What does BD mean in Horse Racing?

Reading a racecard can be somewhat tricky for the uninitiated and sometimes the jargon is a little confusing. If you have ever seen ‘BD’ on a horse’s form profile and wonder what it means, we have you covered.

‘BD’ stands for brought down and that means a horse has fallen as a result of another horse and not because of a self-inflicted jumping error. The distinction is incredibly important, as a horse who fell on their own is more of a risk from a betting point of view.

Much more common in National Hunt racing, a horse who is brought down can be considered to be very unlucky rather than culpable. This incredibly unfortunate circumstance is much more infrequent than fallers and horses who unseat their riders.

Most horses will go through their entire careers without it happening to them and for obvious reasons, hold-up horses are more susceptible, as there will be horses falling or making mistakes in front of them, which is the most common cause of a horse being brought down.

Brought down vs hampered or unseated rider

A horse being brought down is a very specific set of circumstances where a horse comes down directly as a result of impact from another horse. 

If for example a horse falls in front of another and the second runner is hampered or interfered with without falling to the ground and the jockey is ejected from the saddle, this is technically a case of an unseated rider rather than ‘brought down’.

In order to keep things simple, here is a clear and concise explanation of what F, U and BD mean on a racecard. The differences and distinctions can be important!

F: A horse makes a serious error and fails to land their jump over a hurdle or fence, resulting in the horse landing on the floor. Sometimes horses will jump the obstacle well enough but fail to stick the landing and the fault lies with either the horse or occasionally the jockey.

U/UR: This can happen as a result of the horse making a mistake at a hurdle or fence but can also occur on the Flat too, as sometimes a horse will jink abruptly in a certain direction and that can catch the jockey off guard, resulting in them falling off the horse. In this case the jockey is the faller rather than the horse, hence Unseated Rider.

BD: In this scenario a horse falls but as a result of a horse falling in front of them, making them unable to land after a jump, or a similar form of interference. The runner who has been brought down bears no responsibility for the incident.

Is it worse for a horse’s welfare?

Although it can often look very bad when a horse is brought down, there’s no evidence to suggest that serious injury is more likely to occur than if they fall independently. Most horses who are brought down tend to get to their feet quickly, without suffering serious injury, in the same way that it’s the usual result for fallers.

Who decides when a horse is officially brought down?

While it is often fairly obvious to those who know what to look out for, the best place to find out for sure is the BHA Stewards’ report. They are responsible for official decision-making during races and their reports are legally binding.

What this means for reading form

In basic terms, don’t read too much into it if you’re reading a horse’s form and certainly don’t let it put you off! It’s not an indicator of a horse having issues with their jumping and they are simply the unfortunate victim in this situation. It’s very reasonable to have concerns if there are lots of Fs and Us in their form figures, however.

Bad luck vs bad jumping

It’s important to note that if you have backed a horse who has been brought down, that does unfortunately mean it’s a losing bet. Although some firms offer money back under such circumstances, there is no guarantee of a refund or free bet token.

Don’t hold it against the horse however, as the main takeaway from this explainer should be that there’s a clear distinction between bad luck and bad jumping. A horse being brought down falls firmly in the former camp and isn’t a negative reflection on them.