Dead Heat: Where the photo-finish
camera shows two horses inseparable at the finish, the race is declared
a "dead heat" or tie.
Dogs: Wooden barriers used during workout periods to close
off a portion of the race track near the inner rail when the track
is sloppy or muddy.
Driving: When a horse is running under extreme pressure he
is said to be driving.
Dwelt: A horse that is slow in breaking from the starting
gate is said to have "dwelt."
Eighth Pole: The pole one eighth of a mile before the finish
line.
Entry: Two or more horses in a race, owned by the same stable,
or trained by the same trainer are termed an "entry" and coupled as
a single betting unit, a bet on one being a bet on both.
Excused: To be withdrawn from a race after the regular time
for scratches a horse must be "excused" by the Stewards.
Extended: A horse running at top speed under extreme pressure
by the rider.
Farrier: A blacksmith specializing in the shoeing, or plating,
of horses. In early days he was also a horse doctor.
Far Turn: The turn off the backstretch.
Fast: A race track at its best condition is said to be fast.
Field: This word has two meanings in racing which could be
confusing. The entire group of starters in a race is known collectively
as the "field." However, a "field horse" is one of a group designated
by the track handicapper in a case where there are more starters than
there are betting units provided by the pari-mutuel equipment. Rightly
called the "pari-mutuel field" this group runs as a single betting
unit. For example in the Kentucky Derby of 1951, while there were
only 12 betting units, 20 horses started. Seven started as individual
betting units; four stables had entries of two horses each; the remaining
five ran as the "field" and one of these, Count Turf, was the winner.
Flat Race: Originally a race without obstacles such as hedges,
hurdles or fences. Today more often used as opposed to harness racing
although the trotters also race on the flat.
Fractional Time: The running time at various points between
the start and finish of a race.
Furlong: One eighth of a mile. Originally a "furrow long"
or the length of a plowed field.
Garrison Finish: A late rush resulting in a narrow margin
of victory, so called because Edward "Snapper" Garrison, a prominent
rider at the turn of the century, specialized in such finishes.
Gelding: A castrated male horse.
Ginney: A groom; a corruption of the English "Guinea," which
in days past was the traditional award to the groom of a winner.
Halter: A piece of equipment placed on a horse's head similar
to a bridle but lacking a bit and reins. A long leather shank is attached
to the halter for walking the horse. Also an expression used for claiming
a horse deriving from the fact that when the representative of the
new owner takes the horse he must have with him his own halter. A
trainer who frequently claims horses is called a halter man.
Hand: A unit of four inches by which a horse's height is measured,
placing one hand above the other from the ground to the withers or
the point where the saddle sits. A horse that measures 16 hands is
5 feet 4 inches tall at the withers.
Handicapper: One who assigns the weights to be carried in
a handicap race. Also one who makes selections in a race based on
a thorough study of the past performance of each horse.
Handily: A horse working or racing with ease and without urging
is said to be going "handily."
Handle: The aggregate amount of money wagered on a race, a
day, a meeting or a season.
Holy Ghost: Holy Ghost is a wagering theory that is used by
numerologists. The suggestion is that good things happen in threes
(reference to the Biblical Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost).
Players of the Holy Ghost theory believe that when a certain jockey,
saddle cloth number, post position, trainer, etc., scores two wins,
then it follows that there will be a third success, since good luck
tends to run in groups of threes.
Homestretch: The straightaway leading to the finish.
Hot Walker: A stable hand who leads a horse around the shed
row or walking ring in the "cooling out" process following a race
or a workout. Walking hots is usually the first job given a novice
stable employee.
Infield: The area within the inner rail of a race track.
Inquiry: An inquiry is an action taken by the track stewards
following a race to check for a possible infraction that might have
been noticed during the actual running of the race. In the inquiry
the stewards will replay the race on videotape and review the incident,
deciding eventually whether or not punitive action needs to be taken.
In the Money: A horse finishing first, second or third is
"in the money."
Irons: The stirrups are referred to as irons.
Juvenile: A 2-year-old horse is called a "juvenile."
Key Horse: A single horse used in multiple combinations in
an exotic wager.
Lead Pad: A piece of equipment under the saddle containing
thin slabs of lead used to bring a rider's weight up to that assigned
to the horse.
Length: The measurement corresponding to the average length
of a horse and used to describe winning, or losing, distances. A horse
can win, or be beaten, by a length or more, or by fractions thereof
-- 3/4 of a length, half-length, 1/4 length, neck, head or nose. These
terms are more descriptive than scientific.
Minus Pool: When an outstanding horse is so heavily played
that, after the deduction of the state tax and commission, not enough
money remains in the pool to pay off the legally prescribed minimum,
it is called a minus pool and the racing association makes up the
difference.
Morning Line: The approximate odds usually printed in the
program and posted on the totalisator board prior to the betting.
This is a forecast of how it is believed the betting will go in a
particular race.
Mud Caulks: These are small cleats inserted on the back end
of a horse's shoe or racing plate. The caulks are used most when the
track surface becomes muddy or sloppy. this will enable the horse
to have better racing traction on an "off" surface.
Near Side: The left side on which a horse is led, mounted
and dismounted.
Odds-On: Odds of less than even money ($1 to $1). A winner
at a payoff of under $4.00 is "odds on."
Off Side: The right hand side of a horse.
Overlay: An overlay occurs when a horse that is placed at
a certain price on the morning line receives considerably more play
than one might have expected. That horse is said to be "overlaid".
It tells you that there is money being played on this horse that was
not anticipated and the payoff price will be smaller than originally
expected.
Overnight: A race for which entries close 72 hours (exclusive
of Sundays) or less before the post time for the first race on the
day the race is to be run. Also, the (usually) photocopied sheet available
to horsemen in the racing secretary's office showing the entries for
the following day.
Overweight: Depending on conditions each horse carries an
assigned weight. When the jockey cannot make the weight, overweight
is allowed but not more than 5 pounds. The overweight is either posted
on an information board or announced on the public address system
prior to the race.
Paddock: The area at the race track where the horses are saddled
and viewed prior to a race. A fenced off field on a farm.
Placing Judge: Officials from the Racing Secretary's Office
are in charge of the official placing of horses during and after the
running of a race. Two of the judges call the view of the race to
a third judge who feeds the information by computer to the tote board.
The judges determine the official order of finish by viewing a still
negative film of each horse reaching the finish line, proceeding to
the last place finisher. Their viewing stand is located on top of
the grandstand, at the finish line.
Plater: A term for a horse that runs in cheap claiming races.
Also the farrier who makes or fits the horse's shoes or plates.
Post: The starting point for a race.
Post Position: A horse's position in the starting gate from
the inner rail outward which is decided by a drawing at the close
of entries the day prior to the race.
Post Time: The time at which all horses are required to be
at the post and ready to start.
Preferred List: A group of horses having priority in the event
that a race draws more entries than can be accommodated.
Public Trainer: One who trains for more than one owner, usually
on a per diem basis.
Quarter Horse: A type of horse recently established as a breed
which is extremely fast at short distances. While so-called "quarter
horse" racing was popular in Colonial times it has in recent years
had a renaissance in the West.
Quarter Pole: On a one-mile track, the pole at the turn into
the stretch a quarter of a mile before the finish.
Racing Secretary: The official who makes up the conditions
for the races and assigns the weights for handicap races.
Ridgeling: A colt with one or both testicles undescended.
Route: A race of more than one and one-eighth miles is considered
a route.
Savage: In racing parlance "savage" is a verb. A horse that
tries to bite another horse or a man is "savaging" the horse or the
man. A chart footnote or an account of a race may mention that a horse
tried to savage another.
Scale of Weights: An arbitrary set of weights to be carried
by horses of a certain age at a certain time of year at a certain
distance.
Scratch: To scratch a horse is to withdraw him from a race.
There is a deadline for scratches after which permission must be obtained
from the Stewards.
Set Down: A jockey who has been suspended has been "set down."
Sex Allowance: In all races other than handicaps or where
conditions state otherwise, fillies and mares are allowed weight below
the scale, usually 3 pounds for 2-year-old fillies and 5 pounds for
fillies and mares 3 and up, prior to September 1, and 3 pounds thereafter.
Shadow Roll: A thick noseband of sheep's wool used to prevent
a horse from seeing shadows directly in front of him which might cause
him to jump or shy away.
Short: A horse that drops out of contention in the stretch
or close to the finish is said to have been "short," the inference
being that with more work or preparation he might have lasted to the
finish and perhaps have been the winner.
Silks: See colors. The jacket and cap worn by a jockey.
Sophomore: A 3-year-old horse is referred to as a sophomore.
Stayer: A horse that can run well at longer distances.
Stick: A jockey's whip.
Stickers: A type of shoe with calks to provide better purchase
under adverse track conditions.
Stud: A stallion used for breeding. Also a breeding farm.
Tack: The saddle and other equipment worn by a horse during
racing or exercise.
Three-Horse Box: To make a three-horse box you simply take
the three horses that you prefer in a race and wager them in each
possible combination. Three-horse boxes are available in exactas and
trifectas. When you wager a three-horse box in an exacta, two of the
horses you use must finish first and second in exact order. When you
wager a three-horse box in a trifecta the three horses you use must
finish first, second and third. A three-horse exacta box gives you
six possible winning combinations (a-b, a-c, b-a, b-c, c-a, c-b) and
a three-horse trifecta box also gives you six possible combinations
(a-b-c, a-c-b, b-a-c, b-c-a, c-a-b, c-b-a).
Top Wheel: Top wheel is a wagering strategy in which a selection
in an exacta is wagered in the "top" or "win" position while all the
other horses in the field are used in the "place" position. To win
in this wager your selection must finish first. To get a feeling about
how much you might be about to win you can check the possible payoffs
grids that are shown on your tv monitor. To wager a top wheel you
need to tell the mutuel clerk that you want to "wheel the (whatever
your horse number) on top."
Totalisator: An intricate piece of electronic equipment which
records each wager in each betting pool as the pari-mutuel ticket
is sold by a manually operated vending machine. This equipment calculates
the odds on each horse, according to the amount wagered at given intervals.
Totalisator Board: A display board in the infield on which
is posted electronically, data essential to the race goer such as
approximate odds, total amount bet in each pool (on some boards),
track condition, post time, time of day, result of race, official
sign or inquiry or objection sign if a foul is claimed, running time
and payoff prices after the race is declared official.
Track Variant: Track variant is a measurement of the speed
of the horse according to how performances on the track measured up
to one another during the course of an entire day's racing program.
There are a number of ways to calculate a variant and professional
handicappers normally subscribe to one of these primary theories in
order to get a feeling for how impressive a particular running time
really was. It is clear that six furlongs in 1:10 on one day can be
significantly more impressive than the same time on a different day.
The track variant gives a player a chance to make those comparisons
with some ease.
Under Wraps: A horse running under restraint is "under wraps."
Valet: An employee who takes care of a jockey's equipment,
sees to it that the right silks are at his locker, that the rider
has the proper weight in his lead pad, carries the saddle and equipment
to the paddock and helps the trainer in saddling the horse, meets
the rider after the race and carries saddle and equipment back to
the jockey's room.
Walkover: A rare occurrence in which only one starter goes
to the post and is required only to gallop the distance of the race
to be declared the winner and collect the purse or a prescribed portion
thereof depending on the rules in effect.
Washy: A horse that breaks out into a heavy sweat prior to
the race is said to be "washy."
Weight-For-Age: A type of race in which horses carry scale
weight or weight assigned arbitrarily according to age, distance and
month of year. (See Scale of Weights.)
Work Tab: A list of morning workouts according to distance
and time.
Yearling: A one year old colt or filly, just one year away
from racing age.
