Popular Horse Racing Terms

Added money: Money added, usually by the racing association, to nomination and entry fees.

Agent: A person who handles a jockey's riding assignments.

Allowance race: A non-claiming race for which weight assignments, or allowances, are determined according to published conditions.

Also eligibles: In an overflow field, the horses that can draw into the race if there's a scratch.

Also ran: A horse that doesn't finish in the top trio.

Apprentice: A jockey who has been riding for less than a year or who hasn't won at least 45 races.

Horses ridden by apprentices are allowed to carry five less pounds.

Apron: Area between the grandstand and the track.

Baby: A 2-year-old, especially early in the year.

Baby race: A race for 2-year-olds, usually at short distances in the spring and summer.

Backside: The stable area.

Backstretch: The straightaway opposite the homestretch, usually from the three-quarter-mile pole to the three-eighths pole.

Bad actor: A horse that repeatedly misbehaves and proves troublesome.

Bandages: In a race, bandages are sometimes used for support or protection.

Bar shoe: A protective horseshoe that has a bar enclosing it to help support the heel of the hoof.

Bay: A horse color, varying from tan to bright auburn, with the mane and tail black.

Bear in or out: To deviate from a straight course.

Beyer number, or speed figure: A quantitative measure of performance that appears in The Daily Racing Form, so-called because the numbers were refined and popularized by Andy Beyer of the Washington Post.

Big Red: Nickname applied to two famous chestnuts: Man o' War and Secretariat.

Bill Daly: The lead, so named for a famous trainer who used to instruct jockeys to go to the lead at the start and improve their position.

Bit: A stainless steel, rubber or aluminum bar attached to the bridle and fitting in the horse's mouth; used to guide and control the horse .

Black type: Boldface type used in sales catalogs to identify horses that have won or placed in stakes races.

Bleeder: A horse that suffers exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging.
Such horses might slow abruptly when their breathing is inhibited.
The condition can sometimes be controlled, the effects mollified, with the diuretic Lasix.

Blinkers: A hood made of fabric, with cups sewn onto the eye openings. The hood is fitted to the horse's head. The cups force the horse to look straight ahead, removing any visual distractions during races.

Bloodline: A horse's pedigree.

Blow-out: A short, brisk workout.

Bolt: To veer suddenly out of control.

Book: 1) The group of mares bred to a stallion in a particular year.
2) A jockey's commitments as handled by his agent.

Bounce: An unusually poor performance following an unusually good one.

Bowed tendon: Severe strain of the superficial flexor tendon between the knee and ankle, so named because of the bowed appearance resulting from swelling.

Boxed / Boxed in:  Surrounded by horses with no where to go. Lacked running room during the race.

Break: Start of a race .

Breakage: The money remaining after the payoffs are rounded off to a dime on the dollar.

Breakdown: A horse that suffers a serious injury is said to break down.

Break maiden: Winning for the first time.

Breeders' Cup: The sport's seven-race, $11 million championship event.

Breeze: A workout at moderate speed.

Bridge jumper: Someone who wagers a large sum, usually to show, on a short-priced favorite; so called because of the immediate impulse that follows the loss of such a wager.

Bucked shins: Inflammation to the area covering the front of the cannon bone; common among young horses in training.

Bug boy: An apprentice jockey.

Bullet: The fastest workout of the morning at a particular distance.

Bullring: A small racetrack.

Bute: Short for phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory medication.

Calks, or mud calks: Cleat-like projections on the rear shoes, often used to prevent slipping on a muddy surface.
Also called stickers.

Chalk: The betting favorite.

Check: To slow a horse momentarily to avoid traffic or collision.

Chefs-de-race: Prepotent sires that have been especially influential.
The chefs are classified as brilliant, intermediate, classic, solid and professional, according to whether their influence is predominantly speed or stamina.

Chestnut: 1) A horse color that can vary from red-yellow to deep red.
2) One of the light-colored, irregular growths on the inside of a horse's legs; also called night eyes.

Chute: The extension of the backstretch or homestretch where seven-furlong or 10-furlong races often begin at most tracks; also used in quarter-horse racing.

Claiming race: A race in which the horses are literally for sale.
Any claims must be made before the race, and the new owner assumes possession following the race.

Claim box: The box in which claim certificates are deposited.

Classic: Used to refer to a few traditionally significant races, such as the Kentucky Derby.
In America, the classic distance is 11/4 miles; in Europe it is 11/2 miles.

Clerk of Scales: The official who oversees the riders' "weighing out" of the jockeys' room for a race and afterward their "weighing in" to assure the horses carry the proper weight.

Clocker: A person who times workouts and races.

Closer: A horse that does its best running in the closing stages of a race.

Clubhouse turn: The turn after the finish line.

Colic: Abdominal pain, often caused by a twist or obstruction in the intestine; the leading cause of death in horses.

Colors: Racing silks.

Colt: An ungelded male horse 4 years old or younger.

Condition book: The book that sets forth the possible races with their conditions for which horses can be entered.

Conformation: A horse's physical makeup.

Consolation double: A daily double payoff for the winner of the first race with a late scratch in the second.

Coupled: Two horses are coupled when they run as an entry, or single betting interest.

Cool out: Return to normal body temperature after a workout or race.

Cribber: A horse that habitually grips objects with its teeth and sucks air into its stomach.

Crop: 1) A group of horses born in the same year.
2) Number of foals by a particular stallion in a given year.

Cuppy: Track condition characterized by a loose surface.

Cushion: The top layer of the racing surface.

Daily Racing Form: Daily publication that includes past performances and charts.

Dam: The female parent.

Dark day: A day of no racing .

Dead heat: A tie.

Derby: A significant stakes race for 3-year-olds may be called such, as in the Lone Star Derby.

Disqualification: A change in the order of finish, by the stewards' ruling and often following an objection or inquiry, because of a rules infraction.

Distaff: Female; e.g. the Breeders' Cup Distaff is for fillies and mares.

Distanced: So badly beaten as to lose contact with the field.

Dogs: Cones or wooden barriers used to prevent horses from working or galloping close to the inner rail, usually used following heavy rains.

Dosage System: Pedigree analysis based on the presence of chefs-de-race in the first four generations; popularized in recent years by Steven Roman.

Dosage Index: In the dosage system, the ratio of speed to stamina in a horse 's pedigree.
A low number suggests an inclination toward stamina.

A DI of 4.00 or less suggests a horse can likely perform at the classic distance, according to Roman's analysis.

Drop: Moving down in class.

Dropped: Foaled.

Dwelt: Remained in the starting gate long after the jockey, starter and prudence suggested leaving.

Early foot: Speed, especially away from the starting gate.

Eased: Having surrendered, the horse is slowed during a race.

Eclipse Awards: Named for the great undefeated champion of the 18th century and determined by a vote of the National Turf Writers Association, The Daily Racing Form and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, these are the sport's highest honors.
They're given in various divisions and represent championships.

Eighth pole: The marker or pole indicating an eighth of a mile to the wire.
Poles are set every sixteenth of a mile around the track.

EIPH: Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging.

Endoscope: An instrument used to examine the upper airway and stomach.

Entrapped epiglottis: An abnormal throat condition in which a thin membrane moves to cover the epiglottis and obstruct breathing.

Entry: Two or more horses, usually with common ownership, that are coupled as a betting interest.

Entry fee: Money paid to enter a horse in a stakes race.

EPM: Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a baffling neurological disease.

Equibase: The company formed by the partnership of The Jockey Club and the TRA to maintain racing records.

Exercise rider: A person who rides horses in workouts and gallops.

Experimental Free Handicap: A rating of the year's top juveniles by weight assignments.

Exotic: Any multi-horse or multi-race wager.

False favorite: An unworthy betting favorite.

Fast: Official track condition when the surface is free of excessive moisture and at its best.
Other track conditions are good, slow, heavy, muddy, sloppy and wet fast, describing various levels of moisture in the surface and its liveliness.

Filly: Female horse 4 years old or younger.

Firm: Official condition of the turf course when it is free of excessive moisture.
The turf might also be soft or yielding.

First Time Starter: A horse that is racing for the first time in his/her life. Almost always running in a maiden race.

Foal: 1) A horse in its first year of life.
2) To give birth.

Founder: Common term for laminitis, which is the severe inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the foot.

Founding sires: Most thoroughbreds are descended from the founding sires - the Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb.

Fractional times: Internal fractions of a race.

Frog: The pliable supporting structure on the bottom of the foot.

Furlong: The increments races are measured by in North America (equal to an eighth of a mile.)

Furosemide: Commonly known by the trade name Lasix, a diuretic used to discourage bleeding in horses.

Futurity: A stakes race for juveniles that requires continuous payments by their owners to maintain the horse 's eligibility.

Gap: An opening in the rail.

Garrison finish: Coming from off the pace and winning in the final jumps, so named for the jockey Snapper Garrison.

Gelding: A castrated male horse.

Get: Progeny of a stallion.

Going away: To win with an increasing margin.

Good doer: An eager eater.

Grab a quarter: An injury to the back of the hoof resulting from a horse stepping on itself.

Graded line: A handicapper's rating by odds of all the horses in a race based on his opinion of their relative chances of winning.

Graded races: Selected major stakes that are classified by the North American Graded Stakes Committee as Grade I, II or III according to the quality of competition.
In Europe, such stakes are called Group races .

Groom: A person who feeds and cares for the horses at the stable.

Half-brothers or half-sisters: Horses out of the same dam, but by different stallions.

Half-mile pole: The marker or pole (red and white) that indicates a half-mile remains to the wire.

Hand: Unit of measurement equaling four inches and used for expressing a horse 's height at the withers.

Handicap: 1) To analyze the past performances and rate the horses in a race.
2) A race for which the racing secretary assigns weights.

Handily: Describing a workout of some effort.

Handle: The money wagered.

Hand ride: Without use of the whip.

Hang: To fail to sustain a move or an advance.

Hardboot: A horseman of the old school.

Head of the stretch: Top of the homestretch.

Highweight: The horse assigned the most weight in a handicap.

Horse: An ungelded male 5 years old or older.

Hot walker: Person who walks horses to cool them out after exercise or racing.

Impost: Assigned weight.

Infield: Area enclosed by the racing oval.

In for a tag / Running for a tag: Has a price assigned to him/her. Basically means the horse is running in a claiming event.

In hand: Under restraint.

Inquiry: A review of the race by the stewards for purposes of discovering possible infractions.

In the money: Finishing first, second or third.

Jail: Refers to the requirements for a horse that has been claimed.

Commonly, a claimed horse must run for at least a 25 percent higher claiming price for a month following the claim.

Jockey Club: Formed in 1894 and based in New York, the organization that serves as the registry for thoroughbreds in North America.

Juvenile: A 2-year-old.

Key horse: A horse used in combinations with two or more other horses in exotic wagers.

Lame: Describes an inability to walk, gallop or run normally because of pain or injury.

Laminitis: An inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the foot, the area of the hoof that contains nerves and blood vessels.

Lasix: Lasix or Furosemide is a diuretic used to treat bleeding in horses. It can be given to horses that suffer exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging (basically that means he's a bleeder). Such horses might slow abruptly when their breathing is inhibited.

Late double: Same as a Daily Double but for later races .

Lead, right or left: The front leg that is left to hit the ground.

Ideally, a horse will race on its left lead in the turns and its right on the straights.

Lead pad: A leather pad with pockets for holding lead; positioned beneath the saddle, it's used to make up the difference between the actual weight and the assigned weight.

Lead pony: Pony that leads the parade to the post.

Length: Measurement used to denote distances between horses; approximately equal to the length of a horse.

Line: The morning line.

Listed stakes: An ungraded stakes race.

Lock: The mythical cinch.

Lug in or out: Same as bearing in or out.

Maiden: A horse that never has won a race.

Mare: Female horse 5 years old or older.

Minus pool: This results when betting is so heavy on a single horse that after taxes and commissions, there's not enough remaining to pay the bettors the mandated minimum.
The racetrack makes up the difference.

Morning glory: A horse that trains sharply, with eye-catching times in his workouts, but fails to perform well in races.

Morning line: The starting odds, as set by the track handicapper.
It's the oddsmaker's projection of what the final odds will be.

Mudder: A horse that is particularly fond of running on a sloppy or muddy track is known as a mudder.

Mutuel field: Horses grouped together as one betting interest.

Neck: Measurement for beaten horses , approximately equal to a horse 's neck.

Nod: Lowering the head so that it's fully extended, as in to win by a nod.

Nom de Course: Name of a stable or owner or group of owners for racing purposes.

Nose: Measurement for beaten horses ; narrowest margin of victory.

Oaks: Some significant stakes races for 3-year-old fillies are so designated, such as the Kentucky Oaks.

Objection: A claim of foul after the running of a race, usually made by a jockey but sometimes by a trainer.

Odds-on: Odds less than even money.

Off the board: Not finishing among the top three.

Off The Turf: Means the race has been taken off the turf and will now be run on the main track, usually because it is raining.

Off track: A racing surface that is not officially fast.

Off-track betting (OTB): Legalized betting at locations other than the racetrack.

On the bit, or in the bridle: Eager to run.

On the board: Finishing among the top three.

On the muscle: Fit and eager.

On the nose: Betting to win.

Open knee: An immature knee.

Open race: A race that does not restrict eligibility.

Out of the money: Finishing worse than third.

Outrider: Rider who accompanies the horses to the gate and catches loose horses.

Overlay: An overlay situation exists when the potential return exceeds the risk.
A horse 's going off at higher odds than it should, based on its ability and chances.
What a bettor looks for.

Overnight: A sheet listing the entries for an upcoming race day.

Overnight race: A race other than a stakes race.

Overweight: Additional weight carried by a horse because the jockey cannot make the assigned weight.

Pacesetter: The early leader of a race.

Paddock: 1) The enclosure where horses are saddled before a race.
2) An enclosure near a stable where horses can be exercised or allowed to run freely.

Paddock judge: Racing official in charge of the paddock area.

Patrol judges: Officials who observe the race from various vantage points.

Patrol cameras: Cameras that view and film the race from various vantage points.

Parlay: A wager whereby the payoff is parlayed, or bet again, on another horse in a subsequent race, as in a three-horse parlay.
Called an accumulator in England.

Parimutuel: Form of wagering at the racetrack.
Under the parimutuel system, which was originated by Pierre Oller in 1865, all the money wagered is returned to the bettors after a set takeout, which means the bettors are competing among themselves and not against the racetrack.

Past performances: A horse's record, as in the Daily Racing Form.

Pastern: Area between the fetlock (ankle) and the hoof (foot).

Phenylbutazone: See bute.

Photo finish: A finish that is so close that a photograph is necessary to determine the precise outcome.

Pick 6: Wager in which you must select the winning horses of 6 consecutive races. Offers some of the largest payouts in racing.

Pinhooker: A person who buys young horses for the purpose of reselling them at a profit.

Placing judges: Judges who determine the official order of finish.

Plater: A claiming horse.

Points of call: Places during a race where the running positions are indicated in a chart.
The final point of call is always the finish, and the penultimate point of call the eighth pole.

Pony: Any horse that leads the post parade or accompanies the racehorses to the gate.

Pool: Sum of the money wagered in a particular way; e.g., the place pool is all the money bet to place.

Post parade: The horses' procession in front of the grandstand before a race.

Post position: A horse's stall in the starting gate; e.g., a horse might break from post position 5.

Post time: Time for a race to start.

Public trainer: A trainer who works for several different owners; e.g., D. Wayne Lukas.

Pull up: To slow and then stop a horse after a race or workout.

Punter: A horseplayer.

Purse: Prize money offered in a race.

Quarter crack: A crack to the side of the hoof; that is, between the toe and heel.

Quarter horse: A specific breed, used for work, recreation, cutting and racing; they race only short distances, such as a quarter-mile.

Quarter pole: The pole that indicates a quarter-mile to the wire.

Rabbit: A speedy horse whose purpose is to set a fast pace for the benefit of a stretch-running stablemate.

Racing secretary: Official who writes the condition book and assigns weights for handicaps.

Rail, inner and outer: The barriers that outline the racing surface.
Also called the fence.

Rank: Intractable.

Rate: Restraining a horse early to conserve energy.

Receiving barn: Barn used by horses not usually stabled at the racetrack.

Refuse: To refuse to break from the starting gate.

Reins: Leather straps connected to the bit and used to guide and control the horse.

Reserve: At auctions, the minimum acceptable price.

Ridden out: Having finished under mild urging.

Roan: A horse color indicating most of the coat is a mixture of red and white, or brown and white, hairs.

Route: A long race, as opposed to a sprint.

Ruled off: Suspended.

Runhorse.com: Popular horse racing network

Savage: To attempt to bite another horse.

Scale of weights: Weight assignments fixed according to age, sex and distance.

School: To familiarize a horse with the starting gate or paddock.

Scratch: To be declared or removed from the starting field, usually by the trainer.

Second dam: The maternal grandmother.

Sesamoids: Two small bones (medial and lateral) located above the fetlock.

Set: A group of horses working or galloping together.

Set down: Suspended.

Sex allowance: The weight allowance fillies and mares receive when running against males.

Shedrow: 1) The dirt path that encircles a barn.
2) A row of barns.

Shoe board: A placard that lists the types of shoes worn by horses in the upcoming race.

Short: Lacking necessary conditioning.

Shut off: Blocked in traffic or by another horse.

Silky Sullivan finish: A late charge from far back, named for a popular horse of the late 1950s who relied on such a strategy.

Simulcast: A televised race from another track.

Sire: 1) Male parent.
2) To beget foals.

Socks: White markings from the fetlock to the hoof.

Sophomore: A 3-year-old.

Spit box: The barn where post-race urine, saliva or blood samples are taken.

Spit the bit: A horse's suddenly surrendering.

Splint: 1) Either of two small bones on the side of the cannon bone.
2) Calcification of these bones that appears as a bump.

Split race: A race that is so oversubscribed that it is split into two races.

Splits: Fractional times.

Sprint: A race of a mile or less.

Stakes: A race for which there is often a nomination and entry fee and for which horses must be nominated (or invited) in advance, as opposed to an overnight race .

Stallion: A male horse used for breeding.

Starter: The official responsible for the horses at the starting gate and for a fair start of the race.

Starter race: An allowance or handicap restricted to horses that have in the past started for a designated claiming price.

Starting gate: The steel, mechanical gate that has stalls from which the horses emerge at the start of a race.

State-bred race: A race restricted to horses bred - that is, foaled - in particular state.

Stayer: A horse with stamina.

Steadied: Impeded.

Stewards: Officials responsible for enforcing the rules of racing.

Stick: A jockey's whip.

Stockings: White markings from the hock to the hoof.

Stooper: A person who picks up discarded tickets in the hopes of finding some that are cashable.

Stretch: The straightaway that leads to the wire; also homestretch.

Stretching Out: Term meaning that horse is going from a sprint to a distance race today.

Stretch-runner: A horse that does its most effective running in the stretch.

Syndicate: Betting Syndicate: A group of people who's sole purpose is to pool their money in order to have a better chance of covering betting combinations. Pooling their money allows them more freedom in attempts to hit difficult wagers like the superfecta or pick6.
Racing Syndicate: Similar to a betting syndicate, yet these people pool their resources in an attempt to purchase and race winning horses.

Tack: Racing equipment.

Tag: A price tag, as in a claiming price.

Taken back: Restrained for a late run.

Taken up: A jockey's having checkrf a horse severely.

Takeout: Deductions from the mutuel pools before the money is returned to the bettors.
For the most part, the takeout is divided among the track, the horsemen and the state.

Tattoo: Permanent identification mark tattooed on the inside of a horse's upper lip.

Teletimer: Electronic timer that provides fractional and final times for the races.

Thoroughbred: Breed developed specifically for racing.
A Thoroughbred must be registered with the Jockey Club or a recognized foreign registry.

Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA): An organized association of many major racetracks.

Tightener: A race or workout needed to get a horse to a desirable level of readiness and fitness.

Tongue tie: A strip of cloth used to stabilize a horse 's tongue so that the animal cannot slip it over the bit.

Tote board: The totalizator board that displays odds and other information.
Main one is located in the infield.

Tout: 1) To extol the virtues, real or imagined, of a horse for purposes of urging others to bet.
2) A person who advises others, often for a fee, about which horses to bet.

Track bias, or simply bias: A surface's favoring certain paths or running styles.

Trial: 1) A qualifying race, usually for a futurity.
2) A preparatory or preliminary race, such as the Derby Trial.

Trip: A horse's progress during a race with particular reference to any trouble or biased conditions.

Triple Crown: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
The English Triple Crown is the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and St.
Leger Stakes.
The Canadian Triple Crown is the Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales and Breeders' Stakes.

Turf course: The grass course, usually located inside the dirt track.

Two-minute lick: To gallop at a rate of a mile in two minutes.

Underlay: Opposite of an overlay; an overbet horse whose odds belie its ability and for which the risk exceeds the possible return.

Under wraps: Under restraint.

Valet: A person who assists in saddling the horses, takes care of the tack and prepares the tack before each race, taking special care that a jockey and his tack meet the assigned weight.

Walkover: A race in which a horse literally has no competition.

Wash out: To become so nervous as to sweat profusely.
Such nervousness often compromises a horse's performance.

Weanling: A foal that is less than a year old.

Weight-for-age: Race condition that assigns weights based on the horses ' ages.
In the Massachusetts Handicap, Cigar carried 130 pounds; but in the Woodward Stakes, which was run under weight-for-age conditions, he carried 126 pounds.

Win Bet: Wagering that a horse will finish first in a race.

Wire: The finish line.

Workout, or work: An exercise at moderate to extreme speed for a predetermined distance.

Yearling: A horse that is a year old and so is in its second calendar year.
(Officially, every horse's birthday is Jan. 1.) Yielding: Condition of a turf course after it has absorbed much moisture.