Gambling terms, explained straight

Racing & Pari-Mutuel

Greyhound racing cards

A greyhound racing card is the printed or digital programme for a greyhound meeting, listing each race, the runners, their trap numbers and recent form.

Also called
racecard, race book, form guide (Australia)1
Purpose
Provides bettors and spectators with runner details and form information for a meeting2
Contents
Typically includes race times, distances, trap numbers, greyhound names and recent finishing positions3

Key points

  • A greyhound racing card is the same concept as a horse racing racecard, listing the scheduled races and runners for a meeting.1
  • The card functions like a theatre programme, giving spectators and bettors the information needed to follow the event.2
  • Contents vary by venue and publication, but always include the basics: race number, distance, trap draw and each greyhound's name.3

How to read a greyhound racing card

A typical card lists each race in order. For each runner you will see the trap number (1-6 or 1-8), the greyhound's name, its recent finishing positions (form figures), and sometimes a jacket colour. The distance is shown in metres, and the grade or class of the race indicates the quality of the field.3

Form figures are read left to right, most recent race last. A figure of '1' means the dog won that race; '2' means second, and so on. A line or '0' usually means the dog finished outside the top six or was not placed.3

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Greyhound racing (UK) — the sport itself in the United Kingdom, not the printed race information sheet4
  • Greyhound racing betting — the wagering activity on greyhound races, whereas a card is the informational guide used around those races5
Racing Furlong horse racing A unit of distance used in horse racing, not relevant to greyhound racing which uses metres. Racing Handicap horse racing A race where weights are adjusted to equalise chances; greyhound racing uses graded races instead. Racing Going horse racing Describes track surface conditions; greyhound racing cards typically do not include a going description. Racing Form horse racing The record of a horse's recent performances, presented similarly on a racecard. Racing Horse racing odds explained Explains how betting odds work on racecards, applicable to greyhound racing too. Racing Types of bets in horse racing Covers bet types such as win, place and each-way, which also appear on greyhound racing cards.

Sources

  1. Racecard - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Defines racecard as a programme listing races and runners, and notes alternative names.
  2. What is a Racecard? | Racing Explained - The Jockey Club thejockeyclub.co.uk Explains the purpose of a racecard as a guide for spectators and bettors.
  3. Reading The Form | Racing Explained thejockeyclub.co.uk Describes how to read form figures and what information appears on a racecard.
  4. Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes the sport of greyhound racing in the UK from the racecard.
  5. Greyhound racing en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes the betting activity from the informational card.

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.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.