Race Result Codes &
Performance Indicators
— Complete UK Guide

UR (Unseated Rider) means the jockey was dislodged from the saddle during the race — most commonly at a fence or hurdle in National Hunt racing — but the horse itself did not fall over. The horse may continue galloping riderless. UR is fundamentally different from a Fall (F), where both horse and rider come down together. In flat racing, UR is extremely rare and usually occurs at the starting stalls.

When assessing a horse's form that includes a UR result, always consider whether it was a genuine lack of ability or simply bad luck — a horse that was going well when unseated at the last has potentially strong claims next time. The going, fence type (plain fence vs open ditch) and race circumstances all provide context.

PU (Pulled Up) is the most common non-completion result in jump racing. The jockey deliberately brought the horse to a halt before the finishing line — usually because the horse was exhausted, going lame, jumping badly, or the jockey judged that continuing would risk injury. A responsible jockey will always pull up rather than risk a horse's welfare.

In a horse's form string, PU is sometimes shown as lowercase 'p'. When reviewing form, always try to understand why a horse was pulled up — a horse pulled up with a breathing problem or minor injury may be perfectly fine next time, while one pulled up simply because it was beaten and tiring is a different proposition.

BD (Brought Down) means the horse was knocked over or tripped by another horse that had already fallen in front of it — through no fault of the horse or jockey. A brought-down result should be treated sympathetically when assessing the horse's ability for future races — it tells you nothing about the horse's performance level, only that it was unlucky. Many horses that are brought down when travelling well go on to win next time.

F (Fell) means both horse and jockey came down during the race — usually at a fence or hurdle in National Hunt racing. Horses can fall at any fence; some are more prone to falling at specific types of obstacle (open ditches particularly). A horse with several F entries in recent form is often flagged as a jumping concern — though once is easily forgivable, especially in bad ground or with circumstances.

RO (Ran Out) — horse swerved off course and bypassed a fence or hurdle rather than jumping it. SU (Slipped Up) — horse lost its footing on the track (common on bends or in wet conditions). CO (Carried Out) — horse was forced off course by the actions of another horse, through no fault of its own.

All three result in the horse failing to complete the course and are generally considered unlucky — particularly SU and CO, which are entirely caused by external factors. A horse that ran out (RO) may have a jumping or concentration problem worth noting.

NR (Non-Runner) — horse declared as not running. Stakes returned to bettors. DSQ (Disqualified) — horse disqualified after the race following a stewards' enquiry or failed dope test. All bets on a DSQ horse are lost. WO (Walkover) — all other horses were withdrawn, leaving one horse to walk the course. Most bookmakers void walkover bets or settle at evens.

RPR (Racing Post Rating) is an independent performance figure published by the Racing Post after every race. It is compiled by Racing Post's team of form analysts and measures how well a horse performed relative to the standard for that type of race. Unlike the Official Rating (OR), RPR is not set by the BHA and has no bearing on weights carried in handicaps — it is purely an analytical assessment of performance quality.

The RPR is one of the most widely referenced figures in UK horse racing form study. A horse's best-ever RPR is a strong indicator of its ceiling — you should always look at the highest RPR a horse has achieved to understand what it is capable of on its best day. When a horse runs to an RPR significantly higher than its Official Rating, it may be running off a lenient handicap mark — a significant value betting opportunity.

OR (Official Rating) is the handicap mark assigned by the British Horseracing Authority to every horse that has completed at least three qualifying runs. In handicap races, the OR directly determines the weight each horse carries — higher OR = more weight. The BHA's team of handicappers review each horse's form after every run and adjust ORs accordingly: winners are usually raised, and horses that are consistently well-beaten may be dropped.

The OR is the primary tool for identifying value in handicap betting. A horse whose true ability (as indicated by its best RPR or top speed figure) significantly exceeds its current OR is potentially running off a lenient mark — the handicapper may not have fully caught up with its improvement. Conversely, a horse with a rapidly rising OR may be running off a higher mark than its form justifies.

TS (TopSpeed) is a time-based performance figure published by the Racing Post, calculated from how fast a horse ran relative to the standard time for that course and distance. Unlike RPR, which incorporates the quality of horses beaten and the overall race performance, TS is purely a function of time — a horse that runs faster than the standard time achieves a higher TS.

TS is most valuable on fast ground (Good to Firm or Firm) where race times are reliable indicators of ability. On Soft or Heavy going, times are distorted by conditions and TS figures are much less meaningful. A horse with a consistently high TS on fast ground is likely to perform well again on similar going at a similar distance.

SP (Starting Price) is the official odds of a horse at the moment the race starts, determined by on-course bookmakers and SP reporters. It is the default settlement price for most ante-post and "SP" bets. The SP reflects the consensus of the betting market at the off — a reliable guide to market confidence in each runner.

BSP (Betfair Starting Price) is derived from the Betfair exchange market at the off, rather than from on-course bookmakers. BSP can differ significantly from traditional SP — exchange prices are often more accurate reflections of true probability, especially for outsiders. Some non-GamStop bookmakers offer BSP as a pricing option for horse racing.

BF (Beaten Favourite) appears in a horse's form guide when it started as the market favourite but did not win. It is shown in the form string and in Racing Post's form summary. A single BF is common — favourites win roughly 30–33% of UK races, meaning they fail approximately 70% of the time. However, multiple consecutive BF entries can suggest a horse that is consistently over-bet by the market or that struggles to perform when under pressure as the well-fancied runner.

Context is crucial when evaluating BF form. A horse that was BF and finished second by a nose in a photo — running an RPR of 112 — is very different from a horse that was BF and finished 5th beaten 10 lengths. Always look beyond the BF label to the actual performance behind it.

C&D means the horse has previously won at this exact racecourse AND over this exact distance. It is one of the most reliable positive form indicators in UK horse racing — particularly at tracks with unique characteristics (Cheltenham, Chester, Epsom, Goodwood). A C&D winner has proven it handles both the specific demands of the course layout and the required trip.

C (Course Winner) — won at this track but not necessarily over today's distance. Proves the horse handles the course's unique characteristics. Very valuable at specialist tracks.

D (Distance Winner) — won over this exact distance but not at this course. Proves the horse stays the required trip. Particularly valuable when a horse is stepping up significantly in distance for the first time.

Headgear changes are notated in race cards and can be significant market signals. B (Blinkers) restricts peripheral vision to improve focus. VIS (Visor) is similar to blinkers but with small holes for slightly more peripheral vision. H (Hood) covers the ears to reduce noise/distraction — often used in the parade ring and stalls. T (Tongue Tie) prevents the tongue from obstructing the airway during racing.

First-time blinkers (1B) is the most significant headgear change — trainers fit blinkers when they believe a horse has more ability than its recent form suggests and needs to focus better. First-time blinkers combined with market support is one of the most reliable positive signals in UK horse racing.

In a form string, 0 means the horse finished 10th or lower (since form strings only use single digits, any position of 10+ is shown as 0). Context is critical — finishing 0 (10th) in a 30-runner Grand National is very different from finishing 10th in a 10-runner handicap. Always click through to the full race result to understand the exact finishing position and field size.

In jump racing form, P usually means Pulled Up — the horse was stopped before finishing. In flat racing form, P is less commonly used, but can indicate a very low finishing position at some courses. Context always determines interpretation.