What is the ‘penalty value’ of a horse race?

The ‘penalty value’ of a horse race, as listed on a racecard, describes the prize money awarded to the winner and, possibly, anything up to the next nine horses home, depending on the total prize fund available. However, penalty value does not reflect deductions, such as trainer and jockeys percentages, British Horseracing Authority (BHA) fees and so on, so owners’ prize money is always less than the penalty value of the race in question.

In horse racing, a ‘penalty’ is additional weight, say, 5lb or 7lb, imposed on a horse for winning a race under certain circumstances. Details of such penalties are listed in the race conditions and, in some cases, are imposed on horses that have won a race, or races, above a certain value in a certain timeframe. The winner of a race worth £3,000 might incur a 5lb penalty, the winner of a race worth £5,000 might incur a 7lb penalty and so on; in any case, it is the penalty value of the races, or races, previously won that determines whether or not a penalty is imposed and, if so, what level of penalty. That’s why it’s called ‘penalty value’ in the first place!

Which was the last Grand National to be run over four-and-a-half miles?

Historically, there was a time when every schoolboy – or, at least, every schoolboy with a slightly misspent youth – knew that the Grand National was run over an advertised distance of four-and-a-half miles. Of course, that was before 2013, when safety measures included moving the start forward, about a hundred yards closer to the first fence, with the result that the race was run over the shorter advertised distance of four miles and three-and-a-half furlongs. Thus, the last Grand National to be run over four-and-a-half miles was the 2012 renewal which, fittingly, also produced the closest ever finish, with Neptune Collonges beating Sunnyhillboy by a nose.

However, Aintree, along with every other National Hunt racecourse in Britain, was subsequently professionally surveyed and re-measured, along a line two yards from the inside rail rather than down the middle of the track, as had traditionally been the case. Not unexpectedly, the change in methodology lead to traditional race descriptions becoming shorter; since 2016, the Grand National has been run over an advertised distance of four miles and two-and-half furlongs, or an exact, ‘baseline’ distance of four miles, two furlongs and 74 yards. However, notwithstanding the earlier changes, horses still travel exactly the same distance they did prior to 2016.

Which jockey has ridden the most winners?

According to Guinness World Records, the jockey who has ridden the most winners is Brazilian Jorge Antonio Ricardo who, as of January, 2021, had amassed a career total of 13,044 winners. Born in Rio de Janeiro in September, 1961, Ricardo rode his first winner, as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1976 and enjoyed his best season in his native land in 1992/1993, when he rode 477 winners; by contrast, the British record for the most winners in a season is 289, set by Sir Anthony McCoy in 2001/02.

‘Ricardinho’, as Ricardo is known to his fans, has suffered various fractures, including to his jaw, shoulder blade, collarbone, vertebrae, elbow and femur, in his long, illustrious career, not to mention recovering from cancer of the lymphatic system, or lymphoma, when in his late forties. Nevertheless, despite being incapacitated for protracted periods, he equalled the previous world record, 12,844 winners, set by retired Canadian jockey Russell Baze, in February, 2018. Since then, Ricardo has continued to add to his total, passing the landmark of 13,000 winners in September, 2020. Apart from Baze, no other jockey, worldwide, has achieved a five-figure career total, so his record could well last forever.

Are three-year-old fillies eligible to run in the 2,000 Guineas & the Derby?

The simple answer is yes, they are. Although the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby as billed as “colts'” Classics, they are, in fact, open to horses of both sexes, but not geldings.The only proviso is that horses have run at least once and achieved an official handicap rating of 80 or more, or an equivalent level of form, in the eyes of the official handicap. In both cases, fillies receive a 3lb allowance from their male counterparts.

Three-year-old fillies may be eligible to run in the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby but, nowadays, rarely do so. Indeed, the last filly to win the 2,000 Guineas was Garden Path who, in 1944, justified favouritism in a wartime renewal, run on the July Course, rather than the Rowley Mile, at Newmarket. The last filly to win the ‘Derby’ was Fifinella who, in 1916, won a wartime substitute, known as the ‘New Derby Stakes’ also, coincidentally, run on the July Course at Newmarket.

Modern trainers prefer their top-class fillies to pursue the 1,000 Guineas and/or Oaks route, not least because both “fillies'” Classics are restricted to three-year-old fillies only. Notwithstanding funding cuts due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas are worth exactly the same prize money and, although the premier colts’ Classic, the Derby, offers a purse three times higher than the Oaks, fillies have a much better chance of winning against their own sex.

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