Timeform

Infobox_Company
company_name = Timeform Ltd
company_
company_type = Private company
foundation = 1948
location = Halifax, West Yorkshire
industry = Publisher
products =
homepage = [http://www.timeform.com Timeform] |

Timeform Publications is a publishing company in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England founded in 1948 to provide information to fans, bettors, and others involved in the horse racing industry. Purchased by the sports betting exchange Betfair in December 2006, it retains Chairman Jim McGrath

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 the time such data was virtually unheard of, Bull started publishing a racing annual, which evolved into the "Racehorses Of.." series. A family firm based on old-fashioned values, the Timeform brand represented integrity being seen as independent of those with interests in putting forward certain forms of "biased" data. However, many now accuse the rating to be biased too and controversy erupted when 2003 champion Dalakhani was rated lower than Hawk Wing. When Bull retired he handed over to Reg Griffin. Having turned down a £10million offer in 2001, the company was purchased for £15million by the sports betting exchange Betfair in December 2006. [citeweb|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/11/25/shexcl25.xml|title=Betfair set to buy Timeform for £15m|publisher=The Telegraph|date=25 November, 2006|accessdate=2008-04-05]

Data system

According to the publishers the ratings are "the merit of the horse expressed in pounds and is arrived 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 at two miles".

In the United States, the Beyer Speed Figure is used which has a set up that yields a different rating number. The popular rule of thumb for obtaining a rough equating of the Beyer score is to add 12-14 points to achieve the Timeform number.

Timeform ratings for 3-year-olds & up are as follows:
* 140 - An outstanding horse
* 130-135 - Above average Group 1 winner
* 125-129 - Average Group 1 winner
* 115-120 - 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. As an example, see this website for the evolution of ratings for horses from age two and on up in the American Grade I Arlington Million. [ [http://www.drf.com/row/pps/ap_million.pdf Daily Racing Form: Login/Access Your Account ] ]

Publications

Annually in March, the company puts out its book "Racehorses" which currently contains more than 1,200 pages and provides information and ratings on the top horses in Australasia, Dubai, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, North America and Scandinavia. Also, annually in October the company publishes "Chasers and Hurdler", 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 books. Its "Horses to Follow: Flat Season" is comprised of short essays on fifty horses deemed worthy of following in the upcoming year's classics. The horses are selected by Timeform's team of experts along with selections from 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

Steven A. Roman, Ph.D., a professor at Columbia University created the Chef-de-Race website, a resource that contains significant information on speed ratings for Thoroughbred racehorses. The figures below are official All-Time Highweights for horses who raced in Australasia, Dubai, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and Scandinavia as supplied by Mr. Neil O'Connor of Timeform.

In August of 2008, Timeform assigned a 134 rating for the American runner, Curlin, calling him the best horse in the world on dirt. [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist=moran_paul&id=3558449]

References

* [http://www.chef-de-race.com/pfs/comparative_speed_figs.htm A Comparison of Performance Figures, Beyer Figures, Timeform Ratings, Racing Post Ratings, BRIS Ratings and Equibase Ratings]
* [http://www.chef-de-race.com/articles/timeform_highweights.htm Timeform highweights at Chef de Race]
* [http://www.timeform.com/ Timeform official website]
* [http://www.racingandsports.com.au/timeform Timeform official Australia and New Zealand Ratings]