Horse Racing Glossary of Terms

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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.
  

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