Horse Racing Basics

Meeting Types

Only 1 meeting on a race day
E.g. Singapore on Sunday afternoons

2 meetings running at the same time on a race day

3 meetings running at the same time on a race day

In order for a race to be interesting, each horse must have a fair chance of winning.
For this reason, a handicap system is used for most races.
Horse racing in Singapore is mainly run under either Handicap or Weight For Age system.
Horse weights may be viewed on the race card.

A Handicap race is a race which horses in a race are given different weights to equalise their chances of winning the race.
Before the race, the handicapper will allot each horse a weight that has to be carried for that race.
The weight carried by a horse comprises the weight of the jockey, the saddle and the lead weights that are added to make up the total weight allotted by the handicapper.
A better horse will carry a heavier weight, to give it a disadvantage when racing against slower horses.

A Weight-For-Age race is a race in which horses of different ages carry different weights over a given distance to equalise their differences in maturity.

As a high-level sportsman, the jockey has to adopt a strict if not spartan lifestyle as well as having daily physical training.
The jockey must keep a close eye on his weight, which is an essential element in racing.
The jockey normally have a weight of around 50kg to 55kg.
Just like a Formula One driver, a jockey also has to possess technical skills, in particular the ability to ride with sensitivity and to understand the horse’s rhythm.
Jockey duties include doing morning trackwork and riding horses according to the trainer’s instructions in races.
Each jockey can ride in multiple races on each race meeting.
Champion Jockey is the jockey with the most wins in a season

For the jockey, he will be wearing the “silks” or shirt and cap in the colours designed by the owner or the stables he rides for.
The cap and silks, which may be decorated with motifs (dots, lozenges, check-board, etc) enable each owner to establish his or her own “trademark”.
The motifs apply to the full set of silk, from the body, sleeves and cap

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter.
A trainer can enter and run multiple runners in each race.
A trainer is like a manager of a Premier League Football Club.
A trainer manage his horses based on the horses’ own characters and abilities.
The trainer will need to look after the horses’ needs and develop them to the best of their potential.
Champion Trainer is the trainer with the most wins in a season.