Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters 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 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.
Data system According to Timeform, one of its ratings 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".'How the ratings for a race are calculated'. Timeform, 5 February 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2022
Timeform ratings for three-year-olds and up on the Flat:
140+: an all-time great horse 135–139: an outstanding horse 130–134: A "top-class racehorse")'Adayar tops Timeform ratings following King George victory at Ascot'. The Sporting Life, 26 July 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022 125–129: A "high-class performer"Tony McFadden, 'Flat season review: Facts and figures for the 2024 campaign in the UK and Ireland'. Timeform, 12 November 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2025 116–124: average Group 2 winner 110–115: average Group 3 winner 100–105: average Listed Race winner
Timeform states that the very poorest horses may be rated as low as 30, with the very best horses rated 130 and above.'Timeform's Greatest Racehorses'. Timeform, 17 December 2022, retrieved 6 January 2023 Two-year-old ratings are slightly lower than those for older horses. It also notes that only a very select number of horses have achieved a rating of 175 and above for hurdling (16) or 182 and above for chasing (20).
Flat vs hurdle vs steeplechase 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.
Publications 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 The figures below are the official all-time highest rankings 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.
Horse Born RatingFrankel2008147Sea Bird1962145Brigadier Gerard1968144Tudor Minstrel1944144Flightline2018143Abernant1946142Ribot1952142Windy City1949142Mill Reef1968141Dancing Brave1983140Dubai Millennium1996140Harbinger2006140Sea The Stars2006140Shergar1978140Vaguely Noble1965140Arrogate2013139Generous1988139Pappa Fourway1952139Reference Point1984139Alleged1974138Alycidon1945138American Pharoah2012138California Chrome2011138Celtic Swing1992138Cigar1990138Daylami1994138Exbury1959138Nijinsky1967138Star of India1953138Tulloch1954138Apalachee1971137Baaeed2018137Dayjur1987137Easy Goer1986137Ghostzapper2000137Grundy1972137Ka Ying Rising2020137Kingston Town1976137Mark of Esteem1993137Molvedo1958137Montjeu1996137Moorestyle1977137Never Say Die1951137Peintre Celebre1994137Pinza1950137Princely Gift1951137Ragusa1960137Reliance1962137Rheingold1969137Right Boy1954137Sunday Silence1986137Troy1976137Zilzal1986137Alcide1955136Allez France1970136Ballymoss1954136Battaash2014136Bering1983136Black Caviar2006136Black Tarquin1945136Bustino1971136Cracksman2014136Crepello1954136El Condor Pasa1995136El Gran Senor1981136Equinox2019136Floribunda1958136Gentlemen1992136Habibti1980136Hafiz1952136Hawk Wing1999136Helissio1993136Herbager1956136Manikato1975136My Babu1945136Northjet1977136Old Vic1986136Relko1960136Sakhee1997136Slip Anchor1982136Suave Dancer1988136Tantieme1947136Texana1957136Thatch1970136Warning1985136All Along1979135Arazi1989135Arbar1944135Arctic Prince1948135Chanteur1942135Charlottesville1957135Cirrus des Aigles2006135Coronation1946135Dahlia1970135Intikhab1994135Known Fact1977135Kris1976135Lady Aurelia2014135La Tendresse1959135Le Moss1975135Match II1958135Nashwan1986135Never So Bold1980135Pebbles1981135Petingo1965135Petoski1982135Right Royal1958135Royal Anthem1995135Sagace1980135Sassafras1967135Shadeed1982135Shahrastani1983135Shareef Dancer1980135Sicambre1948135Sir Ivor1965135Souverain1943135St Jovite1989135Supreme Court1948135Teenoso1980135Tenerani1944135The Bug1943135The Minstrel1974135Trempolino1984135Youth1973135
Top-rated horses on chase courses
The figures below are official all-time high weights for horses racing under National Hunt rules on chase courses.
Horse Born RatingArkle1957212Flyingbolt1959210Sprinter Sacre2006192pKauto Star2000191Mill House1957191Desert Orchid1979187Dunkirk1957186Burrough Hill Lad1976184Long Run2005184Moscow Flyer1994184Don Cossack2007183Master Oats1986183Azertyuiop1997182Best Mate1995182Captain Christy1967182Carvill's Hill1982182Douvan2010182Kicking King1998182See More Business1990182Well Chief1999182
Top-rated Thoroughbreds on hurdle courses
The figures below are all-time ratings accorded by Timeform for race horses that competed under National Hunt rules on hurdle courses.
Horse Born RatingNight Nurse1971182Istabraq1992180Monksfield1972180Persian War1963179Comedy of Errors1967178Le Sauvignon1994178Constitution Hill2017177pLanzarote1968177Limestone Lad1992177Big Buck's2003176Birds Nest1970176Bula1965176Faugheen2008176Golden Cygnet1972176Baracouda1995175Gaye Brief1977175Salmon Spray1958175Sea Pigeon1970175
References
External links Timeform official website