This article deals with forms in horse racing. For other meanings, see Form (disambiguation)

Form (disambiguation)

Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object.Form may also refer to:*Form, a shallow depression or flattened nest of grass used by a hare...

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In horse racing, the form of a horse is a record of significant events including its performance in previous races. The form may identify the horse's sire, dam and wider pedigree. It is used by tipster

Tipster

The term tipster refers to someone who on a regular basis provides information on likely winners in sporting events. In the past tips were bartered for and traded but in modern times, thanks largely to the Internet and premium rate telephone lines, it's increasingly likely that a tip will be...

s and punters as an aid in the prediction of its performance in future races.

A typical way of showing a horse's form, as published in newspapers and other media, is shown here.

Number Colours Form Horse Name Age Weight Trainer Jockey
3 image 43-2F1 Mill Reef 3 11-12 A.Smith L.Piggott
7 image 680U54 Glue Pot 3 11-10 B.Brown F.Dettori

Abbreviations used to decode the Form column can include:

1-9	the position the horse finished in a race
0	finished outside the top 9
P	pulled up (reined in as horse may be too tired/injured, or horse may just stop running)
F	fell
R	refusal
B	brought down
U	unseated rider
-	separates years, i.e. left of this is from previous year, e.g. Dec 06 - Jan 07
/	separates racing seasons, i.e. left of this is from the previous season

Form is arranged chronologically from left (oldest) to right (newest).

So, in the example above, the horse Mill Reef gained a fourth place, followed by a third, then took some time out from racing, then gained a second followed by falling in the next race, and its latest result was a win.