Category: FAQ

‘Bumper’ is a colloquial term used to describe a race officially known, rather confusingly, as a National Hunt Flat Race. Run under National Hunt Rules, typically over distances between 1 mile 4 furlongs and 2 miles 1 furlong, this type of race is intended to provide young, untried horses with racecourse experience without the adding complication of having to negotiate obstacles. No horse that has run under any recognised Rules of Racing, except in similar races in Britain and Ireland, or AQPS Flat races in France, or is aged more than seven years old, is eligible to run in a National Hunt Race.

Nowadays, ‘bumpers’ are often contested by fully-fledged professional jockeys but, historically, they were the preserve of inexperienced conditional and amateur jockeys. The combination of unseasoned horses and unpractised jockeys often had farcical consequences. The term ‘bumper’ was coined, disparagingly, to describe the uncoordinated efforts of the participants, including their propensity to bump into one another as the result of steering problems. That said, the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, which has been a fixture of the Cheltenham Festival since 1992, is a prestigious and valuable Grade 1 contest, with a roll of honour that includes the likes of Cue Card, Champagne Fever and Envoi Allen.

A stewards’ enquiry may be called for a variety of reasons, not all of which, necessarily, may have affected the result of the race in question. The purpose of a stewards’ enquiry is to ensure that all races are run fairly, in accordance with the Rules of Racing. A panel of stewards investigates any possible breach(es) of the rules and, having heard evidence from jockeys, trainers, stable staff and other interested parties, makes a joint decision on what action to take, if any. In most cases, a stewards’ enquiry is completed, and its outcome is announced to the public, before the start of the next race.

Possible infractions include ‘improper’ or ‘careless’ riding, which may have resulted in deliberate or accidental interference and ‘schooling in public’, where a jockey fails, in the eyes of the stewards, to make a ‘timely, real and substantial effort to obtain the best possible placing’. If the stewards decide that the rules have been broken, they have the power to revise the placings in a race, impose fines and suspensions on jockeys and trainers and, if necessary, refer incidents to the disciplinary committee of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for further action at a late date.

‘Furlong’ is an Middle English term, derived from the Old English ‘furlang’, meaning ‘length of a furrow’, and was first recorded during the Dark Ages. The distance was standardised as 660 feet, or 220 yards (one-eighth of a mile) during the Middle Ages and, although it remained an official measurement in Britain until 1985, nowadays it is confined, almost exclusively, to horse racing in English-speaking countries.

Similarly, the ‘length’ has been the standard measure for winning margins in horse racing since time in memoriam. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that the length is not a measure of distance per se, but rather a measurement of elapsed time as the horses cross the winning line. An official time is recorded for each horse and is subsequently converted into an official distance by reference to a computerised lengths-per-second table, which takes into account factors such as the prevailing going. In recent years, in the interests of greater accuracy, the lengths-per-second has been extended by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), so that maximum official winning distances up to, and including, 200 lengths are possible.

To answer the headline question, a length can vary according to the size, conformation and stride pattern of the horses involved but, generally speaking, is between 8 and 9 feet. Thus, the number of lengths in a furlong is typically somewhere between 73 and 83.

Eventually the likely performance of a racehorse on looks alone is, at best, an imprecise science. However, racehorses are, after all, athletes and, like their human counterparts, display outward signs of their health, fitness and well-being. Starting from the head, look for bright, alert, expressive eyes, full, fleshy jowls and wide nostrils.

Horses that are bred and trained to compete over shorter, sprint distances are likely to have more heavily muscled shoulders than endurance horses. A similar comment applies to the hindquarters, where bulky, powerful muscles are best for speed, while longer, leaner muscles are best for endurance. Either way, look for symmetrical, well-defined muscles and an indentation between the two large muscles of the haunches, known as the ‘poverty line’, as a sign that a horse has reached peak fitness.

The deeper the girth – that is, the distance from the top of the back to the belly – the better and look for wide, well-sprung ribs that give the lungs to expand. However, beware of horses that are carrying excess weight, or ‘condition’, which may be exhibited as belly fat.

A shiny coat is another visible sign of good health, but also consider the demeanour of the horse as it walks around the paddock or parade ring. Of course, you will only see the horse in its slower paces, but look for a strong, athletic, yet relaxed, walk to indicate that the horse is at ease in its surroundings and ready to run to the best of its ability.