Column A – The horses name

Column B – The speed figures achieved, this is calculated by comparing the time taken against the standard time with an allowance made for the ground conditions.  Only ratings above 20 are shown.  The higher the value the better the performance.

Column C – An expression of how slow or fast the final circuit was run.  A minus figure in red indicates the fastest circuit for the same type of race at that meeting, if the figure is blue it denotes it was slower than the quickest time by that value.

Column D – If a True is shown in this column it is a race that we have earmarked for producing future winners as the overall speed figure and the circuit time are the best on the card for races of similar type.

Column E – The course on which the previous race was won.  Course form is always a good pointer to future winners.

Column F – The position where the horse finished in the race

Column G – The number of runners that contested the race

Column H – The distance that the horse was beaten, if this column is blank the horse in question won the race.  No ratings are shown for non-completions

Column I – The days since that performance

Column J – The number of days between the performance detailed and the horses previous run, it is always good to be aware of whether a horse is best fresh or thrives after a recent run.

Column K – Either Chase, Hurdle or Bumper

Column L – The race distance is expressed in miles, each furlong is roughly 0.13 of a mile.  This filter is most useful in ruling out previous performances over shorter or longer distances, this removed Ex Patriot from calculations in the 3-35 as his best performance came over 2 miles, a full mile short of the distance on this day.

Column M – The official going recorded for the day, this is either the opinion of the Clerk of the Course or measured by a going stick.  In the past this may have been misleading but is more accurate nowadays.  So long as you do not apply hard and fast ground conditions a filter on this column can be useful, easily detect the horses who act on heavy ground for example when it would also be wise to include the ground types close to heavy like soft, soft to heavy etc.

Column N – The going allowance calculated when deriving the speed figures.  This can show where the going allowance is not correct but given rail movements it is probably best to use this as a guide only a stick more to the official ground as this data is only available after the racing has taken place.

Column O – The class of the race as assigned by the BHA,  As there is no class structure in Ireland the prize money to the winner is used to estimate the equivalent class.  This can be used to identify class droppers.

Column P – The handicap band of the race, if applicable.  This can also be used to identify class droppers.

Column Q – The characteristics of the course.  Some horses prefer to go a certain way around or may prefer a flat track as opposed to a track that is undulating.

Column R – The current trainer, highlighting trainers in form is always a positive to finding winners