Racing & Pari-Mutuel
Form horse racing
Form is the record of a horse's previous race performances, shown as a line of numbers and letters on a racecard, used to judge its chances in an upcoming race.
- Also called
- Racing form, past performances, DRF (Daily Racing Form) in North America.23
- How it's read
- Left to right, oldest race first, most recent last.1
- Position numbers
- 1–9 for finishing position; 0 means outside the first 9.1
- Jump-racing symbols
- P or PU (pulled up), F (fell), R (refused), U or UR (unseated rider), BD (brought down).1
- Other symbols
- C (course winner), D (distance winner), CD (course and distance winner), BF (beaten favourite).1
Key points
- Form is shown as a line of numbers and letters on a racecard, with the oldest race on the left and the most recent on the right.1
- Numbers 1–9 show finishing position; 0 means the horse finished outside the first nine.1
- Jump-racing uses letters like P (pulled up), F (fell), and U (unseated rider) to describe how a race ended.1
- Symbols like C (course winner), D (distance winner), and BF (beaten favourite) add extra context to a horse's record.1
Common form symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1–9 | Finishing position |
| 0 | Finished outside the first 9 |
| – | Separates seasons |
| / | Longer gap, such as a missed season |
| P or PU | Pulled up (jump racing) |
| F | Fell (jump racing) |
| R | Refused (jump racing) |
| U or UR | Unseated rider (jump racing) |
| BD | Brought down (jump racing) |
| C | Course winner |
| D | Distance winner |
| CD | Course and distance winner |
| BF | Beaten favourite |
Where this term is used
Related terms
Racing
Exacta horse racing
A bet that requires picking the first two horses in the correct order.
Racing
Handicap horse racing
A race where horses carry different weights to equalise their chances.
Racing
Going horse racing
The condition of the racing surface, from firm to heavy.
Racing
Furlong horse racing
A unit of distance equal to one-eighth of a mile, used on racecards.
Racing
Overround horse racing
The bookmaker's built-in profit margin reflected in the odds.
Racing
Horse racing tote
A pooled betting system where all bets on a race are shared among winners.
Sources
- Reading The Form | Racing Explained thejockeyclub.co.uk Provides the full list of form symbols and how to read the form line.
- Form (horse racing) en.wikipedia.org Gives a general definition of form and its usage in horse racing.
- Daily Racing Form - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Explains the North American term Daily Racing Form (DRF).
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.