What is black type in horse racing?
Black type means a horse has won, or been placed in, a stakes race. It is the shorthand for quality in a sales catalogue, and one of the first things a buyer looks for.
The short answer
Sales catalogues print the names of horses that have won or been placed in a stakes race in bold type, the “black type”. A horse “with black type” has that on its record. The phrase is also used for a family. A “black type page” is a catalogue page where the dam and her close relatives have stakes winners or stakes-placed horses.
Which races count
- Europe: pattern races, which are Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3, and Listed races.
- North America: graded stakes, which are Grade 1, 2 and 3, and other stakes races.
- Placed means finishing second or third in one of those races.
EQS counts a win or a placing (second or third) in a Group 1, 2 or 3, Grade 1, 2 or 3, or Listed race as black type secured. The methodology has the exact rules.
How it looks in a catalogue
Stakes winners are usually printed in bold capitals and stakes-placed horses in bold lower case. Group winners are often marked with their level. A page with a lot of bold type is a strong family, and buyers read it first.
Why it matters
Black type in a yearling's close pedigree, and in its dam's other foals, tends to lift its price. It shows that the family produces horses good enough to compete at the top of the sport. For a breeder, a mare whose foals have secured black type is worth more, and so are her later foals.
How to read a black type percentage
For a stallion, the black type rate is the share of his progeny that have secured black type, out of all his progeny. In the EQS sample report, the sire Shamardal has a rate of 18.8% across 1,285 progeny. The database median for sires with 50 or more progeny is 4.9%. That puts him well above the typical stallion.
Four things to keep in mind:
- The size of the group. A rate from 20 progeny can swing sharply with one good horse. A rate from 1,000 is far steadier. The EQS report shows the number behind every percentage and flags small samples.
- Compare with the median. A figure means little on its own. It means more beside the database median.
- The grade matters. A placing in a Listed race and a win in a Group 1 both count as black type, but they are far apart in quality. Look at the split by grade.
- It is a result, not a promise. Black type describes what has happened. It does not guarantee what a particular horse will do.
Where to find it in an EQS report
A horse's own black type table shows its runs, wins and places in Group and Listed races. The sire and damsire sections show each one's black type rate against the median. The dam and produce table shows black type for each of her foals. See every section of a report.
See it in a real report
An EQS horse report puts all of this in one place for any thoroughbred. See a sample report, read the methodology, or buy a report.
More guides
- How to read a thoroughbred pedigreeSire and dam, the damsire, generations, family and line-breeding, explained in plain language.
- How to research a yearling before a saleA step-by-step approach to the catalogue page, the sire and damsire, the dam's produce record and sales history.