Ballot

Should there be more horses declared for a race than the specified maximum number of runners allowed in each race for safety reasons, then a ballot will occur to determine the final field. Each race will have different criteria determining which horses have to go into the ballot, but in a handicap, the field is simply made up of the horses with the highest handicap rating with a ballot occurring at the bottom of the field should two or more horses have the same rating. Additional criteria such as whether a horse has been balloted out before and whether the owner or trainer already has a horse in the field can also sometimes be factored into the balloting process.