Horse Racing · Race Shape Analysis

Read the
race before
it runs.

Pace maps for every UK & Irish meeting, every day.

PaceMap analyses each runner's historical running style to build a picture of how a race is likely to unfold — before the off. Who leads, who's covered up, where the traffic will be, and which horses the pace scenario favours.

↓ See Today's Map How it works →
01
Running Style Analysis

Each runner's last 15 races are analysed to classify their typical position — front-runner, prominent, midfield or hold-up. Style is derived from in-running comments, not assumed.

02
Race Shape Modelling

With the full field mapped, we model the likely pace scenario — contested, slowly-run or collapse — and identify which running styles that scenario favours. Going and course bias are factored in.

03
No Tips. Just Context.

PaceMap doesn't tell you who to back. It gives you the context to make better decisions yourself — where the traffic will be, which horses get a soft lead, which face an uphill task.

Cheltenham Festival · 13 March 2026
Coming soon — full daily meetings with pace maps for every race, automatically generated each morning. The map below shows how PaceMap works using the 2026 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle as an example.
JCB Triumph Hurdle — Cheltenham 2026
Example Map
JCB Triumph Hurdle
PACE MAP · CHELTENHAM · FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2026
2m179y (New Course) · Good to Soft
Grade 1 · 20 Runners · 4yo
Position:
L = Lead
P = Prominent
M = Midfield
H = Hold Up
Finish:
S = Strong
E = Even
F = Fades
Early Pace Distribution
Lead
3
Kai Lung
Minella Academy
One Horse Town
Prominent
8
Fantasy World · Macho Man
Maestro Conti · Mon Creuset
Proactif · Selma De Vary
Highland Crystal · Minella Study
Midfield
4
Indian River · Lord Byron
Maestro Conti · Tenter Le Tout
Hold Up
5
Apolon De Charnie · Berto Ramirez
Forty Fifty · North Shore
Wolf Rayet
Full Field Breakdown
# Horse Trainer Position Finish Ground RPR Tier
6
Kai Lung
Sean O'Keeffe
W P Mullins LEAD Even Soft 118 Pace
10
Minella Academy
Danny Mullins
W P Mullins LEAD Even Soft 109
14
One Horse Town
Paul O'Brien
Harry Derham LEAD Even Good ~ 122
17
Highland Crystal ⭐
Jack Kennedy
Gordon Elliott PROM Strong ↑ Soft 129 T1
11
Minella Study ⭐
Ryan Mania
Adam Nicol PROM Strong ↑ GtoS 131 T1
15
Proactif
Mark Walsh
W P Mullins PROM Strong ↑ Soft 127 T2
19
Selma De Vary
Paul Townend
W P Mullins PROM Strong ↑ Heavy 129 T2
8
Macho Man
Brian Hayes
W P Mullins PROM Even Soft 122
9
Maestro Conti ⭐
Harry Skelton
Dan Skelton MID Strong ↑ GtoS 123 T1
5
Indian River
Kielan Woods
A P Keatley MID Even GtoS 113
1
Apolon De Charnie
Mr P W Mullins
W P Mullins HOLD Strong ↑ Soft 93
4
Forty Fifty
Jonathan Burke
W P Mullins HOLD Strong ↑ Unknown ? 102
13
North Shore
Keith Donoghue
G Cromwell HOLD Fades ↓ Soft 128

⚡ Pace Scenario — What This Map Tells Us

Contested early pace: Three horses are rated as leaders — Kai Lung, Minella Academy and One Horse Town. This means the race should have genuine, honest early fractions — not a crawl. The pace is real.

Prominent group is congested (8 horses): In a field of 20 with strong early pace, there will be traffic and jostling for position from 3–4 out. Horses that handle the hurly-burly and can find a gap late are at a premium.

Strong finishing profile aligns with key contenders: The Tier 1 horses — Highland Crystal, Minella Study and Maestro Conti — are all rated as strong finishers. In a genuinely-run race with a stiff Cheltenham finish, this is the optimal profile.

Hold-up horses face a tough task: With 3 confirmed leaders and a large prominent group, getting a clear run late at Cheltenham from off the pace over this trip is difficult. The winner Apolon De Charnie (50/1) defied this — a reminder that pace maps inform, not predict.

Coming Soon — Full Daily Coverage
🏇
Every UK & Irish Meeting

Pace maps for every race at every meeting — Cheltenham, Ascot, Leopardstown, Punchestown and beyond. Updated each morning before racing.

Daily
Race Shape Scenarios

Contested, slowly-run, or collapse likely? Each map includes a pace scenario with probability and a written analysis of which runners it favours.

Per Race
📊
Course & Going Bias

Running style alone isn't enough. Course configuration and going conditions are factored into every map — front-runners at Ascot straight are different from Chester.

Contextual