THE RACES - BEFORE, DURING & AFTER
How do I know which horses are running?
In the racecard, available to purchase at the meeting, will be the names of all of the horses that have been entered for the races, along with their Riders (if known at the time of entry).
What you need to do, before each race, is to check the Number Board and mark off in your racecard the horses that have been declared along with their Riders. Riders may have changed since the Racecard was published, so make sure to note down any Rider changes too.
In Point-to-Points declarations are made on the day of the meeting, and not beforehand (as happens with National Hunt or Flat racing).
Declarations are made by the Owner of the horse, to the Declarations Clerk, and must be made at least 45-minutes before the time of the race, along with the name of the Rider.
The names of the declared horses, and their Riders, are then posted on the Number Board.
What about the riders?
Each Rider must weigh-out before each race (at least 15-minutes before the time of the race).
Basically, each Rider sits on a set of scales and the Clerk of the Scales checks that the weight due to be carried by each horse is correct – i.e. the weight of the rider, plus additional weight (which is lead weights that are placed into the weight cloth), is as published in the Racecard.
If any Rider is too light, then additional weight (lead) will be put into the weight cloth to make the weight up. If any Rider is too heavy (and it is not because they have too much lead!), then the Rider is deemed to be ‘Over-Weight’, and the fact that the horse will carry such over-weight is announced over the PA system.
Can I look at the runners before the race?
Before each race all of the runners are led around the Parade Ring, which gives racegoers a chance to look at the horses before they go to the start for the race.
How do I have a bet?
All Point-to-Point meetings have Bookmakers, and some even operate a Tote, just like you will find at a National Hunt or Flat race meeting.
What happens next?
Upon leaving the Parade Ring the horses go down to the start, where their tack will be checked by the Starter to see that it is safe for them to race.
Just before the time of the race, the Starter will call the Riders to approach the starting line and bring them Under Starters Orders, i.e. bring them to the line and ready to start the race.
Once the Starter drops the flag, then the race is OFF.
How will I know who has won or where the horse I backed finished?
Each Point-to-Point meeting has a Judge. It is their job to stand in a position on the finishing line and judge who wins the race and where the other horses finish.
The names of the winner and placed horses (2nd, 3rd and 4th) will be announced over the PA system once the judge has made the decision.
Can I see the winning horse after the race?
After the race the first four horses past the post are led to the Winners Enclosure where they are unsaddled and connections of the horses will discuss how the race went.
When can I collect my winnings?
If you have had a winning bet you cannot collect your winnings until the "weighed-in" announcement has been given over the PA system.
The "weighed-in" signal means that the Riders of the first four horses past the post have sat on the scales and the Clerk of the Scales is satisfied that they have the same weight at that time as when they weighed-out.
The purpose of this is to check that no lead has fallen out during the race, i.e. the horse has carried the correct weight throughout the race.
If a Rider has managed to lose some lead during the race the horse will be disqualified and an announcement to that effect made over the PA system.
Does the winner get a prize?
In addition to the prize money the winning Owner and Rider will normally be presented with a Cup, Trophy or Memento immediately after the race in the Winners Enclosure. Sometimes the winning horse will also be given a prize.
