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Form figures explained
Form figures are a horse's recent results squeezed into a short string. You read the string from left to right. The run on the far right is the latest one. Everything to the left of that is older. On PaddockForm that is the same order: last time out is the right-hand character.
A figure is only a finishing position, or a note that the horse did not finish in the usual way. It does not say why, and it does not say the horse will do the same next time. It tells you what happened, in order, so you can set the new race next to the old ones.
Numbers 1 to 9
A digit is a finishing position. 1 means the horse won. 2 means second. 3 means third. The count continues through 9, which means ninth.
Take the string 321. From the left, the horse was third, then second, then won last time. The latest run is the 1 on the right. Take 214. The horse was second, then won, then finished fourth last time. The left-hand figure is the older one. Check the right-hand end first.
The figure 0
0 means the horse finished tenth or worse. The string has no room for 10, 11 or 14, so those finishes are written as 0. A 0 is not a fall. The horse passed the post, but it was well back. In a big field that can be ordinary. In a field of twelve it means the horse was nearer last than first.
Example: 410. Fourth, then a win, then tenth or worse last time. The win is still in the string. The latest run is the poor one. The 0 does not erase the 1.
P and PU
P means pulled up. The jockey stopped the horse and they did not continue to a finish. PU means the same thing when the card spells it out. The horse may have been struggling, or may have made a mistake at an obstacle. The figure only records that it was pulled up. It does not choose a reason for you.
Example: 21P. Second, then a win, then pulled up last time. Example: 3PU2. Third, then pulled up, then second last time. The latest run is the 2.
F, U and R
F means the horse fell. U means the rider was unseated: the horse went on, but the rider did not. R means the horse refused, usually at an obstacle. These letters are much more common over jumps than on the flat, because fences and hurdles add a way to leave the race.
Example: 22F. Second, then second again, then fell last time. Example: 1U3. A win, then an unseat, then third last time. Example: 4R1. Fourth, then a refusal, then a win last time. A row of the same letter is a pattern. One letter is a single incident. The right-hand end is still the latest run.
Other letters
B means brought down: another horse caused the fall. C means carried out, taken off a line by another runner. S means slipped up. D means disqualified. These are less common than P, F, U and R. The right-hand end is still the latest run.
The hyphen
A hyphen, written as -, splits one season from the next. Figures to the left of the hyphen are the older season. Figures to the right are the newer season. The latest run is still the far right of the whole string, not the figure just before the hyphen.
Example: 1-21. In the older season the horse won. This season it finished second and then won. The latest run is the 1 on the right. Example: 32-4. This season the only run is a fourth. The left side of the hyphen can be busy while the new season is not.
The slash
A slash, written as /, marks a break of two seasons or more. Figures to the left of the slash are the older runs. The character on the right is the latest run, after that long absence.
Example: 21/3. The 2 and the 1 are the older runs. The 3 is the latest run, after a long absence. Do not read the digits as one season.
Putting a string together
Try 2-1P3. Older season: a second. This season: a win, then pulled up, then third last time. The latest news is the third. Try F23. A fall, then second, then third last time. The fall is the oldest of the three.
A blank form means there is no published run to show. That is common for a newcomer. A blank is an empty record, not a bad one.
When you have the figures, put them next to the going and the distance. A win on heavy ground is not the same as a win on firm ground. A fourth over five furlongs is not the same as a fourth over two miles. The figures are the positions. The rest of the card is the test those positions were earned in.
Questions
Which end of the string is last time out?
The right-hand end. Read left to right, and treat the final character as the latest run.
Does 0 mean the horse fell?
No. 0 means tenth or worse. A fall is F. Pulled up is P or PU.
What is the difference between P and PU?
They mean the same thing: the horse was pulled up. PU is the longer way of writing P.
What does the hyphen change?
It splits seasons. Figures after the hyphen are the newer season. The latest run is still the far right.
What does the slash change?
It marks a break of two seasons or more. In 21/3 the 3 is the latest run, after a long absence.
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