Updated
RPR (Racing Post Rating) is a pound-for-pound performance figure assigned by Racing Post handicappers after each race, scoring how well a horse actually ran. It's expressed on the same scale as OR (Official Rating) — typically 0-180 for flat horses, 0-200 for jumpers — and updates after every run. Punters use RPR because it incorporates trip, going, beaten distances and class, making it a more forward-looking form line than the BHA's Official Rating alone.
OR is set by the British Horseracing Authority's handicappers and is used to set handicap weights — it only changes when the BHA reassesses, usually weekly. RPR is set by Racing Post and updates after every run. RPR reflects an opinion about how well a horse ran on the day; OR reflects what a horse is officially handicapped at. Both have value, but RPR is often more responsive to recent form upticks.
RPR is a class/form figure incorporating the standard of opposition. TS is a pure clock-based figure, measuring how fast the horse ran the distance compared to standard times for that course. A horse can have a high RPR and low TS (won a strong race in slow time) or a high TS and low RPR (ran fast but in poor company). Both together give a fuller picture.
It depends on class. A Class 5 handicapper might run an RPR of 70-90; a midweek listed-race horse 100-115; a Group 3 winner 115-125; a top-class Group 1 horse 125+. The 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs has run RPRs into the 180s. The scale is open-ended at the top.
Yes — RPR is one of four ratings (OR, RPR, TS, Racing Alpha AI score) shown on every horse profile page, and feeds into the AI's selection model alongside trainer 14-day form, freshness, class, going, and draw. The /horses/[id] page now also includes a career trajectory chart showing how RPR has moved over time.
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