Form Badges

Smart, at-a-glance insights that surface the most important things you'd normally have to dig through pages of form to discover.

Overview

Form badges appear next to each runner in a race. They are automatically computed from each runner's full racing history against the specific conditions of today's race.

Each badge has a sentiment — positive (+), neutral (/), or negative (-) — so you can instantly see whether a factor is working for or against a runner.

How They Work

Every badge is contextual. They aren't static labels — they're recalculated for each race based on the track, distance, conditions, barrier draw, jockey, trainer, and the runner's complete career history.

Runners typically carry 2–5 badges per race. Only the most relevant insights are shown — if a signal isn't strong enough to be meaningful, it won't appear.

Availability

Form badges are available on Pro and Enterprise plans. Badges are returned in the decorators array on each runner object in the API response.

Badge Categories

Badges are organised into eight categories, each covering a distinct dimension of runner analysis. Every badge within a category is computed independently — a runner can hold multiple badges from the same category.

Current Form

How the runner is performing right now — recent results, winning streaks, and form trajectory.

Track & Distance

Proven affinity for today's specific course and distance combination.

Conditions

Whether the runner has a clear preference for today's track surface and weather.

Fitness & Preparation

Where the runner is in their campaign — fresh from a spell, building fitness, or race-hardened.

Running Style

How the runner's natural race pattern fits today's race shape and pace scenario.

Class & Grading

Whether the runner is stepping up, dropping back, or on the rise through the grades.

Barrier Draw

Whether today's barrier position is historically favourable or unfavourable at this track.

Connections

Jockey and trainer performance records at this specific venue and in combination.

API Response

JSON Shape

Each badge in the decorators array on a runner object looks like this:

json

{
  "type": "track_specialist",
  "label": "Track Specialist",
  "shortLabel": "Track",
  "category": "specialization",
  "sentiment": "+",
  "description": "Strong record at this track",
  "detail": "5 wins from 12 starts (42%)"
}

Field Reference

Field	Purpose
`type`	Stable identifier for styling/filtering (e.g. `last_start_winner`)
`label`	Full human-readable label for display
`shortLabel`	Compact version for tight layouts (chips, pills, mobile)
`category`	Badge theme: `form`, `specialization`, `conditions`, `fitness`, `running_style`, `class`, `barrier`, `connections`
`sentiment`	`+` positive, `/` neutral, `-` negative
`description`	General explanation of the badge (same for all runners)
`detail`	Runner-specific context with stats (e.g. "3 consecutive wins")

Display Recommendations

•Use shortLabel for badge pills/chips, label for tooltips or expanded views
•Colour-code by sentiment: green for +, grey for /, red for -
•Group by category if showing many badges, or show the top 3–5 sorted by priority (they arrive pre-sorted)
•Show description and detail on hover/tap for the full story behind each badge

Want the Full Badge Reference?

We provide a detailed badge guide to Pro and Enterprise partners covering example badges, and the criteria used. Get in touch and we'll send it across.