Racing Phrasebook
ACCUMULATOR bet involving
two or more selections in different races: winnings from one are
placed on the next
ALLOWANCE is the weight
concession the horse is given to compensate for its rider's
inexperience
ALL WEATHER RACING flat
racing which takes place on an artificial surface
AMATEUR (rider) on
racecards, their names are prefixed by Mr,
Mrs, Captain, etc., to indicate their amateur status
APPRENTICE young jockey tied
by annually renewed contract to a licensed
trainer while he or she is learning the business of
race-riding
BACKWARD used of a horse
which needs time to mature
CLAIMER of a race: a
claiming race; of a jockey: an apprentice
COLT male, ungelded horse up
to four years old
CONDITIONAL JOCKEY the
jumping equivalent of an apprentice
COURSE SPECIALIST horse
which tends to run well at a particular track
DAM mother of a
horse
DISTANCE the length of a
race: 5 furlongs is the minimum and the 4 1⁄2 miles of the
Grand National the longest. Also, the margin by which a horse wins
or is beaten by the horse in front: this ranges from a short head
to 'by a distance' (more than 30 lengths); a
'length' is measured from the horse's nose to the start
of its tail
DISTANCE an unmarked point
240 yards from the winning post (thus 'below the distance'
means closer home than that point)
DRAW for flat racing only,
describes a horse's position in the starting stalls, drawn
randomly the day before
EVENS or EVEN MONEY when
your stake exactly equals your winnings - thus £5 at evens
wins a further £5
FILLY female horse up to
four years old
FOAL horse of either sex
from the time of its birth until 1 January the following
year
FURLONG 220 yards (one
eighth of a mile)
GELDING castrated
horse
GOING the description of
conditions underfoot on the racecourse. Official Jockey Club going
reports progress as follows: Heavy - soft - good to soft - good -
good to firm - firm - hard
GREEN (of a horse)
inexperienced
HAND unit of four inches in
which a horse's height is measured, at the
shoulder
JOLLY betting parlance for
the favourite in a race - the horse with the shortest
odds
JUDGE official responsible
for declaring the finishing order of a race and the distances
between the runners
JUVENILE two-year-old
horse
MAIDEN horse which has not
won a race
MARE female horse five years
and over
MONKEY betting parlance for
£500
ODDS ON odds where the
winnings are less than the stake (which is of course returned to
you): thus a winning £2 bet at 2-1 on
wins you £1
OFF THE BIT/OFF THE BRIDLE
describes a horse being pushed along by his jockey, losing contact
with the bit in his mouth
ON THE BIT/ON THE BRIDLE
describes a horse going well within himself, still having a grip on
the bit
OVER THE TOP where a horse
is said to have gone if he has passed his peak for the
season
PACE 'up with the
pace' means close to the leaders; 'off the pace' means
some way behind the leaders
PADDOCK area of the
racecourse incorporating the pre-parade ring, parade ring and
winner's enclosure
PATTERN the elite races,
divided in Flat racing into Groups One, Two, Three and Listed, and
in jumping into Grades One, Two and
Three
PENALTY weight added to the
allotted handicap weight of a horse which has won since the weights were originally published
PHOTO FINISH electronic
photographic device which determines
minimal distances in a close
finish
PLATE shoe worn by horse for
racing
PONY betting parlance for
£25
RULE 4 betting rule covering
deductions made from winning bets if a horse is withdrawn after the
betting market has been formed but before the 'Under
Starter's Orders' signal; the amount
deducted depends on the price of the withdrawn horse
RUN FREE describes a horse
going too fast, usually early in the race,
to allow it to settle
SCOPE the potential for
physical development in a horse
SIRE father of a
horse
SPREAD A PLATE when a racing
plate or horseshoe becomes detached from an animal's hoof, this
sometimes causes a delay while the horse is re-shod
SPRINGER/STEAMER a horse
which shortens dramatically in the betting
SP/STARTING PRICE the
official price of a horse at which bets are settled in the betting
shops
STEWARDS the panel of men
and women - usually a total of four - who are responsible for
seeing that the Rules of Racing are adhered to
STEWARDS' ENQUIRY
enquiry by the stewards into the running of a race
TIC-TAC the bookmaker's
method of relaying odds information on the racecourse, by means of
hand signals
WEIGH IN/WEIGH OUT weighing
of jockey before and after a race to ensure that the correct weight
has been carried; the announcement 'weighed in' signals
that the result is official, and all bets can be
settled
YANKEE combination bet
involving four selections in different races: six doubles, four
trebles and one four-horse accumulator - eleven bets
YEARLING horse of either sex
from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its
birth.
