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- Abandoned - A race meeting which has been
cancelled because a club did not receive sufficient nominations to be
able to stage it, or because of bad weather which made racing on the
track unsafe. All bets placed on abandoned races are fully refunded.
- Acceptor - A runner officially listed to start in
a race.
- Accumulator - (Also, Parlay) A multiple bet. A
kind of 'let-it-ride' bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or
more races with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win
on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the
selections made must win for you to win the accumulator.
- Across The Board - (See 'Place') A bet on a horse
to win, place or show. Three wagers combined in one. If the horse
wins, the player wins all three wagers, if second, two, and if third,
one.
- Age - All thoroughbreds count January 1 as their
birth date.
- Ajax - UK slang term for 'Betting Tax'.
- All-age Race - A race for two-year-olds and up.
- All Out - A horse who is trying to the best of
his ability.
- Allowances - Reductions in weights to be carried
allowed because of certain conditions such as; an apprentice jockey is
on a horse, a female horse racing against males, or three-year-olds
racing against older horses.
- All Weather Racing - Racing that takes place on
an artificial surface.
- Also Ran - Any selection not finishing 1st, 2nd,
3rd or 4th in a race or event.
- Ante Post - (Also, Futures) Bets placed in
advance predicting the outcome of a future event. Ante-post prices are
those on major sporting events, usually prior to the day of the event
itself. In return for the chance of better odds, punters risk the fact
that stakes are not returned if their selection pulls out or is
cancelled.
- Apprentice - A trainee jockey. An apprentice will
usually ride only flat races.
- Approximates - The approximate price a horse is
quoted at before a race begins. Bookmakers use these approximates as a
guide to set their boards.
- Arbitrage - Where a variation in odds available
allows a punter to back both sides and guarantee a win.
- ART - Artificial Turf.
- ATS - Against The Spread.
- AWT - All weather track.
- Baby Race - A race for two-year-olds.
- Back - To bet or wager.
- Backed - A 'backed' horse is one on which lots of
bets have been placed.
- Backed-In - A horse which is backed-in means that
bettors have outlaid a lot of money on that horse, with the result
being a decrease in the odds offered.
- Back Marker - In a standing start event, which is
handicapped, the horse who is given the biggest handicap is known as
the backmarker.
- Backstretch - The straight way on the far side of
the track.
- Back Straight - The straight length of the track
farthest away from the spectators and the winning post.
- Backward - A horse that is either too young or
not fully fit.
- Banker - (Also, Key) Highly expected to win. The
strongest in a multiple selection in a parlay or accumulator. In
permutation bets the banker is a selection that must win to guarantee
any returns.
- Bar Price - Refers to the odds of those runners
in a race not quoted with a price during early betting shows. The bar
price is the minimum odds for any of those selections not quoted.
- Barrier - (Also, Tape) A starting device used in
steeple chasing consisting of an elastic band stretched across the
racetrack which retracts when released.
- Barrier Draw - The ballot held by the race club
to decide which starting stall each runner will occupy.
- Bat - (Also, Stick) A jockey's whip.
- Beard (US) - A friend or acquaintance or other
contact who is used to placing bets so that the bookmakers will not
know the identity of the actual bettor. Many top handicappers and
persons occupying sensitive positions use this method of betting.
- Bearing In (Out) - Failing to maintain a straight
course, veering to the left or right. Can be caused by injury,
fatigue, outside distraction, or poor riding.
- Beeswax - UK slang term for betting tax. Also
known as 'Bees' or 'Ajax'.
- Bell Lap - In harness racing, the last lap of a
race, signified by the ringing of the bell.
- Bet - A transaction in which monies are deposited
or guaranteed.
- Betting Board - A board used by the bookmaker to
display the odds of the horses engaged in a race.
- Betting Ring - The main area at a racecourse
where the bookmakers operate.
- Betting Tax - Tax on a Bookmaker's turnover. In
the UK this is a 'Duty' levied on every Pound wagered. Common methods
of recouping this by the punter are to deduct tax from returns
(winnings) or to pay tax with the stake/wager. In the latter case, no
tax is deducted from the punter's winnings.
- Bettor (US) - Someone who places or has a bet. A
'Punter' in the UK.
- Beyer Number - A handicapping tool, popularized
by author Andrew Beyer, assigning a numerical value to each race run
by a horse based on final time and track condition. This enables
different horses running at different racetracks to be objectively
compared.
- Bismarck - A favourite which the bookmakers do
not expect to win.
- Blanket Finish - When the horses finish so close
to the winning line you could theoretically put a single blanket
across them.
- Blind Bet - A bet made by a racetrack bookmaker
on another horse to divert other bookmakers' attention away from his
sizeable betting on his/her main horse thus to avoid a shortening of
the odds on the main horse.
- Blinkers - A cup-shaped device applied over the
sides of the horse's head near his eyes to limit his vision. This
helps to prevent him from swerving away from distracting objects or
other horses on either side of him. Blinker cups come in a variety of
sizes and shapes to allow as little or as much vision as the trainer
feels is appropriate.
- Board - Short for 'Tote Board' on which odds,
betting pools and other race information are displayed.
- Bomb(er) - A winning horse sent off at very high
odds.
- Book - A bookmaker's tally of amounts bet on each
competitor, and odds necessary to assure him of profit.
- Bookie - (U.K.) Short for bookmaker. The person
or shop who accepts bets.
- Bookmaker - Person who is licensed to accept bets
on the result of an event based on their provision of odds to the
customer. (Sportsbook US).
- Bottle - UK slang, odds of 2 to 1.
- Box - A betting term denoting a combination bet
whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered.
- Boxed (in) - To be trapped between other horses.
- Bobble - A bad step away from the starting gate,
sometimes caused by the ground breaking away from under a horse and
causing him to duck his head or go to his knees.
- Bolt - Sudden veering from a straight course.
- Book - A collection of all the bets taken on
fixed odds betting events.
- Bookmaker (Bookie) - A person registered and
licensed to bet with the public.
- Breakage - Those pennies that are left over in
pari-mutuel payoffs which are rounded out to a nickel or dime.
- Breeders' Cup - Thoroughbred racing's year-end
championship. Known as Breeders' Cup Day, it consists of eight races
conducted on one day at a different racetrack each year with purses
and awards totalling $13 million. First run in 1984.
- Bridge-Jumper (US) - Bettor who specializes in
large show bets on odd-on favourites.
- Buck (US) - A bet of US$ 100 (also known as a
'dollar bet').
- Bug Boy - An apprentice rider.
- Bull Ring - Small racetrack less than one mile
around.
- Burkington Bertie - 100/30.
- Buy Price - In Spread or Index betting, the
higher figure quoted by an Index bookmaker.
- Buy the Rack (US) - Purchase every possible
daily-double or other combination ticket.
- Canadian - Also known as a Super Yankee. A
Canadian is a combination bet consisting of 26 bets with 5 selections
in different events. The combination bet is made up of 10 doubles, 10
trebles, five 4-folds and one 5-fold.
- Card - Another term for fixture or race meeting.
- Carpet - UK slang for Odds of 3 to 1 (also known
as 'Tres' or 'Gimmel').
- Caulk - Projection on the bottom of a shoe to
give the horse better traction, especially on a wet track.
- Century - GBP� 100 (also known as a 'Ton').
- Chalk - Wagering favorite in a race. Dates from
the days when on-track bookmakers would write current odds on a
chalkboard.
- Chalk Player - Bettor who wagers on favorites.
- Chase - See 'Steeplechase'.
- Checked - A horse pulled up by his jockey for an
instant because he is cut off or in tight quarters.
- Chute - Extension of the backstretch or
homestretch to allow a longer straight run.
- Client (US) - Purchaser of betting information
from horseman or other tipster.
- Close (US) - Final odds on a horse (e.g. 'closed
at 5 to 1'). Confusingly equates to 'Starting Price' in the UK.
- Closer - A horse that runs best in the latter
part of the race (closing race), coming from off the pace.
- Co-Favorites - Where three or more competitors
share the status as favorite.
- Colors (Colours) - Racing silks, the jacket and
cap worn by jockeys. Silks can be generic and provided by the track or
specific to one owner.
- Colt - An ungelded (entire) male horse
four-years-old or younger.
- Combination Bet - Selecting any number of
teams/horses to finish first and second in either order.
- Conditional Jockey - Same as 'Apprentice' but
also allowed to jump.
- Correct Weight - Horses are allocated a weight to
carry that is checked before and, for at least the placegetters, after
a race. Correct weight must be signaled before bets can be paid out.
- Daily Double - Type of wager calling for the
selection of winners of two consecutive races, usually the first and
second. See 'Late Double'.
- Daily Racing Form - A daily newspaper containing
racing information including news, past performance data and
handicapping.
- Daily Triple - A wager where the bettor must
select the winner of three consecutive races.
- Dead Heat - A tie. Two or more horses finishing
equal in a race.
- Dead Track - Racing surface lacking resiliency.
- Declaration Of Weights - The publication of
weights allocated to each horse nominated for a race by the
handicapper.
- Declared - In the United States, a horse
withdrawn from a stakes race in advance of scratch time. In Europe, a
horse confirmed to start in a race.
- Deductions - When a horse is scratched from a
race after betting on that race has already started, deductions are
taken out of the win and place bets at a rate in proportion to the
odds of the scratched horse.
- Derby - A stakes event for three-year-olds.
- Dime (US) - A bet of USD$ 1,000 (also known as a
'dime bet').
- Distanced - Well beaten, finishing a long
distance behind the winner.
- Dividend - The amount that a winning or placed
horse returns for every $1 bet by the bettor.
- Dog (US) - The underdog in any betting
proposition.
- Dog Player (US) - A bettor who mainly wagers on
the underdog.
- Double - Selecting the winners in two specific
races.
- Double Carpet - UK slang for Odds of 33 to 1,
based on 'Carpet'.
- Draw - Refers to a horse's placing in the
starting stalls. For flat racing only. Stall numbers are drawn at
random.
- Drift - (Also, Ease) Odds that 'Lengthen', are
said to have drifted, or be 'On The Drift'.
- Driving - Strong urging by rider.
- Dual Forecast - A tote bet operating in races of
3 or more declared runners in which the punter has to pick the first
two to finish in either order.