How to Read a Greyhound Racecard — Every Column, Plain English
A greyhound racecard packs a lot of information into a small space. Here's what every column actually means — form, trap, grade, ratings — and the three numbers you should look at first.
What is a greyhound racecard?
A racecard is the form sheet for a single greyhound race. It lists every dog running, the trap they've drawn, recent finishing positions, who trains them, and a set of ratings showing how each one is likely to perform today. On ratethat.dog we add a layer on top of the official GBGB data — composite scores, suitability, field speed — so you can scan a card in 30 seconds rather than 30 minutes. The headline list of the model's strongest backers each day lives at Strong Picks.
The job of a racecard is simple: tell you which dog is most likely to win, and why. The job of this guide is to make sure no column on it ever confuses you again.
What does the form column actually tell you?
Form is the string of numbers next to the dog's name — usually four or six characters. It shows the dog's most recent finishing positions, with the most recent run on the right. So a form figure of "1112" means: four runs ago finished 1st, three runs ago 1st, two runs ago 1st, last time out 2nd. That's a dog in cracking form.
A form figure of "6645" is a dog losing badly. "3221" is a dog improving. The two patterns to watch for are recent wins (a 1 or 2 in the last two slots) and improvement (numbers getting smaller as you read left-to-right). Don't overweight a single bad run — greyhounds get crowded and bumped, and one 6 in a sea of 1s and 2s is usually noise.
How do I read the trap numbers and colours?
Trap number is where the dog starts. Six dogs, six traps. The colours are the same at every UK track: Trap 1 is red, 2 is blue, 3 is white, 4 is black, 5 is orange, and 6 is striped (black and white). Once you know the colours you can pick out any dog mid-race on TV.
The trap matters because tracks are biased. At Hove 500m, Trap 1 wins 22.5% of races — well above the 16.67% you'd expect if every trap won equally. At Harlow 238m, it's Trap 6 winning 24.3%. We've covered the per-track picture in our trap bias guide. For now: when you read a card, always check the trap.
What does the grade mean?
Grade is the class of race. A1 is the top mid-week grade (the best dogs running today), A11 is the bottom. OR is Open Race — the very best dogs on the card. D1-D4 are sprint grades. P is Puppy.
Grades matter because dogs in higher grades are generally faster, more consistent, and the form lines are more reliable. A win at A1 means more than a win at A8. You can compare like-for-like by checking what grade the dog won its last race in.
What's the composite score for?
The composite score is the headline rating on every ratethat.dog racecard. It's a 0-100 number that blends performance, suitability, first-bend strength and field speed into a single figure, with the field centred on 50. Anything above 60 is genuinely strong; the all-time validated top-pick strike rate is 25.5%.
If you're new and want the lazy approach: the dog with the highest composite score is the model's pick. Combine it with a check on trap and grade and you've got a sensible bet in under a minute.
How do I quickly scan a racecard in under a minute?
Three numbers, in this order. One: the composite score — find the highest, note the gap to the second-best. Two: the trap — is the top composite in the dominant trap for this venue at this distance? Three: the form — does the form figure match the rating, or is the model out of step with reality?
If the answers are "yes, yes, yes" — that's a justified bet. If the model loves a dog that finished 6th last time out at the same track, dig deeper before you back it. The scan isn't a shortcut to thinking — it's a shortcut to knowing where to think.
Frequently asked questions
What does a form figure of 1234 mean in greyhound racing?
It means the dog finished 1st, then 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th in its last four races. The most recent run is on the right. A 1 or 2 in the rightmost slot signals current form; a string of low numbers signals a dog running well consistently.
What's the difference between A1 and A11 in greyhound racing?
A1 is the top of the A-grade ladder — the best mid-week dogs. A11 is near the bottom. The lower the number, the higher the class of race and the faster the dogs.
Where do I find the composite score on a racecard?
On every race page on ratethat.dog. The composite score is the headline rating column, used to sort the runners by default — the top number is the model's pick.
Are greyhound trap colours the same at every UK track?
Yes. Trap 1 is red, 2 blue, 3 white, 4 black, 5 orange, 6 striped (black and white). Same across every UK greyhound venue.
Where can I see today's racecards?
Open the ratethat.dog homepage — every UK meeting today, with full racecards one click away. Or go straight to a race via the meetings grid.