What Is The Horse Racing Handicap?

Most people who watch horse racing have noticed and heard the term ‘handicap’ being thrown around frequently, and you might be wondering what a handicap is in horse racing. With it being quite similar to handicaps in other sports, it is a way to make horse races fairer, more competitive and more interesting for fans and bettors alike.

At Racing TV, we are going to go through what a handicap is, what a handicap race is and how this can affect betting.

A handicap in horse racing is assigning each horse a specific weight to carry, based on its official rating or past performance. The better the horse, the more weight it will carry. 

Horse racing handicaps aim to make it a level playing field, so all horses have an equal chance of winning, as the faster horses will have to carry more weight, therefore making them slower.

If you are wondering exactly how it works, here is a quick rundown of all the aspects that surround handicaps in horse racing:

Not every type of horse race features handicaps, so there are specific handicap races where each horse is assigned a specific weight. This theoretically gives every runner a fighting chance and makes betting on handicap races more unpredictable compared to traditional horse races.

Without handicap races, every race would be quite predictable, leading to poor odds and boring watches. There are a handful of reasons why handicap races are a good addition to horse racing:

With horses being given official ratings by a handicapper, these ratings normally range between 0 and 120+, depending on the racing jurisdiction and code. A horse rated 100 might carry 60kg, whilst a horse rated 90 might carry 59kg. Usually, as a rule of thumb, a difference of 1 rating point = around 0.5kg in weight carried.

If we use an example of a race with five horses, we can see how their rating would affect the weight they carry:

When looking to use free bets and place bets across horse races, you need to check what type of race you are betting on, as this can influence how the sport unfolds. In horse racing, there are a handful of different handicap races that are available throughout the calendar:

Handicap races are often seen as good opportunities for value betting due to the favourite being hindered, and the slower horses being given a better chance. This makes form analysis complex and potentially rewarding to those who have the best horse racing tips.

Handicap races are usually larger fields, too, meaning the odds will be better as there are more options to choose from. Understanding how weight affects a horse, especially over long distances or jumps, is crucial to making the most of these races.

In horse racing, handicaps are the great equaliser, and they make even the most unmatched races fair and interesting. For bettors, handicaps offer the chance to find hidden value, beat the market, and experience some incredibly fascinating features.

If you are interested in more horse racing content, Racing TV is filled with detailed racecards, guides and tips all to do with the sport of racing.