If you’re new to horse racing betting then you’re likely to encounter plenty of weird terminology that sounds like another language. Indeed, even experienced racing punters sometimes haven’t a clue what all the jargon means in the sport!
One of the terms you’re likely to come across is a ‘stayer’. This is a term that has seeped into the English language and is used every day to describe someone or something as durable.
And Paddy Power is here to explain what a stayer is, in the latest in our series of Demystifying Racing betting guides…
What is a stayer?
A stayer is a classic horse racing term used to describe horses that are capable of running over long distances. These horses are likely to be durable and have plenty of energy in them, but they don’t release it in short bursts, like sprinters do.
The Grand National is one of the most arduous horse races in the world (Image: GETTY)
Owners and trainers quickly realise when developing a horse whether or not it will be a stayer. Indeed, a lot of work goes into training a thoroughbred so it can specialise in either long distance races or short sprints.
Grand National winners have to be stayers, otherwise they wouldn’t have the energy to get around Aintree’s 30-jump course. Likewise, you wouldn’t enter a stayer into the mega-short Temple Stakes at Haydock.
FAMOUS STAYER RACES
There are plenty of races across the UK and Ireland that are ‘stayers’ (i.e. held over long distances). These races all run for longer than two miles and include the Ascot Gold Cup, the St Leger Stakes, the Belmont Stakes in the US and Australia’s Melbourne Cup. The Cheltenham Festival also stages plenty of long-distance runs and subsequently attracts some of the world’s best stayers.
France, meanwhile, stages the Prix du Cadran every year. This 4km race held at Longchamp Racecourse every October is a lung-busting marathon for the horses, and only the best stayers can compete in such a battle. Famous champions of the Prix du Cadran include Vazirabad, Alandi and Westerner.
Pick your jaw from off the floor – Lisnagar Oscar lands the @paddypower Stayers' Hurdle at 50-1!@rebcurtis is back in the big time after an extraordinary result in the big race ? #CheltenhamFestival @Adamkwedge pic.twitter.com/5lHrXFHMBk
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 12, 2020
BETTING ON STAYERS
If a horse has a reputation as a stayer and it enters into a long race then they are likely to be towards the top of the racing betting odds. Yet race cards can sometimes be misleading with stayers races, because the form guide of each horse won’t stipulate the distances they have previously run.
So, when betting on stayers, be sure to check out the info guide attached to every runner in the Paddy Power race card. This is where you’ll discover if your pick truly has form over distance.
Chances are a horse selected for a stayer race is well versed in running over two miles. But it’s worth double checking before you place your bet!
DEMYSTIFYING RACING
- What does it mean when a horse is On the Bridle?
- What is a Black type horse race?
- What are the different types of going in horse racing?
- What is a bumper horse race?
- What are blinkers and why do some horses wear them?
- What is an Allowance Race in horse racing?
- What is the difference between hurdles and fences in National Hunt racing?
- What is a halter and why do some horses wear them?
- What does it mean when a horse has spread a plate?
- What is the Rule 4 betting rule in horse racing?
- What is the difference between graded, handicap and selling horse races?
- What does a novice hurdle in horse racing mean?
- What is a listed horse race?
- What does a novice chase in horse racing mean?
- Why do race horses have different ratings and what do they mean?
- When does the National Hunt season start and when does it end?
- Why are there different grades of horse race?
- Why are there 3 different types of National Hunt race?
- Why are race horses given different weights and what does it mean?
- How many different classes of horse race are there?
- What is a claiming race and what do they mean?
- What is an optional claimer in horse racing?
- What is a shadow roll and why do some race horses wear them?
- Why do some races start from stalls and some not?
- What is the difference between Derby and Oaks races?
- What does it mean when a horse knuckles during a horse race?
- What is a yearling horse and when are they ready to race?
- What does it mean if a horse has won a point race?
- What does a maiden mean in horse racing?
- How are horses’ ages calculated and why is it not the same as humans?
- What advantages do apprentice jockeys get when riding against professionals?
- What is a conditional jockey?
- What does the term ‘connections’ mean in horse racing?
- Why do some horses wear cheekpieces?
- Who are the stewards in horse racing?
- What does ‘weighed in’ mean at the end of a horse race?
- What is a nursery race?
- Why are some National Hunt races run without fences?
- Why are some horses given a tongue tie during races?
- What does it mean when a horse is ‘pushed out’?
- How are horse racing ratings calculated?
- What does it mean when a horse has a ‘wind operation’?
- How high are the fences and hurdles in horse racing?
- What is an apprentice jockey?
- What is a Bull Ring in horse racing?
- What does the phrase ‘Look of Eagles’ mean in horse racing?
- Why do some horses wear a ‘weight cloth’ during races?
- What is the Triple Crown in horse racing?
- What is a Steeplechase race in horse racing?
- How high are the Cheltenham Festival fences and hurdles?
- Why is the Champion Chase named after the Queen Mother?
- Why does Cheltenham racecourse have an Old Course and a New Course? What’s the differences between the two?
- What is the Cheltenham roar? What difference does it make in races?
- Why are there no jumps in the Cheltenham Festival Champion Bumper?
- How many fans usually attend the Cheltenham Festival? How big is the capacity?
- What is a juvenile in horse racing?
