Trainer switches, graded

When a horse has switched trainers, we grade the move, Positive, Neutral or Negative, so you can see at a glance whether it's landed at a stronger yard.

A change of stable can transform a horse, or do nothing at all. When a horse runs for a new trainer, we grade the move and show it as a coloured arrow next to its name on the racecard.

• Green, pointing up, Positive, it's moved to a stronger yard on our reading.
• Grey, level, Neutral, no clear edge either way.
• Red, pointing down, Negative, the move looks a backward step.

If we can't score the move confidently (a sparsely raced yard, say), there's no arrow.

What's behind the grade

Hover over the arrow and you'll see which way we've called it, the yard it came from, and the signals we weighed up:

• The yards: is the new trainer a stronger yard than the old one, over a rolling two-year record.
• The class: does the new yard tend to run its horses in better races.
• The record: how the new trainer does specifically with horses arriving from another stable.

Two of those three have to point the same way for a Positive or Negative grade; anything less is Neutral. It's a starting point for your own judgement, not the last word, plenty of good moves take a run or two to click.