--- title: "The Ratings Benchmark (Beta) — RatingTheRaces Support" description: "A Professional BETA panel showing the RTR figure it usually takes to win a race like today's, and which of the runners have already shown that level." url: https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/ratings-benchmark/ date_modified: "2026-10-12" --- [Help Centre](https://ratingtheraces.com/support/) / [Tools & Features](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/) /The Ratings Benchmark (Beta) # The Ratings Benchmark (Beta) Concept professional new The Ratings Benchmark shows the sort of RTR figure it takes to win a race like today's, and picks out which of the runners have already shown it. Knowing a horse's rating is one thing; knowing what rating it usually **takes to win a race like this** is another. The **Ratings Benchmark**, a **Professional** feature currently in **Beta**, works that out from every past winner of comparable races and marks which of today's runners have already reached it. You'll find it **below the ratings**, under the [Pace & Draw](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/pace-map/) panel, and you can switch it on or off with the **Ratings Benchmark (Beta)** toggle in the [Tools menu](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/tools-menu/). [![The Ratings Benchmark panel: what it takes to win a race like this, and which runners have shown it](https://ratingtheraces.com/help/ratings-benchmark/0-benchmark.webp)](#zoom-help-ratings-benchmark-0-benchmark) [![The Ratings Benchmark panel: what it takes to win a race like this, and which runners have shown it](https://ratingtheraces.com/help/ratings-benchmark/0-benchmark.webp)](#close) ## "A race like this" The line at the top names the exact set of winners the figures come from, for example *"Class 5 Flat handicaps, 2yo, 7-8f, 8-11 runners"*. We always match on race type, class and whether it's a handicap, then narrow by age, trip and field size wherever there's enough history to be reliable. ## Winners of races like this The first table is the winners' profile, using our [R figures](https://ratingtheraces.com/understanding-the-ratings/r-figures/): - **Par** is the typical (middle) figure, **Elite** the top end, **Top** the highest any winner has recorded, and **Winners** how many are in the sample. - **Recorded in the win** is what it took on the day; **Best R before the win** is what those winners had already shown beforehand; **AV3 before the win** is their form going in. That middle row is the useful one for spotting a well-handicapped horse: it's the figure winners had *already run to* before they won. ## Today's runners The second table takes each of today's runners and shows its **Best R** and **AV3**, marked against what past winners had shown **before** their win, a **✓** for at or above par, a **★** for at or above elite. **Runs at winning par** counts how many of the runner's own figures reach the figure winners recorded in the win. A horse ticking the marks has already shown the profile it usually takes. ## How to read it Treat it as **what figure wins**, not a prediction. A runner sitting at or above the winners' benchmark clearly fits the race; one well short has more to find. As a Beta feature we're still refining the buckets. The Ratings Benchmark is a Professional Beta feature. Rare or small-field race types may show "no benchmark yet" until enough winners are on record. **Green horse names.** A horse's name in green has a **Best R at or above elite**: it has already run to the figure the best winners of races like this one had shown before they won. Only Best R counts towards that, not AV3 and not runs at winning par. The key under the panel now says so, because the colour was doing work nobody could see. Was this article helpful? ### Related articles [ ### How to add a horse to your NagMe Track any runner with NagMe and get an automatic email alert the moment it is next declared to race, so you never miss a horse you are following again. ](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/nagme/)[ ### How to navigate the ratings Reach the ratings several ways: the dashboard's Today's Races panel, the WebRatings menu item, or the course tabs, time chips and arrows on any race page. ](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/how-to-navigate-the-ratings/)[ ### Customising your ratings view & columns Show, hide and now drag to reorder the ratings columns from the Select Columns panel, building the personalised view that suits how you read each race. ](https://ratingtheraces.com/tools-features/customize-ratings-view/)