HORSE RACING GLOSSARY OF TERMS

DAILY DOUBLE - Type of wager calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races, usually the first and second.

DAM - Mother of a Thoroughbred.

DAMSIRE (BROODMARE SIRE) - The sire of a broodmare.

DARK HORSE - A horse who may well be capable, but its full potential is unknown.

DEAD HEAT - This is when two or more selections cannot be separated by the judge even after consulting the photo finish. When settling bets, simply halve the stake.

DEAD TRACK - Racing surface lacking resiliency.

DECLARED - In U.S., a horse withdrawn from a stake in advance of scratch time. In Europe, a horse confirmed to start in a race.

DIPLOMA (Earning a...) - Breaking a maiden, winning for the first time.

DISQUALIFICATION - Change of order of finish by officials for an infraction of the rules.

DISTAFF (DISTAFF RACE) - Female. A race for fillies, mares, or both.

DISTANCE - Can refer to either the length of a race or winning margins. If a horse is described to have been beaten by a distance this indicates a winning margin of over 30 lengths.

DISTANCED - Well beaten, finishing a great distance behind the winner.

DOGS - Wooden barrier (or rubber traffic cones) placed a certain distance out from the inner rail, to prevent horses during workout period, when track is wet, muddy, soft yielding or heavy, from churning the footing along the rail.

DOSAGE DIAGRAM - A diagram showing the number and placement of chefs-de-race in a horse's pedigree.

DOSAGE INDEX - Mathematical reduction of the Dosage Diagram to a number reflecting a horse's potential for speed or stamina.

DOUBLE - A multiple bet consisting of 2 selections in 2 seperate races.

DOWN-THE-CARD - Indicates races at the same meeting.

DQ - Disqualified.

DRAW - The starting positions allotted to horses contesting in races on the flat. In this country the lowest numbers are on the inside. Numbers are drawn randomly before a race.

DRIFT - When the price of a selection moves out (gets bigger), due to a lack of support. That selection is said to be “on the drift”.

DRIVING - Strong urging by rider.

DROPDOWN - A horse meeting a lower class of rival than he had been running against.

DUAL FORECAST - A Tote bet involving the forecast of the first and second horses in any order. Also referred to as a reverse forecast.

DUTCHING - In gambling, Dutching is the term for a method where you share the risk of losing across a number or runners by backing more than one selection in a race or event. The process calculates the correct stake to place on each selection so that the return is the same if any of them wins.

DWELT - Tardy in breaking from the gate.

 

EACH WAY - To bet on both win and place. (£1 each way would total a £2 stake)

EAR'OLE - The 'tic-tac' term for 6-4.

EASED - Chart caller's assessment of a horse that is being deliberately slowed by the jockey to prevent injury or harm to the horse.

EASILY - Running or winning without being pressed by rider or opposition.

EIGHTH - A furlong; 220 yards; 660 feet.

ELIGIBLE - Qualified to start in a race, according to conditions.

ENGAGEMENT - Stake nomination. Riding commitment.

ENIN - The 'tic-tac' term for 9-1.

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 in a race.

EQUIVALENT ODDS - Mutuel price horses pay for each $1 bet.

EVENLY - Neither gaining or losing position/distance during a race.

EVEN MONEY OR EVENS - 1:1 bet. When your stake and potential winnings are equal - eg: £10 at evens potentially wins £10 profit.

EXACTA (or PERFECTA) - A wager in which the first two finishers in a race must be picked in the correct order.

EVEN BREAK - when horses get away on level terms with each other.

EXCUSED - Withdrawal from a race (sometimes on a veterinarian's recommendation) with consent of stewards.

EXERCISE RIDER - Male or female rider who is aboard a horse in the mornings.

EXTENDED - Forced to run at top speed.

EXTRA WEIGHT (ADDED WEIGHT) - More weight than conditions of race require.

 

 

 

FALTERED - Used for a horse that was in contention early and drops back in the late stages. It is more drastic than weakened but less drastic than stopped.

FALSE FAVOURITE - Horse who is bet down to favoritism when others would appear to outclass him on form.

FARRIER - Blacksmith.

FAST TRACK - Footing at best, dry, fast and even.

FAVOURITE - The selection that the bookmaker rates as most likely to win the event.

FEES - Amount paid to rider or the cost of nominating, entering or starting a horse in a stakes race.

FENCE - Sometimes called "outside rail." More properly the barrier between the front of the stands and the racing strip.

FIELD - The horses in a race.

FIELD HORSE (or MUTUEL FIELD) - Two or more starters running as a single betting unit, when there are more entrants than positions on the totalisator board can accommodate.

FILLY - Female horse up to and including the age of 4.

FIRING - Applying a searing instrument, hot iron or electric needle to an injured portion of the leg to promote healing of injury or infirmity.

FIRM - A condition of a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track.

FIRST TURN - Bend in the track beyond the starting point.

FLAG - Signal held by man stationed a short distance in front of the gate at exact starting point of race. Official timing starts when flag is dropped to denote proper start.

FLAT RACING - The Flat Season begins at the end of March and runs through to the end of September on turf. Races are run over a minimum distance of five furlongs up to a maximum of twenty two furlongs. The official flat racing season now runs for a calendar year to include those flat races run on all-weather surfaces such as at Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton.

FLATTEN OUT - When a horse drops his head almost on straight line with body. May indicate exhaustion.

FLOAT - Piece of track equipment dragged over racing strip to squeeze off surface water.

FOAL - In racing the term foal is more complicated than simply a 'baby' horse. It usually refers to either a male or female horse from birth to January 1st of the following year.

FORECAST - Nominating not only the winner but the second as well. A straight forecast = 1st and 2nd in correct order. A dual or reverse forecast =1st and 2nd in either order.

FORM - Refers to a horses current performance level and expected level of achievement.

FOUNDER - See Laminitis.

FRACTIONAL TIME- Interme-diate time recorded in a race, as at the quarter, half, three-quarters, etc.

FRESH (FRESHENED) - A rested horse.

FREE HANDICAP - A race in which no nomination fees.

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.

FUROSEMIDE - Generic term for a medication for the treatment of bleeders. Most common trade name is Lasix.

 

 

GAIT - The ways in which a horse can move-walk, trot, canter, gallop, run, etc.

GALLOP - A type of gait, a fast canter. Also, to ride a horse at that gait.

GATE - Starting mechanism.

GELDING - Castrated male horse.

GET - Progeny of sire.

GET THE TRIP - Stay the distance.

GOING - Describes the condition of the ground.

GOOD BOTTOM - Track that is firm under the surface, which may be sloppy or wet.

GOOD MONEY - Money from an informed quarter - stable money, for example.

GOOD TRACK - Condition between fast and slow.

GRAB A QUARTER - To strike the side of a front foot with a hind foot. This is racetrack jargon that would be expressed more clearly by saying that the horse overstepped or overreached and cut himself; reserve grabbed a quarater for direct quotes.

GRADUATE - Winning first time, horse or rider. Also, graduate of the claiming ranks-a horse, that has moved up to allowance, stakes or handicap racing.

GRANDDAM (SECOND DAM) - Grandmother of a horse.

GRANDSIRE - Grandfather of a horse, sire of the horse's dam.

GRAY - A mixture of white and black hairs.

GREEN - Refers to an inexperienced horse. A horse is sometimes described as 'running green'.

GROOM - A person who cares for a horse in a stable.

GROUP RACE - European equivalent to North American graded races.

GUINEAS - Horses are still bought and sold at public auction in the UK in Guineas. A Guinea is the equivalent of £1.05.

 

HALF - Half a mile, four furlongs; 880 yards; 2,640 feet.

HALF-BROTHER, HALF-SISTER - Horses out of the same dam but by different sires.

HALTER - Like a bridle, but lacing a bit. Used in handling horses around the stable and when not being ridden.

HALTER (TO) - To claim a horse.

HAND - Unit in which a horse's height is measured, at the shoulder. A hand is four inches.

HANDICAP - A race where each horse is allocated a different weight to carry. The object of this is to try and give each horse an equal chance based on perceived ability, which relates to the horses official rating.

HANDICAPPER - Professional responsible for alloting weights fory each horse in a handicap based on perceived ability. He/she is also responsible for adjusting a horses official rating after a race.

HANDFUL - The 'tic-tac' term for 5-1.

HANDILY - Working or racing with moderate effort, but more effort than breezing.

HANDLE - Amount of money wagered in the pari-mutuel on a race, a program, a meeting or a year.

HAND RIDE - Urging a horse with the hands and not using the whip.

HARDBOOT - Kentucky horsemen.

HEAD - A margin between horses. One horse leading another by the length of his head.

HEAD OF THE STRETCH - Beginning of the straight run home.

HEAVY- Condition of track similar to, but even slower than, muddy.

HEDGE BETS - When you bet on more than one outcome to reduce the chance of loss.

HIGHWEIGHT HANDICAP - Race in which the topweight is assigned no less than 140 pounds.

HOMEBRED - A horse bred by his owner.

HOOD - Infrequently used in Britain. Covers the whole head including the ears and is of value when a horse dislikes the sound of other animals.

HORSE - Broadly, in any Thoroughbred regardless of sex. Specifically, an entire male 5 years old or older.

HORSING - Mare in heat.

HOTWALKER - Person who walks horses to cool them out after workout or races.

HUNG - Horse tiring, but holding position.

HURDLE RACE - Contested over obstacles. A jumping race over lower fences than steeplechase races.

HUNTER CHASE - A race restricted to horses that have hunted during the present hunting season. Not clear how this will evolve in a post-hunting world.

 

IBAS - (Independent Arbitration Betting Service). An arbitration service which was launched to deal with betting disputes between punters and bookmakers.

ICING - Standing a horse in a bucket of ice or applying ice packs to the legs to encourage circulation.

IN FOAL - Pregnant mare.

IN THE MONEY - Finishing first, second or third.

INFIELD - Area within the inner rail of the racetrack.

INFIELD RACING (SPORT) - Turf racing.

IN HAND - Running under moderate control, at less than best pace.

IMPOST - Weight carried or assigned.

INTER-STATE (Wagering) - Wagering on a simulcast of a race from another state.

INTER-TRACK (Wagering) - Wagering on a simulcast of a race from another track within the state.

INQUIRY - Reviewing the race to check into a possible infraction of the rules. Also, a sign flashed by officials on tote board on such occasions.

IRONS - Stirrups.

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