Horse numbers: from 1 to 20 how are they allocated?

Each horse has a number and this is often how punters predict the outcome of a race, rather than by name.

Horses are numbered from 1 to a maximum of 20, but are the numbers given randomly or do they follow specific rules?

Table of Contents

• Numbers of trotting horses with a flying start
• Numbers of trotting horses with an autostart
• Numbers of galloping horses
• Conclusion

Numbers of trotting horses with a flying start

The flying start, which represents the vast majority of trotting starts, has been seen in this post which we advise you to read for more details on this subject.

For these races, numbers are given according to a horse's career earnings in ascending order. This means that the number 1 will be the horse that has won the least amount of money and the biggest number in the race will be given to the horse with the most winnings in its career.

This is why in these races the highest numbers are often at the finish, which means that the richest horses are in the first places of the finish.

However, there are several reasons why weak numbers can sometimes end up in front at the finish line:

• the horse is an underdog and has done well
• the horse has not raced much due to health problems and has not won much due to lack of racing but his potential is still very good
• intergenerational races where a younger but talented horse may be less wealthy than an older but more experienced horse.

Therefore, it is not a good idea to believe that the richest horses with big numbers are the best and will always cross the finish line ahead of the others.

Numbers of trotting horses with an autostart

The autostart, which represents the rest of the races that are not with a flying start, has been seen in this post.

In this type of race, the horses that start in the front row, just behind the car that has wings to start the race, are the richest horses and their numbers are drawn after the close of entries.

Thus the horses behind those in the front row are the least wealthy horses in the race and their numbers are also drawn.

The horses in the second row are the least rich but not necessarily the least good, for the same reasons as seen above.

Numbers of galloping horses

Galloping in general (whether for flat races or for obstacle races) The numbers are assigned according to the weight the horse carries. Thus the horse with the number 1 will have the heaviest weight to carry while the biggest number will be the one with the least weight to carry.

The weight a horse carries depends on its recent performance. The better he performs, the more weight he will have to carry, which will make it more difficult for him.

The more weight the horse has to carry, the more dynamic it is. This is why it is very common to have small finishing numbers on the flat.

However, as an exception, it sometimes happens that a horse number 3, for example, has less weight to carry than a horse number 4. The reason for this is that in order to help young jockeys who are just starting out in their career, in return for their lack of experience, weight is taken off.

Conclusion

Horse numbers are anything but random. It is important to understand how the horses' numbers are assigned in order to facilitate race analysis and to take this data into consideration for accurate analysis and prediction.