Category: Horse Racing Guide

What is a steeplechase?

In Britain, a steeplechase, or ‘chase’ for short, is a horse race run, under the Rules of Racing, on a turf racecourse equipped with fixed, or portable, steeplechase fences, which runners must negotiate. Steeplechase races are run over advertised distances between two miles and four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs. According to the Rules of Racing, steeplechase races over two miles must have at least twelve fences and longer races must have at least six fences in each subsequent mile.

Steeplechase fences come in three varieties, namely, plain fence, open ditch and water jump. A plain fence, which must be a minimum of 4’6” high, consists of a rigid wooden or steel frame stuffed with compacted birch cuttings, real or artificial, the density of which defines the stiffness of the fence. An open ditch, of which there must be one in every mile of a steeplechase race, is a plain fence with a ditch on the take-off side, thereby creating an obstacle with a wider spread – 11’ as opposed to 8’ – than a plain fence alone. A water jump is optional on a steeplechase course but, if included, there can be only one such obstacle, at least 3’ high, with an expanse of water at least 9’ across and at least 3” deep throughout.

Originally, steeplechasing was a form of point-to-point racing, in which horses raced across a stretch of open countryside and were required to negotiate natural obstacles they encountered along the way. The first steeplechase on record was the result of an impromptu wager between two huntsmen in County Cork, in southwestern Ireland, 1752. They raced their horses over a distance of four miles between the steeples of two churches – in other words, they were, quite literally, ‘steeple chasing’ – and the idea soon caught on with other huntsmen and women.

In horse racing what is a flag start?

In horse racing, a flag start is employed when it is impossible, for whatever reason, to use starting stalls or a starting tape. In emergency circumstances, including, but not limited to, starting equipment failure, less than the requisite number of stalls handlers being available or the ground being sufficiently soft to prevent the manoeuvre of starting stalls, any race may be started by flag, subject to approval by the starter or stewards. During a flag start, the starter mounts the starting rostrum and, when he wants the horses to walk forward, he signals to the jockeys by raising his flag. Horses in the front rank must only walk, or jig jog, until the starter lowers his flag, thereby effecting the start of the race.

What is Godolphin?

 

Named after the Godolphin Arabian – one of the founders of modern thoroughbred bloodstock – Godolphin is the thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who, since 2006, has been the Ruler of Dubai. In Britain, Godolphin relies on trainers Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby, both of whom divide their years between Dubai and Newmarket, while the famous royal blue silks are most often worn by retained jockeys James Doyle and William Buick. At the last count, the Godolphin operation had produced 5,415 winners, including 297 Group One, or Grade One, winners, worldwide since 1992, at a strike rate of 20%.

In horse racing, what is a penalty?

In simple terms, in horse racing, a penalty is a disadvantage, or handicap, in the form of extra weight to be carried, imposed on a horse for winning a race under certain circumstances. In Group Two, Group Three and Listed races on the Flat, for example, penalties are incurred by horses that have won at the same, or higher, level within a certain period of time.

Usually after three runs on the Flat, or three runs over hurdles or fences, or a combination of the two, a horse qualifies for an official rating. The official rating represents the ability of the horse, according to a team of handicappers at the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), and is reassessed after each subsequent race.

If the horse wins, say, a handicap race – which each horse has a theoretically equal chance of winning – it must, logically, have performed better its current official rating so, when reassessed, its official rating will increase, typically by 6lb or 7lb. However, if the same horse if turned out again within the space of seven days – that is, before it has been reassessed by the BHA handicappers – it typically has to carry a standard penalty, of 6lb or 7lb, to allow for that fact.

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