Horse racing is one of the most followed sports across the globe, with some of the most prominent races gaining the attention of the mainstream media.
Betting on the sport is incredibly popular, and there is nothing more exciting than checking the Breeders’ Cup results – as found here: https://www.twinspires.com/breeders-cup/
This helps you to examine whether you have found a winner. While major Grade One races such as the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic rank among the most exciting races on the racing calendar, it could be argued that typically, the most engrossing from a betting standpoint comes in the form of handicap races.
These events typically attract bigger fields than most graded races, but they can often be more challenging for newcomers to the sport to understand. However, you can find out everything you need to know about horse racing handicaps here.
What is a Handicap in Horse Racing?
A handicap race is where each runner in the field will be allotted a weight that they must carry.
The higher the official rating of a horse, the more weight that they will carry. In essence, this ensures that each runner involved will stand an equal chance of claiming victory based on the heavier weights being carried by the better horses, which will slow them down and make them tire more easily.
How Are Handicap Weights Calculated?
The weight that a horse must carry in a handicap is determined by their official rating. Horses with higher ratings will typically have winning form to their name, and they may have competed in graded races prior to running in a handicap.
A handicapper is tasked with assigning weights for all of the horses in the field, and their main goal is to assign weights that sees all runners cross the line at exactly the same time.
However, the unpredictable nature of horses racing means that other factors such as a loss of form or in-running problems also play a role in the outcome of a handicap.
Is It Impossible For Top Weights to Win Handicaps?
While it is difficult, it is by no means impossible for a horse off top weight to win a handicap.
However, a horse claiming victory off a top weight in a handicap race will highlight that the runner may be better than the class, and therefore, it typically leads to trainers running the horse in graded races following a success. Despite this, top-weight victories in some of the most iconic handicaps remain a rarity.
While the weight that the horse has to carry ensures that it is challenging, the reason for this trend will also be down to the competitive nature of the races, with big fields typically limiting the chances of the best horses in the field to travel as they wish.
It is always worth noting that being a low weight in the handicap also doesn’t guarantee success. Those at the bottom of the handicap will have limited winning experience, and they could be ‘wrong’ at the weights due to lack of runners. Being ‘wrong at the weights’ means that they are carrying more weight than their official rating suggests due to minimum weight that can be a carried by a runner.
What Are The Most Famous Handicaps?
Grand National
The most iconic handicap race on the global horse racing schedule comes in the form of the Grand National, which was won in 2025 by Willie Mullins-trained Nick Rockett.
The race is staged annually at Aintree in the United Kingdom, and it has become a global event with over 140 countries across the planet watching the race every year. It is a traditional staple of British life, with families and friends typically sitting down to watch the National when it gets underway.
Red Rum is the most iconic horse in the race’s history, as no horse has ever matched his feat of winning the National on three occasions. In fact, no winner of the race has won off top weight since the legend’s second success in 1974.
Melbourne Cup
While the Grand National is the most iconic handicap over obstacles, there are few more exciting flat handicaps on the racing schedule than the Melbourne Cup. Held annually at Flemington Racecourse, the Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation.
The event is the richest two-mile handicap on the global racing schedule, and it is staged annually on the first Tuesday of November. It was run for the first time in 1861 and it remains as beloved to global audiences as ever.
The Melbourne Cup is run during the Spring Racing Carnival, and there are few more legendary figures in the race’s history than Makybe Diva, who is the only three-time winner of the event. This year’s renewal will see an international field take their chance, with Knight’s Choice travelling to Melbourne as the reigning champion following his success in 2024.
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