Timeform Standard Times

Timeform
TypeSubsidiary
IndustrySports data and content provider
Founded1948
HeadquartersHalifax, West Yorkshire
OwnerFlutter Entertainment
WebsiteTimeform
  1. Timeform Standard Times Square
  2. Timeform Standard Times

Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by the sports betting exchange Betfair in December 2006. Since 2 February 2016, it has been owned by Flutter Entertainment.

History[edit]

Portway Press Ltd was formed in 1948 by Phil Bull, who wanted to establish a mathematical link to a horse's performance, based on the time the horse recorded. At a time when such data was virtually unheard of, Bull started publishing a racing annual, which evolved into the 'Racehorses Of..' series. The company was purchased for a reputed £15 million by the sports betting exchange Betfair in December 2006.[1]

Timeform is a specialist sports content and data provider. Formed in 1948, we have a long-established reputation for accuracy, credibility and judgement. Get the latest news, form, tips and betting offers from racing's experts. Horse Racing Greyhounds. Times-Standard: Local News, Local Sports and more for Humboldt County.

TimeformUS PPs at Daily Racing Form. Stay Updated with DRF Morning Line. Free Race-of-the-Day video analysis & PPs, DRF Bets Gameplan Play-of-the-Day, all the latest racing news and more. HORSES IN FOCUS AT AQUEDUCT EXPERT COVERAGE FROM NEW YORK. Posted by TimeformUS Our Race Preview Section is your go-to source for daily Highlight Horses and Horses in Focus from our NYRA analyst David Aragona. PUT TIMEFORMUS TO WORK FOR YOU. Powered by Real Time Racing. The scale used for Timeform ratings represents more than 3 lb a length at five furlongs, 2 lb a length at a mile and a quarter and 1 lb a length at two miles. When the field gets strung out, and the cumulative margins between the first six are much bigger, it suggests rating the winner much higher than if the field had finished in a heap.

Data system[edit]

According to the publishers, a Timeform rating represents 'the merit of the horse expressed in pounds and is arrived at by careful examination of its running against other horses using a scale of weight for distance beaten which ranges from around 3 lb a length at five furlongs and 2 lb a length at a mile and a quarter to 1 lb a length at two miles'.

The Beyer Speed Figure used in the United States is similar to a Timeform rating. The popular rule of thumb for comparing these two numbers is to add 12–14 points to the Beyer score to estimate the Timeform number.

Timeform ratings for 3-year-olds and up are as follows:

  • 140+ – An outstanding horse
  • 136-139 – An almost outstanding horse
  • 130–135 – Above average Group 1 winner
  • 125–129 – Average Group 1 winner
  • 115–124 – Average Group 2 winner
  • 110–115 – Average Group 3 winner
  • 100–105 – Average listed race winner

Timeform states that 2-year-old averages are slightly lower.

The Daily Racing Form gives an example of the evolution of ratings for horses from age two upwards in the American Grade IArlington Million.[2]

Flat vs hurdle vs steeplechase[edit]

Timeform maintains different scales for horses racing on the flat, over hurdles and over fences. The scores cannot be compared for the obvious differences between the race types. For instance, Arkle at 212, Flyingbolt at 210, Sprinter Sacre at 192 are then followed by Mill House and Kauto Star, both at 191, are the highest rated steeplechasers. The highest rated horses over hurdles are Night Nurse at 182, Istabraq and Monksfield, both at 180, and Persian War at 179. The table below lists scores for flat horses only starting with the highest, rated at 147 which is the British horse Frankel.[3]

Publications[edit]

Annually in March, the company puts out its book Racehorses of ...., which currently contains more than 1,200 pages and provides information and ratings on the top flat horses in Australasia, Dubai, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, North America and Scandinavia. Also, annually in October the company publishes Chasers and Hurdlers, a thorough review of every horse that ran under National Hunt rules in Britain, as well as the best National Hunt horses to have run in Ireland and France.

Timeform publishes a number of other books. Its Horses to Follow: Flat Season is composed of short essays on fifty horses deemed worthy of following in the upcoming year's classics. The horses are selected by Timeform's own team of experts along with five leading broadcasters. The book also provides a guide to the most significant two-year-old performances from the previous year.

Timeform also compiles a system based on speed and class which appears in the Daily Racing Form for all horse racing events run in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the United Arab Emirates.

Top-rated Thoroughbreds on flat courses[edit]

The figures below are official all-time Highweights for horses who raced in Australia, Dubai, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and Scandinavia as supplied by Neil O'Connor of Timeform. Until very recently (approximately 2000), horses who raced exclusively in America were never given Timeform ratings, so they can not be compared directly to their European counterparts.

HorseBornRating
Frankel2008147
Sea Bird1962145
Brigadier Gerard1968144
Tudor Minstrel1944144
Abernant1946142
Ribot1952142
Windy City1949142
Mill Reef1968141
Shergar1978140
Dancing Brave1983140
Dubai Millennium1996140
Harbinger2006140
Sea The Stars2006140
Vaguely Noble1965140
Arrogate2013139
Generous1988139
Pappa Fourway1952139
Reference Point1984139
Alleged1974138
Alycidon1945138
American Pharoah2012138
California Chrome2011138
Celtic Swing1992138
Cigar1990138
Daylami1994138
Exbury1959138
Nijinsky1967138
Star of India1953138
Tulloch1954138
Easy Goer1986137
Sunday Silence1986137
Apalachee1971137
Dayjur1987137
Ghostzapper2000137
Grundy1972137
Kingston Town1976137
Mark of Esteem1993137
Molvedo1958137
Montjeu1996137
Moorestyle1977137
Never Say Die1951137
Peintre Celebre1994137
Pinza1950137
Princely Gift1951137
Ragusa1960137
Rheingold1969137
Reliance1962137
Right Boy1954137
Troy1976137
Zilzal1986137
Alcide1955136
Allez France1970136
Ballymoss1954136
Battaash2014136[4]
Bering1983136
Black Caviar2006136
Black Tarquin1945136
Bustino1971136
Crepello1954136
Cracksman2014136
El Condor Pasa1995136
El Gran Senor1981136
Floribunda1958136
Gentlemen1992136
Habibti1980136
Hafiz1952136
Hawk Wing1999136
Helissio1993136
Herbager1956136
My Babu1945136
Manikato1975136
Northjet1977136
Old Vic1986136
Relko1960136
Slip Anchor1982136
Suave Dancer1988136
Sakhee1997136
Tantieme1947136
Texana1955136
Thatch1970136
Warning1985136
All Along1979135
Arazi1989135
Arbar1944135
Arctic Prince1948135
Chanteur1942135
Charlottesville1957135
Coronation1946135
Cirrus des Aigles2006135
Dahlia1970135
Intikhab1994135
Known Fact1977135
Kris1976135
Lady Aurelia2014135[5]
La Tendresse1959135
Le Moss1975135
Match II1958135
Nashwan1986135
Never So Bold1980135
Pebbles1981135
Petingo1965135
Petoski1982135
Right Royal1958135
Royal Anthem1995135
Sagace1980135
Sassafras1967135
Shadeed1982135
Shahrastani1983135
Shareef Dancer1980135
Sicambre1948135
Sir Ivor1965135
Souverain1943135
St Jovite1989135
Supreme Court1948135
Teenoso1980135
Tenerani1944135
The Bug1943135
The Minstrel1974135
Trempolino1984135
Youth1973135

Top-rated horses on chase courses[edit]

The figures below are official all-time Highweights for horses racing under National Hunt rules on chase courses.[6]

HorseBornRating
Arkle1957212
Flyingbolt1959210
Sprinter Sacre2006192p
Mill House1957191
Kauto Star2000191
Desert Orchid1979187
Dunkirk1957186
Burrough Hill Lad1976184
Moscow Flyer1994184
Long Run2005184
Master Oats1986183
Denman2000183
Don Cossack2007183
Captain Christy1967182
Carvill's Hill1982182
See More Business1990182
Best Mate1995182
Azertyuiop1997182
Kicking King1998182
Well Chief1999182
Cue Card2006182
Douvan2010182

Top-rated Thoroughbreds on hurdle courses[edit]

The figures below are all-time ratings accorded by Timeform for race horses that competed under National Hunt rules on hurdle courses.[6]

HorseBornRating
Night Nurse1971182
Monksfield1972180
Istabraq1992180
Persian War1963179
Comedy of Errors1967178
Le Sauvignon1994178
Lanzarote1968177
Limestone Lad1992177
Bula1965176
Sir Ken1948176 *
Birds Nest1970176
Golden Cygnet1972176
Big Buck's2003176
Faugheen2008176
Salmon Spray1958175
Sea Pigeon1970175
Gaye Brief1977175
Baracouda1995175

* Timeform started compiling ratings for jumps racing in 1962; therefore Sir Ken's rating (among others outstanding Jump horses) was retrospectively assessed by Timeform when Cheltenham introduced its Hall of Fame in the 1990s.

References[edit]

  1. ^McGrath, J A (25 November 2006). 'Betfair set to buy Timeform for £15m'. The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  2. ^'Daily Racing Form PDF (login required)'(PDF). Drf.com. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  3. ^Greg Wood at Ascot (19 June 2012). 'Frankel hailed as greatest ever after Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes win Sport'. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  4. ^'Battaash confirms he's the real deal'. Timeform. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  5. ^'Royal Ascot 2017 News Lady Aurelia's King's Stand win at Royal Ascot earns her a huge Timeform rating'. royal-ascot.timeform.com. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. ^ ab'Timeform's greatest racehorses'. Timeform. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2016.

External links[edit]

Timeform
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeform&oldid=996097370'

Timeform's Radio offers exclusive live UK & Irish horse racing & greyhound commentary from Betfair, along with embedded episodes of Betfair's Racing... Only Bettor Podcast from their home of their betting podcasts, on SoundCloud.

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Episode 14, 20/12/2019: The Betfair Exchange Trophy

Episode 13, 14/12/2019: Barry & Kevin Share Notes

Episode 12, 07/12/2019: Sandown Special

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Episode 4, 10/10/2019: Swing For The Fences This Week Lads

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