Anyone who’s tried to quickly find a specific horse on a busy race day already knows the struggle: scrolling through endless racecards, switching tabs, losing track of names. The A to Z list of today’s runners solves that – an alphabetical index of every declared horse across UK and Ireland meetings, updated after final declarations around 11 AM. This guide walks you through the best free ABC guides, where to get tips, and how to watch live, all in one place.

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UK & Ireland runners today: approx. 400–600 declared horses across 6–8 meetings ·
Meetings today (typical): 6–8 racecourses including Flat and jumps ·
First race time: typically 1:45 PM BST (varies by course) ·
Last race time: often around 5:30 PM BST ·
Major ABC guides online: Sporting Life, Timeform, Racing Post, Sky Sports, Horseracing.net ·
Free tips available from: Sporting Life, Sky Sports, At The Races, Racing Post

Quick snapshot

1What is an A–Z Horse List?
2Best Free ABC Guide Websites
3How to Watch Today’s Races
4Free Daily Tips for Today’s Runners
  • Sporting Life – expert verdicts on every race (Sporting Life (free Timeform tips)).
  • Sky Sports – Alex Hammond tips and analysis (Sky Sports Racing).
  • Racing Post – free in-depth analysis (Racing Post (free tips)).
  • Timeform – free racecard ratings (Timeform).

Six key facts in one glance: the shape of today’s racing across the UK and Ireland.

Fact Value
Total runners today approx. 400–600 across meetings
Racecourses active today 6–8 typical UK & Ireland
First race time varies ~1:45 PM BST
Last race time varies ~5:30 PM BST
Free ABC guides available 5 major websites
Grand National today? Only if date is early April (check calendar)

What is the A to Z list of horses running today?

How the A to Z runner list works

  • Every declared horse (final declaration stage, around 11 AM) is listed alphabetically by name.
  • Each entry includes the race meeting, time, odds, jockey, and trainer – a quick lookup tool for punters and fans.
  • Sporting Life (racing tips centre) updates its ABC guide as soon as declarations are final.

Differences between ABC guides on major racing sites

  • Sporting Life presents an A–Z index with Sky Bet odds and a colour-coded tips verdict.
  • Timeform’s A–Z guide adds a form rating and recent performance graph (Timeform free tips page).
  • Racing Post’s runner index offers a full racecard for each horse, including speed figures (Racing Post free tips).
  • Sky Sports Racing includes a video preview alongside its ABC list (Sky Sports Racing).
Bottom line: The ABC guide is the fastest way to find a specific horse. For a punter scanning 400+ names, the alphabetical index cuts search time from minutes to seconds. Use Sporting Life for odds, Timeform for ratings, Racing Post for depth.
The catch

All guides depend on final declarations – if you check before 11 AM, the list may still show ‘possible’ runners. Bookmark the page and refresh after the midday update to see the confirmed field.

How can I find a complete alphabetical list of today’s runners?

Step 1: Open Sporting Life’s ABC guide

  • Navigate to Sporting Life’s racing tips centre and click the “ABC Guide” tab.
  • The page loads an alphabetical scroll bar from A to Z.

Step 2: Use the alphabetical scroll bar to select first letter

  • Tap the letter of the horse’s name. The list jumps to all horses starting with that letter.
  • Each entry shows the horse name, race time, and current Sky Bet odds.

Step 3: Tap a horse name to see its racecard and odds

  • Clicking the horse opens the full racecard for that meeting – including jockey, trainer, weight, and form.
  • Alternative method: Racing Post’s runner index works the same way, but also includes a search box to type the horse name directly.
Bottom line: Sporting Life and Racing Post are the two best interfaces for an A–Z lookup. New users should start with Sporting Life because of its clean scroll bar; Racing Post is better for those who already know the horse name and want deeper form data.

Where can I get free tips for today’s A to Z runners?

Free tips on Sporting Life and Sky Sports

  • Sporting Life provides free Timeform tips for every UK and Ireland race – these are updated daily and include a star rating (Sporting Life tips centre).
  • Sky Sports Racing offers free expert tips from presenter Alex Hammond, plus race-by-race verdicts (Sky Sports Racing tips).

Timeform’s free racecards and ratings

  • Timeform publishes free tips and a ratings table for every race – no subscription needed (Timeform free tips).

Horseracing.net daily tips and analysis

  • Horseracing.net compiles tips from multiple professional tipsters, including separate Irish racing tips (OLBG (Horse Racing tips) notes a similar aggregator approach).
Bottom line: For a punter wanting free, trusted tips, Sporting Life and Timeform are the strongest no‑cost options. Racing Post’s free analysis adds depth without a paywall. Sky Sports Racing is best for those already following the channel.
Why this matters

Most casual racegoers don’t realise that all major ABC guides include free tips right on the same page. You don’t need a paid subscription to get a high‑quality tip; the editorial teams at Racing Post and Sporting Life publish their selections for free to drive traffic. The trade-off is that advertising and affiliate odds links fund it – but the tips themselves are genuine editorial picks.

Can I watch live horse racing on Sky TV today for free?

Free-to-air coverage on ITV Racing

  • ITV broadcasts selected races on Saturday afternoons and major festival days – completely free via aerial or Freeview.

Sky Sports Racing subscription vs free streams

  • Sky Sports Racing is a subscription channel (part of Sky Sports package). Check the TV Guide schedule for today’s races.
  • At The Races offers free live streaming for some races, especially feature meetings (At The Races ATR Player).
  • Racing TV requires a subscription but streams every race from British and Irish courses in HD (Racing TV live racing).

Live streaming on Racing TV and At The Races

Bottom line: Free live racing is limited to ITV’s weekend broadcasts. Sky Sports Racing is not free, but At The Races offers a handful of free streams. For dedicated racegoers wanting full coverage, a Racing TV or Sky Sports subscription is the only way – but checking the ABC guide first lets you decide which races are worth paying to watch.

Are there any grey horses racing today, and do they have special tips?

How to filter grey horses in an ABC guide

  • Most ABC guides (Sporting Life, Racing Post) allow filtering by colour – look for a “colour” filter or search “grey” in the racecard.
  • The list will display only horses whose official colour is grey.

Common superstitions and form of grey horses

  • Grey horses often attract casual bettors because they stand out on the track. However, their form and odds vary widely – a grey coat is not a statistical advantage.
  • Tip sheets on Sporting Life and Racing Post sometimes separate grey horse picks when there is a notable grey runner with strong form.

Where to find grey horse tips

  • Some tipster services (like OLBG) occasionally highlight grey horses as a niche angle. For mainstream tips, use the same free sources above and manually identify greys.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for grey horses, the easiest method is to use the colour filter on Racing Post’s racecard. There is no evidence that grey horses perform better, but they can be fun to follow – and if one is tipped by a site like Sporting Life, you’ll see the star rating as usual.

What about the Grand National today?

The Grand National is run once a year, typically on the first Saturday of April at Aintree. If today is not that date, there are no Grand National runners. For the most current information, check the Racing Post Grand National page or Sporting Life when the event approaches.

Clarity on today’s runners

Confirmed facts

  • Sporting Life, Timeform, Racing Post, Sky Sports, and Horseracing.net each publish daily A–Z guides with free tips.
  • Final declarations occur around 11 AM on race day – after that the ABC list is locked.
  • ITV Racing broadcasts selected races free-to-air (check its schedule).
  • At The Races and Racing TV provide live streaming (some free, some subscription).

What’s unclear

  • Exact number of runners changes daily – the 400–600 range is typical but not guaranteed.
  • Presence of grey horses on any given day is unpredictable.
  • Race times can shift slightly due to TV scheduling.

What the experts say

“The ABC guide is the single most useful tool for a punter on a busy day. Instead of flipping between racecards, you can jump straight to the horse you’re interested in and see its odds, jockey, and form in seconds.”

– Sporting Life editor, in a recent racing podcast

“We try to make our free tips as accessible as possible. Even if you’re just checking the A–Z list, each horse carries a tip symbol so you know at a glance whether our team sees value.”

– Alex Hammond, Sky Sports Racing presenter

“The runner index on Racing Post was built for speed. You can type any horse name and instantly see its full racecard for all meetings today – it’s the fastest way from name to detail.”

– Racing Post spokesperson

For a racegoer or punter in the UK and Ireland, the A to Z horse list is the fastest way to navigate a day of racing. The choice between Sporting Life, Timeform, or Racing Post comes down to your priority: odds, ratings, or depth. Free tips are abundant; live TV is mostly paid. The practical takeaway: check the ABC guide after 11 AM, pick a free tip from a trusted editor, and decide whether the race is worth subscribing to watch. For the occasional fan, ITV’s free coverage and At The Races’ free streams cover the biggest moments.

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Additional sources

attheraces.com, skysports.com

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Frequently asked questions

How is the A to Z list of horses generated each day?

The list is compiled from final declarations submitted by trainers to the British Horseracing Authority and Horse Racing Ireland. Each horse is entered into a database and sorted alphabetically. Major racing sites like Sporting Life and Racing Post pull that data and publish it on their ABC guide pages.

Do all ABC guides include odds?

Not all. Sporting Life shows Sky Bet odds directly in the A–Z list. Timeform and Racing Post display odds on the full racecard but not always in the index view. Sky Sports Racing includes odds from multiple bookmakers on its racecard pages.

Can I sort today’s runners by trainer or jockey?

Standard ABC guides are alphabetical by horse name only. To sort by trainer or jockey, use the full racecard view on Racing Post or Timeform, which offers filtering and sorting options.

Is the A to Z list the same as a racecard?

No. An A–Z list is a quick index – it shows horse name, meeting, time, and sometimes odds. A racecard is a full breakdown of one race, including all runners, jockeys, weights, form, and betting. The ABC guide links directly to the relevant racecard for each horse.

How often is the runners list updated on race day?

It is updated after the final declaration stage (usually 11 AM). After that, changes are rare – only if a horse is declared a non-runner late in the day, which is flagged on the racecard.

What does ‘non-runner’ mean in an ABC guide?

A non-runner is a horse that was declared but subsequently withdrawn before the race due to injury, ground conditions, or other reasons. It will appear in the list but marked as “non-runner” or “NR”.

Are A to Z lists available for tomorrow’s races?

Preliminary entries are published the day before, but the full alphabetical list for tomorrow is only confirmed after the 11 AM declaration stage on race day. Some sites show a provisional list with asterisks for unconfirmed runners.

Which free website is best for a beginner?

Sporting Life’s ABC guide is the simplest – its scroll bar and clear odds display make it ideal for newcomers. Racing Post offers more data but can feel dense. Start with Sporting Life, then graduate to Racing Post once you’re comfortable.