Bench Mark Ratings
The Bench Mark (BM) rating methods vary slightly between States and also between metropolitan and country areas. As per the vast majority of the information provided here, the following is based on conditions in Victoria,
Basically the BM system works as follows, if a race is classified as a BM78 race and a horse entered for the race has been rated as having 78 Bench Mark points, it will carry the top weight of 60kg.
60kg is the standard top weight for any BM rated race.
If a horse entered for a BM78 race has a BM rating of 76, it will carry 59kg, as,
every 2 BM points is equivalent to 1kg to be carried by the jockey
However, keep in mind that,
the minimum weight that can be allocated in any BM race is 54kg.
So, In a BM78 race, any horse entered for a race that has a BM rating of 66 or lower will carry 54kg.
Except for those horses to be ridden by a claiming apprentice jockey.
Horses with a BM rating that is higher than the 78 that the race is rated can still enter this race but they will carry an additional kilogram for each 2 points above the 78 rating of the race.
A horse rated at 84 BM points would be allocated a weight 63kg in a BM78 race
Mares, female horses 4 years old and over, are given a 2kg (4 BM points) weight allowance.
A Mare with a BM rating 78 and racing today in an Open BM78 race will carry 58kg
3 year olds are also given a 2kg (4 BM points) weight allowance
A 3 year old horse rated at 78 BM points racing in an Open BM78 race would be carrying 58kg.
3 year old fillies are given a 4kg allowance when running in Open BM races. 2kg for being a 3 year old and 2 kg for being a female.
A 3 year old filly with a BM rating of 78 and racing today in an Open BM78 race will carry 56kg
Don’t forget, unless a runner is ridden by a claiming apprentice rider, no matter how low your BM rating is in comparison to todays race rating, no runner will carry less than 54kg.
The Table below demonstrates what is written above.
This race is a fictional BM78 race.
The above applies to most BM rated races. However, in the lower BM races such as 58 & 64, you may see races being described as 0 - 58 or 0 - 64. In these races, horses with a BM rating higher than 58 or 64 respectively cannot enter. The top weight in these races will be 60kg.
In Victoria, you will occassionally still see a Class race such as a Class 1. These are basically restricted BM races. Class 1 races are restricted to runners who have only won one race. The weights for these races are still based on the BM methodology.