Reviewed by TipsterCheck Editorial TeamLast checked 29 October 2026MethodologyCorrections
Betting glossary · Racing
What is Official Rating (OR)?
What is Official Rating (OR)?
How Official Ratings Work
The BHA's team of handicappers assigns each horse a rating on a scale that runs, in practice, from around 0 up to approximately 140 for Flat horses and 170 for Jump horses, though the theoretical ceiling is higher. The rating reflects the handicapper's judgement of how good a horse is relative to every other rated horse in Britain. A horse rated 100 is considered 10 lb better than one rated 90, because in handicap races weight is used as the levelling mechanism — each 1 lb of weight is treated as equivalent to one rating point over a standard distance.
Ratings are reviewed and updated after every run. The handicapper examines the race result, the time, the margins between horses, and the ratings of all runners involved before deciding whether to raise, lower, or leave unchanged each participant's mark. A horse that wins easily may be raised several pounds; one that finishes distantly last may be dropped. Horses must have run at least three times to qualify for a handicap mark, after which they become eligible to enter handicap races. A horse's OR is publicly visible on its racecard entry and on the BHA website.
A Worked Example
Consider a 0–90 handicap on the Flat. The conditions state the top-rated runner carries 9 st 7 lb. A horse rated 90 carries that weight, while one rated 80 carries 10 lb less — roughly 9 st 3 lb — and a horse rated 70 carries 20 lb less. The weight difference is designed so that, in theory, all runners have an equal chance if the ratings are perfectly accurate. In practice, the handicapper's assessments are never perfect, which is precisely where punters and tipsters look for an edge.
Say a horse finished second in its last three runs when rated 82, and the handicapper drops it to 78 after a below-par display. A tipster who believes the poor run was due to unsuitable going rather than a genuine decline in form might argue the horse is now well handicapped — meaning it races off a lower mark than its true ability warrants, giving it a theoretical advantage over rivals.
Why Official Ratings Matter When Judging a Tipster
Understanding OR helps you assess the quality of a tipster's selections. A tipster who consistently backs horses rated 55–70 in weak, low-grade handicaps is operating in a very different market to one who targets horses rated 100+ in competitive conditions races. Lower-grade handicaps tend to have less reliable form, making winners harder to find consistently; higher-grade races attract sharper bookmaker pricing. Neither approach is inherently superior, but you should know which market a tipster works in before comparing their results to others.
OR also helps you spot whether a tipster is chasing well-handicapped horses — a legitimate and popular strategy — or simply backing market leaders regardless of their rating trajectory. If a tipster's selections are regularly horses whose OR has been recently lowered after a run the tipster considers misleading, that is a coherent, testable approach. If selections show no discernible pattern in relation to OR, that is useful information too. When reviewing a tipster's long-term record on TipsterCheck, always consider the grade of race and the OR bands involved alongside raw profit figures.
Example: A tipster backs a horse rated 76 dropping into a 0–80 handicap for the first time, arguing the BHA handicapper has underestimated its ability after a wind operation — a classic 'well handicapped' angle that relies directly on the OR being lower than the horse's true form warrants.
FAQs
Can a horse's Official Rating change before a race it has already been entered for?
Yes. The BHA handicapper can revise a rating at any point, including after an entry has been accepted. If a horse's revised OR takes it outside a race's rating ceiling, it may be balloted out or become ineligible. Always check the final racecard.
Is an Official Rating the same as a Timeform or Racing Post Rating?
No. Timeform and Racing Post publish their own private ratings, which are independent assessments and often differ from the BHA's OR. Only the BHA's OR is used officially to set weights in handicap races. Private ratings are analytical tools, not regulatory ones.
What does it mean when a tipster says a horse is 'running off a low mark'?
It means the tipster believes the horse's current OR understates its ability, so it carries less weight than its true form deserves. This is considered a potential edge in handicap races, though bookmakers and the market often price such horses accordingly.
More racing terms: Placepot, Rule 4 Deduction, Scoop6