Racetrack Glossary

There are 164 terms starting with letter "".

• Across the Board - A bet on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; If second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets.
  
  
• Also-Eligible - A horse officially entered, but not permitted to start unless the field is reduced by scratches below a specified number.
  
  
• Also-Ran - A horse who finishes out of the money.
  
  
• Apprentice Jockey - A rider with less than a year’s experience. His mounts get a break in the weights. Since he has an asterisk next to his name in the program, he’s also called a bug boy.
  
  
• Backstretch - The straight area of the track between the turns. Also, the stable area.
  
  
• Bandage - Strips of cloth wound around the lower part of a horse’s legs for support or protection against injury.
  
  
• Bar Shoe - A horse shoe with a rear bar to protect an injured foot; bar shoes may be worn with aluminum pads to protect a bruised frog, or may be worn alone.
  
  
• Barn - They’re really stables, but around the racetrack you must refer to horse housing.
  
  
• Bay - A horse with a red brown coat and a black mane and tail. It’s the most common color of Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds.
  
  
• Bias - The tendency of every racetrack to favor one style of running over another.
  
  
• Blanket Finish - Horses finishing so closely together they could be covered by a blanket.
  
  
• Boots - Jockeys wear them, but so do harness horses to protect ankles, knees, and elbows from being cut by their hooves.
  
  
• Box - If you have two or more horses that you think will finish in the top spots, but you are not sure of the order, you can box them. Example: an Exacta Box on horses #3 and #6. You win if #3 wins and #6 places or if #6 wins and #3 places. The same method can be applied to boxing a trifecta or a superfecta.
  
  
• Breakage - The few cents on each payoff for a winning bet that’s averaged down from the nearest 10 cents. It goes into a special fund to pay off the bettors in minus pools.
  
  
• Bridge Jumper - Someone who puts a huge wager on a supposedly sure thing. He bets the horse to show, even though the guaranteed profit is only 5 percent. The bridge figure in if the horse finishes fourth.
  
  
• Bug - A weight allowance for an apprentice rider.
  
  
• Bullet - The fastest workout of the day, noted by a bullet sign or asterisk in past performance charts.
  
  
• Bute - The common name for the pain-killing drug phenylbutazone, commonly given to American racehorses.
  
  
• Caller - One who calls the running positions of horses in a race.
  
  
• Cannon Bone - The primary bone between knee and ankle in the horse.
  
  
• Catch Driver - A driver who concentrates on driving, rather than driving horses he trains himself.
  
  
• Chestnut - A reddish brown horse. He's likely to be called sorrel if he's a Quarter.
  
  
• Chute - Extension of backstretch or homestretch to permit a straightaway run from start.
  
  
• Claiming Race - Race in which horses entered subject to being purchased for a specified price.
  
  
• Clocker - One who times workouts and races.
  
  
• Closer - A horse who runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.
  
  
• Clubhouse Turn - Generally, the turn closest to the clubhouse.
  
  
• Colors - Racing skills (jacket and cap) worn by riders to denote the owner(s) of horse
  
  
• Colt - Male horse under 5 years of age.
  
  
• Conditions Book - A listing of scheduled races issued by racing secretaries several weeks in advance.
  
  
• Conformation - A horse's physical structure, both overall shape and individual body parts.
  
  
• Coupled - Two or more horses running as an entry in a single betting unit.
  
  
• Cross Firing - A Standardbred gait flaw that occurs when one hoof strikes the hoof or leg on the opposite corner.
  
  
• Cushion - The amount of loose material, whether sand, dirt, or petrochemical particles, on top of the racing surface. It's usually two to three inches deep on a running track.
  
  
• Daily Double - Type of wager calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races, usually the first and second.
  
  
• Dam - A horse calls his mother this.
  
  
• Dark Bay or Brown - This common color of thoroughbreds looks black to everyone except the official identifier.
  
  
• Dark Day - A day on which no racing is conducted at a particular racetrack.
  
  
• Dash - A single race in which the first place finisher is the winner of the overall event.
  
  
• Dead Heat - When two horses finish in a tie for any of the placings.
  
  
• Disqualification - Change in order of finish by officials for an infraction of rules.
  
  
• Entry - Two or more horses owned by the same stable or (in some cases) trained by the same trainer and thus running as a single betting unit.
  
  
• Equipment - Whip, blinkers, etc. Gear carried by a horse and/or rider in a race.
  
  
• Equivalent Odds - Mutual price horses pay for each $1 bet.
  
  
• Exacta - A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
  
  
• Exotic Wagering - Anything other than straight win, place, or show betting.
  
  
• Field - The horses in the race.
  
  
• Field Horse - Two or more starters running as a single betting unit, when there are more entrants than positions on the tote board.
  
  
• Figs - Not fruit, but figures. These are the results of complex mathematical equations developed by people who think that quantifying speed shown in previous races is the best way to pick winners.
  
  
• Filly - Female horse up to and including the age of 4.
  
  
• Firm - A condition of a turf course equivalent to fast an a dirt track.
  
  
• Flat - Three definitions for the price of one: A Standardbred that doesn't break into a gallop from his trot or pace stays flat; a race that doesn't involve fences in a flat race, a horse that doesn't quite perform up to snuff is flat.
  
  
• Foal - A baby horse. You're most likely to hear it in reference to a stallion's or mare's offspring: Secretariat sired 653 foals.
  
  
• Fractional Time - Intermediate time recorded in a race, as at the quarter, half, three-quarters, etc.
  
  
• Front Runner - A horse who usually leads (or tries to lead) the field for as far as he can.
  
  
• Furlong - One-eighth of a mile, 220 yards; 660 feet.
  
  
• Gallop - The horse's fastest gait. It's prized in every racehorse except the Standardbred, who has to be pulled out of contention if he breaks into one.
  
  
• Game - A horse who's brave, determined, or hard-working.
  
  
• Gaming - If you want a more genteel word for gambling, use this one.
  
  
• Gate - Starting mechanism.
  
  
• Gelding - Castrated male horse.
  
  
• Get - Progeny of a sire.
  
  
• Hand - The basic unit of horse measurement, equaling four inches.
  
  
• Handicapper - One who assigns weights for handicap race. Also one who makes selections based on past performances. Daily Racing Form has in excess of 20 full-time handicappers.
  
  
• Handle - The amount of money bet on in a race or on a race card.
  
  
• Head of The Stretch - Beginning of the straight run home.
  
  
• Heat Racing - To win this kind of Standardbred event, a horse must win two or more individual races before being declared the winner of the event.
  
  
• Hindquarters - What we'd call the hips and buttocks in the human being.
  
  
• Hock - The rear leg equivalent to the knee in four-legged animal.
  
  
• Horse - An ungelded male horse 5 or older.
  
  
• Hot Box - A steam room for jockeys. It's not a luxury but rather a necessary device to help them make their assigned weights.
  
  
• In The Money - Finishing first, second or third.
  
  
• Inquiry - Reviewing the race to check into a possible infraction of the rules.
  
  
• Jockey's Colony - This refers to the jockeys who ride regularly at a given racetrack.
  
  
• Journeyman - Once a jockey loses his apprentice allowance, he becomes a journeyman.
  
  
• Lasix - Term for a diuretic medication used in the treatment of bleeders.
  
  
• Length - Length of a horse from nose to tail, about 9 feet. Also distance between horses in a race, equal to .17 of a second.
  
  
• Lines - Harness racing uses this term instead of reins.
  
  
• Lock - Slang for a "Sure Thing" winner.
  
  
• Maiden - A horse who has not won a race. Also applied to a non-winning rider.
  
  
• Maiden Race - A race for non-winners.
  
  
• Mare - Female horse 5 years old or older. Also, female of any age who has been bred.
  
  
• Morning Line - A line maker's estimate of the final odds will be in a race, made before betting begins.
  
  
• Objection - Claim of foul lodged by rider, patrol judge or other official. If lodged by official, it is called an inquiry.
  
  
• Odds-On - A horse whose odds are less than even money. A horse whose odds are 4-5 is said to be odds-on.
  
  
• Off Track - Any track that isn't fast and dry.
  
  
• Official - Sign displayed when result is confirmed. Also a racing official.
  
  
• On The Board - Finishing among the first three; sometimes the first tour.
  
  
• On The Nose - Betting a horse to win only.
  
  
• Out - A Start.
  
  
• Overlay - A horse going off at a higher price than he appears to warrant based on his past performances.
  
  
• Pace - The Standardbred gait features legs on the same side moving backwards and forward at the same time.
  
  
• Paddock - Structure or area where horses are saddled and kept before post time.
  
  
• Paint and Pinto - A horse with splotches of white and solid color.
  
  
• Pari-mutuel Payoff - The posted amount each bettor will receive for a winning mutuel ticket.
  
  
• Parked - When a harness horse is parked, he's still moving. But he has been forced to move.
  
  
• Past Performances - A compilation in Daily Racing Form of a horse's record, including all pertinent data, as a basis for handicapping.
  
  
• Payoff - The amount of money you get back on a winning ticket. It's also called the payout.
  
  
• Photo Finish - A result so close it is necessary to use a finish-line camera to determine order of finish.
  
  
• Place - Finished second in place.
  
  
• Place Bet - Wager on a horse to finish first or second.
  
  
• Pool - The total amount of money bet in each wagering category.
  
  
• Post - Starting point or position in starting gate.
  
  
• Post Position - Position of stall in starting gate from which a horse starts.
  
  
• Post Time - Designated time for a race to start.
  
  
• Profit - The amount of money returned to the winning bettors, minus the money they put into their bets.
  
  
• Provisional Driver - In harness racing, a driver who's not fully licensed.
  
  
• Purse - Prize money distributed to owners.
  
  
• Quarter Horse - The racing breed that specializes in races of 220 to 660 yards.
  
  
• Quarter Pole - Maker one-quarter mile from the finish.
  
  
• Quinella - Wager in which the first two finishers must be picked, but payoff is made no matter which of the two wins and which runs second.
  
  
• Race Card - The entire day's race line-up.
  
  
• Rating - This is what the jockey or driver does when he asks his horse to save energy for a run later in the race.
  
  
• Rigging - A Standardbred's harness, protective equipment, and other gadgets designed to make him perform better.
  
  
• Ringer - A horse who's entered in a race under a name not his own. When it's intentional , it's to make a killing at the betting window.
  
  
• Roan - This is a horse whose body is a dark solid color with white hairs intermixed.
  
  
• Route - Race at a distance of a mile or longer.
  
  
• Router - Horse who performs well at a distance.
  
  
• Saddle Cloth - Cloth under the saddle on which a horse's program number (and sometimes name) is displayed.
  
  
• Scratch - To be withdrawn from a race.
  
  
• Shafts - The two long pieces that attach the sulky to the horse's harness.
  
  
• Shipper - A horse that travels from where he's trained to race at another track.
  
  
• Show - Finishing third in a race.
  
  
• Show Bet - Wager on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
  
  
• Silks - Jacket and cap worn by riders which designate owner of the horse.
  
  
• Simulcast - Televising a race to other tracks, OTB offices or other outlets for the purposes of wagering.
  
  
• Sire - A horse's father goes by this name.
  
  
• Sound - A horse whose legs are healthy and painless.
  
  
• Spavin - A swelling in the rear leg on or near the hock.
  
  
• Spot Play - A race that offers a particularly good bet.
  
  
• Sprint - A race shorter than one mile.
  
  
• Stakes Race - It also goes by the name of added money race. Horses are either invited by the track or staked to the race by a fee paid by their owners.
  
  
• Stallion - An adult male horse.
  
  
• Stamina - The endurance needed by a horse who hopes to win any race longer than a sprint.
  
  
• Standardbred - The racing breed that competes under harness, either at the trot or pace.
  
  
• Starting Gate - Mechanical device having partitions (stalls) for horses in which they are confined until the starter releases the doors in front to begin the race.
  
  
• Stewards - Track top officials responsible for enforcing the rules.
  
  
• Stick - A jockey's wip.
  
  
• Stickers (Mud Caulks) - Caulks on shoes which give a horse better traction in mud or on soft tracks.
  
  
• Stoopers - People who scour the floors after the race.
  
  
• Stretch Call - Position of horses at the eighth pole, when one furlong remains in the race.
  
  
• Stud Fee - The amount of money the owner of a mare must pay to have her bred to a stallion.
  
  
• Sucked Along - A Standardbred who races directly behind another, benefiting from less wind resistance.
  
  
• Sulky - The vehicle pulled by the Standardbed during the race.
  
  
• Tack - Horse equipment, including bridal, saddle, harness and miscellaneous accouterments.
  
  
• Tag - A horse that competes in claiming race is running for a tag.
  
  
• Take Out - The money in each betting pool not returned to the bettors.
  
  
• Taken Down - A horse who gets disqualified.
  
  
• Tap Out - This is what happens when you don't follow advice and lose.
  
  
• Thoroughbred - The racing breed that specializes in ¾-mile to two-mile dashes.
  
  
• Totalisator - Machine, which sells and records betting tickets and shows odds. Also figures out and displays payoff figures.
  
  
• Tote Board - This is short for Totalisator board, named for the company that first produced it.
  
  
• Tout - One who gives tips on racehorses, usually with expectation of some personal reward in return; to give tips.
  
  
• Track Superintendent - He's responsible for maintaining the racing surface. He always plays a role in who wins, and he often has something to do with who survives to race another day.
  
  
• Train - In a broad sense, horses who are being conditioned are being trained.
  
  
• Trifecta - Also known as the triple. This bet requires you to pick the first three finishers in exact order.
  
  
• Triple Crown - The most famous Triple Crown is Thoroughbred racing's Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes for three-year-odds. If one horse wins all three, he earns the crown.
  
  
• Trot - The normal midspeed gait of four-legged animals. It features legs on opposite corners moving at the same time.
  
  
• Turf - Grass course.
  
  
• Vet's List - A list of horses temporarily prohibited from racing.
  
  
• Walking Ring - In flat racing, you first see the horses here, as they're saddled, mounted, and walked around before heading to the racetrack.
  
  
• Wheel - To pick one horse, then bet every possible combination with that horse in an exotic wager.
  
  
• Wire - The finish line. It's an imaginary line running between the poles.
  
  
• Yearling - A young horse between his first and second birthdays.
  
  

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