of ways of going about it. For those new to the world of horseracing it can seem an esoteric language but with some research and learning the ‘veil can be lifted’. Over the coming series of ‘Talking Race Horses’ posts I hope to provide some starting points for those looking to deepen their knowledge.

A Horse By Any Other Name
An obvious starting point when talking about a horse is its name. The naming of horses is controlled by an organisation called Weatherbys, which undertakes a number of roles – financial and administrative – in British horseracing.

The Names Team at Weatherbys is responsible for the registration of horses’ names and states:

“Your name choice can be up to 18 characters, including spaces. All names are registered subject to approval by the British Horseracing Authority [BHA].”

So 2012 Grand National runner Shakalakaboomboom, at 17 characters is permitted, if a bit of a mouthful for commentators.

A horse’s name cannot include elements such as hyphens, various punctuation marks, numbers, or initials. But owners can spell out initials or punctuation, such as Edmo Yewkay (‘UK’) or Justbookie Dot Com.

It is not possible to give two horses the same name, at least if they are registered in the same country and new names should be checked against the current register. There is also a list of domestic and international names that are protected and cannot be reused to name another horse. One purpose of this protected list is to prevent the name and reputation of great horses of the past being tarnished by being attached to a lesser horse of the current era.

The full regulations for horse naming as set out by the BHA are here.

One common convention for naming a horse is to derive a name based on its father (sire) and mother (dam).

Sometimes the derivation is obvious, sometimes the owner shows a bit of wit and lateral thinking to create a clever name for their charge. Some examples:

Docofthebay: sired by Docksider out of the dam Baize

Dubai Hills: sired by Dubai Destination out of the dam Hill Welcome

Genzy: sired by Gentlewave out of the dam Zycia

Verse Of Love: sired by Byron out of the dam Lovellian

Naming themes can also pass down the generations to horses from certain sires or dams. For example:

Lady Cricket was sired by Cricket Ball out of the dam Lady Mariza.

Lady Cricket has finished her racing career and is now producing offspring of her own. One such offspring is the mare Swing Bowler, continuing the cricketing theme in her name.