Last updated: November 3, 2026
Watch the horses in the post parade and you’ll see some with cups beside their eyes and others without. Same race, different equipment. So why do racehorses wear blinkers?
Here’s how blinkers work, why trainers use them, and what an equipment change can tell you when you’re handicapping a race.
Table of Contents
What Are Blinkers in Horse Racing?
In racing, blinkers are usually a cloth hood that fits over the horse’s head under the bridle, with a plastic cup beside each eye. Because a horse’s eyes sit on the sides of his head, he has a very wide field of vision. That helps him spot danger, but it also means there’s plenty going on around him when he’s running in a crowded field.
Blinkers come in different cup sizes. French cups are the most commonly used, full cups restrict vision the most, the slim cheater is used for minor adjustments, and extension blinkers, with the cup extended on one side, are a last resort for horses that lug in or out, according to the Daily Racing Form. Some full cups are cut with a hole so the horse can still see rivals. There’s a cup-by-cup breakdown in this guide to types of blinkers in horse racing.
Why Do Racehorses Wear Blinkers?
Trainers generally add blinkers because they’ve seen something they want to correct, not because every horse needs them. Blinkers help horses break more alertly from the gate, keep their focus on running, and stop them from drifting back toward their rivals, according to America’s Best Racing. These are the problems you’ll see them used for most:
Gate trouble. A horse who keeps looking around in the gate may hesitate when it opens. If distraction is the problem, blinkers can help him concentrate on breaking.
Drifting and lugging. Some horses drift out, lug in, or bear toward a horse coming up alongside them, which costs ground and can cause trouble. If the horse is reacting to something he can see, blinkers can straighten him out. There’s a full look at why horses drift in races if that’s the problem you’re dealing with.
Losing focus. Some horses get distracted by the crowd, the infield, or other horses and don’t keep their mind on running. A horse who’s genuinely nervous, rather than just distracted, usually needs more than blinkers. That’s covered in this look at behavior and stress in racehorses.
What Does First-Time Blinkers Mean?
“First-time blinkers” means a horse is racing in blinkers for the first time. He may already have worn them during morning training. A “blinkers on” note can also mean a horse is returning to them after racing without them. Equipment changes like this aren’t made casually. In Louisiana, adding blinkers or taking them off has to be approved by the starter and then the stewards.
For handicappers, it’s a sign the trainer saw something and is trying to fix it. A horse can show marked improvement first time in blinkers, but it doesn’t always work, and some horses run worse, according to America’s Best Racing. Programs and the Daily Racing Form also publish trainer stats with blinkers on or off. Look at how many starters a percentage is based on, though. A good-looking win rate from a handful of runners doesn’t tell you much.
The best way to use it is to look at why the change was made. If the horse’s last few races show him drifting, breaking slowly, or hanging when another horse came to him, first-time blinkers addresses something you can see. If there’s no obvious reason, the trainer may just be trying something. Equipment changes show up in the past performances, too, and this guide to reading a racing form shows where to look.
It doesn’t always work, even at the top level. Palace Malice wore blinkers for the first time in the 2013 Derby, set a fast pace, and faded to 12th. With the blinkers off, he won the Belmont, according to the Daily Racing Form.
Blinkers Off and Changing Cups
Blinkers off means a horse that previously raced in blinkers will run without them. The trainer may want him to settle instead of using too much energy early, may feel he races better when he can see more around him, or may think the problem’s been fixed. The program note itself doesn’t tell you which.
Taking them off can work, too. Secretariat raced in his trademark blue-and-white hood and blinkers, and in the 1973 Woodward Stakes he was beaten by Prove Out, whose trainer, Allen Jerkens, had just taken off Prove Out’s extension blinker, according to the Daily Racing Form.
Trainers also change the cup itself, going to a smaller cup when a horse needs to see a little more, or to a bigger one when the problem isn’t fixed.
How Trainers Decide
Blinkers don’t make a slow horse fast, and they don’t always do what you expect. As the Daily Racing Form put it, blinkers can calm an anxious horse or make a quiet one anxious, and they can cure bad habits or create them. So the decision starts with figuring out exactly what the horse is doing and why.
Rule out a physical problem first. If a horse is running poorly because he’s sore, blinkers aren’t going to fix him. Find out what’s causing the problem before trying to correct his behavior with equipment.
Try them in the mornings. If a horse gets tense or confused in blinkers during a workout, that’s a reason to reassess the setup before racing him in them. One who goes straighter and more forward is telling you something, too.
Fit the cup to the problem. A one-sided drift may need a different setup than a horse who’s distracted on both sides, and too much cup can make a horse feel closed in.
Before one of my horses runs in blinkers for the first time, I always watch him gallop in them. Some horses relax and focus forward right away. Others get tense, and you can see it in how they carry their head and how hard they pull against the rider.
Blinkers address visual distractions. Shadow rolls and tongue ties have different jobs, which are covered in the racehorse equipment guide.
Racehorse Blinkers FAQs
Why do horses wear cheek pieces?
Cheek pieces are thick strips of sheepskin attached along the sides of the bridle. They limit some of a horse’s view and help him concentrate, working like a mild blinker, much like a cheater cup. Unlike a blinker hood, they don’t use plastic eye cups.
Do blinkers make horses run faster?
Not directly. Blinkers don’t add speed. They can help a horse who’s been drifting, breaking slowly, or losing focus use the speed he already has, which is why some horses run faster times once the distraction is gone.
Blinkers are a simple piece of equipment, but choosing the right setup takes some thought. On the right horse, they can make a real difference. On the wrong one, they’re coming off again.
About Miles Henry
Racehorse Owner & Author | 30+ Years in Thoroughbred Racing
Miles Henry (legal name: William Bradley) is a professional horseman based in Folsom, Louisiana. He holds Louisiana Racing License #67012 and has spent over three decades managing Thoroughbreds at premier tracks including Fair Grounds, Delta Downs, and Evangeline Downs.
Expertise & Hands-On Experience: Beyond the track, Miles has decades of experience in specialized equine care, covering everything from hoof health and nutrition to training protocols for Quarter Horses, Friesians, and Paints. Every guide on Horse Racing Sense is rooted in this “boots-on-the-ground” perspective.
30 of their last 90 starts
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