Before making entries for Handicaps and other Rating Related races, reference must be made to the qualifying Rating Lists published on the Official Handicap Ratings area of the Racing Administration Internet site each Tuesday. These ratings will apply for qualification purposes for races closing on the Tuesday of publication through to the following Monday. The relevant date of publication on the Internet site is stated at the head of each day's race programme published in the Races to Close section of The Racing Calendar, and above the conditions of each relevant race on the Race Details pages published on the Fixtures and Races section of the Internet site. Weekly amendments to these qualifying ratings will also be published, for information, on the Racing Bulletin area of the Racing Administration Internet site. Lists of qualifying ratings will no longer be published in The Racing Calendar.

Horses not included in the published Rating List, but qualified to run in Flat race Handicaps under paragraphs 9-12 of the Weights and Handicapping Code or in Handicap or Classified Steeple Chases or Hurdle Races under paragraphs 13-15 of the Weights and Handicapping Code, may be entered, and will be allotted weights in the races for which they are entered, unless the rating subsequently allocated by the Handicapper is outside the qualifying rating band specified in the conditions of the race, in which case the entry will be invalid (see paragraph 67 of the Race Entry Code).

Horses not included in the appropriate column in the published Rating List, but qualified to run in Flat Rating Related Maiden races or Classified Stakes races under paragraph 7 of the Weights and Handicapping Code by having run three times in Flat races in Great Britain up to and including the Saturday prior to closing may be entered, and will be allotted weights in the races for which they are entered, unless the rating subsequently allocated by the Handicapper is outside the qualifying rating band specified in the conditions of the race, in which case the entry will be invalid (see paragraph 67 of the Race Entry Code).

Horses not included in the appropriate column in the published Rating List, but qualified to run in Flat race Handicaps, (other than Heritage Handicaps, Handicaps with a Total Race Value of £45,000 or more, and Nursery Handicaps), under paragraph 10 of the Weights and Handicapping Code or in Classified Stakes races under paragraph 8 of the Weights and Handicapping Code by having run twice in flat races in Great Britain and/or Ireland and having won its first race, was placed in the first four in its second race’ or being trained in GB, having run twice in flat races in Great Britain and having won its first race, completed on its second start up to and including the Saturday prior to closing may be entered, and will be allotted weights in the races for which they are entered, unless the rating subsequently allocated by the Handicapper is outside any qualifying rating bands specified in the conditions of the race, in which case the entry will be invalid (see paragraph 67 of the Race Entry Code).

For Nursery Handicaps, a British trained horse must have run at least three times in Flat races under the rules of any Recognised Racing Authority up to and including the Saturday prior to the closing date for the race, with at least two of those runs being in Great Britain and/or Ireland. However, a horse which has run twice in flat races in Great Britain and/or Ireland and having won its first race, was placed in the first four in its second race or having run twice in flat races in Great Britain, won its first race and completed on its second start up to and including the Saturday prior to the closing date for the race may also be qualified. A foreign trained horse must have run at least three times in Flat races in Great Britain up to and including the Saturday prior to the closing date for the race. However, a horse which has run twice in Flat races in Great Britain and having won its first race, was placed in the first four in the second race (or has previously run in a Nursery Handicap Flat race in Great Britain), up to and including the Saturday prior to the closing date for the race is also qualified. (See paragraph 12 of the Weights and Handicapping Code).

The Handicapper may decline to allot a rating for a horse entered in a Handicap, Rating Related Maiden race, Flat Classified Stakes race or Classified Steeple Chase or Hurdle Race if, in his opinion, he does not have sufficient information upon which to allot a rating, in which case the entry will be invalid (see paragraph 67 of the Race Entry Code).

Full details of the qualification criteria are contained in the relevant Rules of the British Horseracing Authority referred to in the above summaries, which are published for guidance only.

Exact Flat Handicap ratings will be published for horses rated below 45 or below. However, horses rated below 46 which are entered in a Flat race Handicap shall be allocated a weight which corresponds with a Handicap rating of 45. In such races, those horses with the same weight which have a Handicap rating of 45 or below shall be published in descending rating order, with the order for those horses with the same rating being determined by random balloting. Elimination sequences allotted under the terms of the Race Administration Code for those horses rated below 46 will, where the criteria includes reference to Handicap ratings, be calculated to take account of the exact Handicap rating.

 

HORSES RATED 1LB AND 2LB ABOVE THE UPPER RATING LIMIT IN CLASS 3 TO CLASS 7 HANDICAPS

  1. Where advertised within the race conditions of races of Class 3 and below, and some Class 2 races, horses will be permitted to run in certain handicap races, if they are rated 1lb or 2lb above the advertised rating range of the race and will carry the extra weight as required.  Therefore in the case of a 61-75 rated handicap, horses rated 76 and 77 will be permitted to run by carrying 1lb or 2lb more than the highest weight stated.
  2. This will apply to both Jump and Flat races and is intended to provide additional opportunities and assist in the placement of horses.  
  3. As the race in question is still very much intended for the horses identified by the rating range of the race, followed by those below the rating range, as is the case currently, those horses rated above the rating range will be the first to be eliminated.  Horses set to carry 2lb above the rating range (and therefore deemed to be less likely to be eliminated from other races than those rated 1lb above it) will be the first to be eliminated.
  4. Where the raising of weights is necessary at the 48 hour declaration stage, horses rated 1lb or 2lb above the rating range will no longer be  disregarded for the initial purposes of raising of the weights.