United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates was approved as a recognised racing authority in 1992. Initially, the handicapping system introduced was based on the class system. There were five classes, Class 1 being the best and Class 5 the worst.
The maximum weight carried was 59kg and the minimum 47kg. Horses were allotted a fixed weight in kilos and placed in one of the five classes. They would then move up or down within their class depending on how they performed, but once a horse had won two races in a particular class, it was then promoted to the next higher class without regard to the winning margin.
This system proved too rigid and, because it was not ratings-related, incapable of identifying accurately horses in Class 1 who were capable of running to a rating that could be acceptable to the International Classifications Committee.
A fundamental change took place in February, 1995, when it was decided to replace the class system with the ratings system that was used in Europe (0-140). Horses were then rated in pounds (lbs) on the 0-140 scale but were weighted in kilos.
The minimum and maximum weights were also altered. In races up to and including a mile the top weight was raised to 62kg. Over one mile, the top weight was altered to 60kg. The minimum weight was raised from 47kg to 51kg. The races immediately became more competitive as the racing secretary was able to plan with greater freedom, using the 9kg to 11kg weight span to produce a variety of handicap races (e.g. 50-75, 60-85, 80-105).
The UAE has some 1,000 horses on the thoroughbred register. During the 2009 season, there are around 212 races for thoroughbreds at the three racecourses. These include 21 Group races and nine Listed races. Dubai’s premier racecourse, Nad Al Sheba, stages the Dubai International Racing Carnival each year, which culminates with the world’s richest race, the Group One Dubai World Cup, worth US$6,000,000. The evening’s programme has more prize money on offer than any other race meeting around the globe.
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Australia
The five states (Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia) administer their own tracks. The racecourses are further sub-divided into metropolitan, provincial and country meetings. The best racing is held at the metropolitan tracks such as Flemington in Melbourne or Randwick in Sydney.
The handicap system for Australia was previously based on class, with each racing authority adopting different rules and regulations. The handicapper would treat each race individually, allocating the best horse top-weight and framing the handicap around that mark.
Many races only had a small difference between the top and bottom of the handicap, such as 6kg in Victoria, which often resulted in several horses running out of the handicap and therefore at a theoretical disadvantage.
Victoria introduced a ratings-based handicapping system, similar to that used in Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa, in December, 2006. Under the new framework, horses are allocated a rating by a team of handicappers after each start, usually within 48 hours.
All handicaps in Australia, apart from Group One contests such as the Melbourne Cup, must be run with a minimum top-weight of 58kg, and they have differences of 0.5kg between ratings.
In October, 2009, New South Wales introduced the Benchmark system, which allocates horses a new rating (also in 0.5kg increments) based on computer calculations and a team of form analysts.
The minimum top-weight of 58kg is imposed on all handicaps, therefore in a Benchmark 80 handicap, a horse rated 80 will automatically race off 58kg. Horses rated higher than 80 are also eligible to run in the same race, but will carry more weight, so a horse rated 86 will shoulder 61kg.
The majority of racing authorities, with the exception of Queensland, have adopted a ratings-based system to help ensure that horses of equal ability race against each other and provide a greater transparency of handicapping.
Apart from handicaps, there are a series of class or restricted races. The scale goes from Trophy races, which are worth less than AUS$2,500, through to Class A and Class B contests, and then up to Classes one to six, which are restricted to horses that have won a limited number of races.
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Europe
Racing in Ireland, France, Germany and Italy is virtually identical to Britain, except that in the last-named three countries the racing weight is in kilos. The ratings are also published in kilos, not pounds. However, as these countries are members of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings, they are fully conversant with the 0-140 (lb) scale.
They have a centralised handicapping system and the majority of races are handicaps or ratings-related. The remainder of the programme would comprise maidens, conditions, weight-for-age, Listed and Pattern races. (Pattern races are Group One, Group Two or Group Three races).
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Hong Kong
The majority of the races are handicaps (95 per cent) and a merit-based system is employed in which there are six classes with a 20lb spread in each. The weights are published in pounds (lb) and the maximum top weight is 133lb (60kg) with a minimum weight of 113lb (51kg). The published ratings are local ratings and are considered to be 20lb higher than the international level.
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Japan
Racing is very popular in Japan and its racecourses attract vast crowds. There are 10 courses run under the Japan Racing Association (JRA)’s jurisdiction and a further 18 operated by the NAR, the authority for regional racing.
The sport is well regulated and the average prize money on offer is the envy of racing professionals and turf authorities in other countries, being among the highest in the world.
The leading racing personalities are accorded almost film star status and their careers are followed avidly by the press, TV and public alike, akin to professional soccer stars in Europe or top football players in the USA. Even the top racehorses have their own fan clubs.
The races themselves consist mainly of maidens, conditions and weight-for-age contests. There are very few handicaps. In 2009, there are 132 Graded/Listed races (including 10 chases and hurdles) scheduled of which 99 are now open to international competition. In addition, there are a further 39 non-Graded/Listed races open to overseas challengers so a total of 138 can be contested by foreign raiders.
This number has grown enormously in recent years - in 2003 only 12 races were open to international competition - and the JRA has announced that a further 24 races will be added to the list in 2010, most significantly including the Derby and Oaks.
The Japanese handicappers rate all their races on the international scale (0-140) and the JRA is involved in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
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Singapore
Singapore operates a merit-based system of handicapping similar to that used in South Africa. Almost 95 per cent of the races are handicaps, which are divided in to five classes, but the benchmark method is also used.
The maximum top weight is 59kg but younger horses rated above the benchmark are eligible to race. If after deducting the appropriate weight-for-age allowance from the rating the horse is still rated above the benchmark, he can still race but has to shoulder the excess weight. For example, if the benchmark were set at 90 but the horse, even after weight-for-age deduction, had a net rating of 95 he would have to carry 61.5kg.
Maiden races are open only to horses that arrive from abroad unraced. There are also a few maiden handicaps.
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South Africa
Up until nearly the end of the last century, the system of handicapping horses was based purely on a penalty system and was not merit related. Penalties were mandatory and fixed.
A horse would incur a penalty of six half-kilos (or 6.6lbs) for each race won. Therefore, a horse with four wins would have to concede 12 half-kilos (13.2lbs) to a horse that had won two races and a horse that had won five races would have to concede 24 half-kilos (26.4lbs) to a horse that had won just one race.
The Jockey Club Of South Africa realised that the race figure system, as it was known, was a far from satisfactory method of handicapping so in 1999 merit rated handicapping was introduced. A panel of handicappers now decides the merit rating of each registered horse after analysing each race performance. These ratings, except for two-year-olds, are published on a weekly basis and are on the same level as the 0-140 international scale.
The merit rated handicaps are divided into five divisions from E to A. Divisions E to B have what is known as a merit benchmark. The maximum rating in Division E is 74, in Division D it is 80, in Division C it is 90 and in Division B it is 98. In all cases the minimum weight is set at 50kg and the top weight at 58kg.
However, at the handicappers’ discretion, and after taking the weight-for-age allowance into account, younger horses with higher ratings than the benchmark can be included. However, they are penalised 0.5kg, or one pound, for every merit point (pound) above the benchmark to a maximum of 8 points (or 4kg) in Divisions B and C, and four points (or 2kg) in Division D.
There is no provision for a higher rating in Division E and there is no benchmark for Division A, which is open to all horses at the handicappers’ discretion.
Other types of races that feature in South African racing are:
Novice Plates: For one-time winners and maidens. Winners penalised 2.5kg.
Graduation Plates: For one and two-time winners only. Maidens excluded. Two-time winners concede 2.5kg to one-time winners.
Allowance Plates: Open to all horses except maidens. Grade One and Two winners are also excluded for six months from the date they won the Graded race. Penalties are usually 2.5kg for each race won up to four races and the 2kg for each race thereafter.
Advance Plates: Similar to Allowance Plates but usually confined to horses that have won three races or more.
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United States of America
Racing is structured entirely differently in the United States. There are no official handicappers as there are in the other major racing jurisdictions and there is no centralised handicapping, nor any ratings-related races.
The ability of the racehorse therefore is often assessed by the owner or trainer. If the owner or trainer decides that they have a very decent horse, they have the opportunity to enter it in the best races, i.e. stakes or Graded races. On the other hand, if they think their horse has little ability, they can enter it in the poorest races, usually a claiming race, for say US$5,000.
A claiming race is a race in which the weight to be carried is determined by the owner or trainer in relation to the claiming price or the number of races won within a determined period. The horse can then be claimed (purchased) by another person for the advertised claiming price. The claim has to be made prior to the race and if several people make a claim for the same horse the outcome is decided by ballot.
Many people regard claimers in the USA as on a par with handicaps, the difference being that the owner and/or trainer decide the ability of their own horse and can place it accordingly. Whilst the low-value claiming races accommodate the moderate horses, there are also valuable claiming races for better horses. Claiming races can range from US$5,000 to US$100,000 and in some cases even US$500,000.
In addition to claiming races, there are a large number of conditions and allowance races in the States. After winning a maiden, a horse will probably be entered in a non-winners of two, a race for horses that have not won two races other than a maiden, claimer or starter (newcomers’ race). He can then progress to a non-winners of three, and then a non-winners of four.
If he continues to make progress, he can contest what is generally known as beaten allowance races, in which a horse receives an allowance less than the base weight for not having won a certain amount of money at a certain distance after a specified date. For example, the conditions might read: weight 124lbs, non-winners of $28,000 twice at a mile or over since April 15 allowed 3lbs, non-winners of $18,000 twice at a mile or over since November 15 allowed 5lbs.
Assuming that the horse progresses further, he can then run in open stakes company and contest Listed and Graded races. For 2009, there are 115 Grade One races, 158 Grade Two contests and 215 Grade Three events. These races were modelled on the Pattern Race system that began in Europe in 1972 and the grading of races began under the auspices of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 1973. Both systems help identify the best races, so breeders can see the best racing and breeding stock.
Although there is no central handicapping system in place, several of the major races are handicaps (for example the Santa Anita Handicap, Donn Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup). The weights for these races are decided by the racing secretary of the course concerned.
Another major difference between the USA and other racing jurisdictions is that the majority of racing takes place on a dirt surface. The tracks are left-handed and flat and therefore there is a great reliance on the clock and race times. The horses are usually trained at the racetrack and on average there would be between 1,000 and 1,400 stalls available. Race track trials or workouts are timed, reported and printed in the racing papers and on the racecard.
Each racetrack stages its own race programme and that responsibility is given to the racing secretary. It is his or her job to devise races that will attract horses both in terms of quality and quantity.
Artificial surfaces, first introduced in 2005 at Turfway Park, have replaced dirt at some racetracks, particularly in California, as they are seen as being safer.
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