Nominations & Weights Form

The Nominations & Weights Form feature allows you to analyse races while they are still at the nominations and weights stage, before final acceptances and before betting markets have opened.

It integrates seamlessly into the TopRate platform through the Calendar menu, providing access to the same powerful ratings and analysis tools you're already familiar with.

Watch the video below for a complete walkthrough, including:

  • How to access meetings at the nominations and weights stage
  • Using the WPR Chart to get an overview of each race
  • Using the Form Factor Model to quickly assess and rank the chances
  • How to dive deeper into individual horse form and ratings profiles
  • How to identify horses that are dual-nominated and compare their chances across multiple races

Nominations & Weights Form is available for all race meetings and major feature races such as the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Doncaster Handicap, and many others.


Important: Understanding Ratings at the Nominations Stage


When viewing races at the nominations stage, it's important to understand that weights have not yet been allocated to each horse.

Before weights are released, a horse's ratings are normalised to its TopRate weight-for-age (WFA) benchmark. This benchmark is determined by factors such as the horse's age, sex, race distance and the time of year.

As a result:

Weight-For-Age & Set Weights Races

  • If the upcoming race is a Weight-For-Age race, no further weight adjustments are required.
  • If the race is conducted under Set Weights conditions (with no penalties), the rating figures may change slightly once weights are published, but the relative differences between horses will remain unchanged. This means horses can still be compared reliably at the nominations stage.

Handicap Races

  • For handicap races, the ratings shown at the nominations stage should be treated as preliminary, yet to be adjusted for the weight each horse will carry.
  • Once weights are allocated, each horse's ratings will be adjusted to reflect the weight it is set to carry, just as they are for races at the final acceptances stage.
  • This can alter how horses compare to one another when viewing ratings on both the horse form screen and the WPR Chart.

Form Factor Model

  • The Form Factor Model assessment is also preliminary at the nominations stage, because the ratings used by the model in its calculations are not adjusted for weights.
  • Rankings and scores may change after weights are released, particularly in handicap races, where weight allocations can meaningfully affect the relative chances of each runner.

Frequently Asked Questions


Can I price races at the Nominations & Weights stage?

Yes. You can use the WPR Assessment Module and Intuitive Assessed Price tool in exactly the same way as you would for a race at the acceptances stage.

However, keep in mind that any prices generated before final acceptances should be considered preliminary. Nominated fields will almost always contain more runners than the final field, and the list of acceptances can change significantly before race day. Important factors, such as barriers, are also not known at this stage.

As horses come out of a race and additional information becomes available, the relative chances of the remaining runners will change, and your assessed prices should be expected to evolve accordingly.


Is the Speed Map available at the Nominations & Weights stage?

Yes, but keep in mind that the field is not final and barriers have not yet been allocated. At the Nominations & Weights stage, the barrier position displayed for each horse in TopRate reflects its order in the nominations rather than an official barrier draw.

While settling positions are largely influenced by the barrier draw, the Speed Map can still provide valuable insight into the tactical characteristics of the nominated field.

The Speed Map is particularly useful for assessing:

  • The amount of early speed currently nominated for a race
  • The relative tactical speed of key runners
  • How a horse you are analysing compares from a tactical perspective to other leading chances in the race

Will any rating adjustments I make carry through to the acceptances stage?

Yes. If you adjust a horse's WPR Base Rating or WPR Adjustment value within the WPR Assessment Module, those changes will automatically carry through to the acceptances stage, provided the horse remains in the field.

*Note: In very rare circumstances, Racing Australia's data suppliers may change the unique race ID assigned to a race between the nominations and acceptances stages. If this occurs, TopRate cannot automatically link your saved data to the updated race record.


Will any comments I make carry through to the acceptances stage?

Yes. Any comments added at the meeting, race or runner level during the nominations stage will automatically carry through to the acceptances stage.

*Note: As above, in very rare circumstances, Racing Australia's data suppliers may change the unique race ID assigned to a race between the nominations and acceptances stages. If this occurs, TopRate cannot automatically link your saved data to the updated race record.


Related Articles