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Il Dado - Horses and racing terms Category: Animals and Nature > Horses and racing Date & country: 25/04/2011, USA Words: 472

Crossing to the Lead
A horse that begins from one of the positions out wider on the track, moves down to the inside fence and then speeds to beat all other horses to the leading position of a race is referred to as crossing to the lead.

Cuppy
A "cuppy" track. A dry and loose racing surface that breaks away under a horse's hooves.

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.

Dark Day
A day when no racing is scheduled.

Dead Heat
A tie. Two or more horses finishing equal in a race.

Dead Track
Racing surface lacking resiliency.

Death (The)
Also known as the death seat. The position outside the leader, one horse off the rails or fence. The death is considered to be the toughest run in a race because the horse in the 'death position/seat' will have to cover more ground than the inside competitor.

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In the United States, a horse withdrawn from a stakes race in advance of scratch time.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').

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.

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.

Dogs Up
Or 'The dogs are up', referring to the rubber traffic cones placed at certain distances out from the inner rail when the track is wet, muddy, soft, yielding or heavy, to prevent horses during the workout period from churning the footing along the rail.

Dosage
A mathematical analysis of a horse's pedigree based on sires being placed in one or more of five categories: brilliant, intermediate, classic, solid, professional.

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.

Each Way
UK term for betting on a horse to win and/or 'Place'. An each way bet is when you have the same amount on the horse for a win and for a place. Bookmakers will give you one quarter of the win odds for a place in fields of eight or more and one third of the win odds in fields of six or seven horses.

Each Way Double
Two separate bets of a win double and a place double.

Each Way Single
Two bets. The first is for the selection to win; the second for it to be placed (each way).

Eclipse Award
Thoroughbred racing's year-end awards, honoring the top horses in 11 separate categories.

Enclosure
The area where the Runners gather for viewing before and after the race.

Entries
A listing of all horses entered in a race, often including additional information and statistics on each horse (like programs or racecards, but usually with slightly less data).

Entry
A horse entered in a race.

Equibase (Company)
A partnership between The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations to establish and maintain an industry-owned, central database of racing records. Equibase past-performance information is used in track programs across North America.

Equivalent Odds
Mutuel price horses would pay for each $1 bet.

Even Money Bet (or Evens)
A 1:1 bet. A $10 wager wins $10.

Evenly
Neither gaining nor losing position or distance during a race.

Exacta
(Also, Perfecta) A wager that picks the first two finishers in a race in the exact order of finish. (Straight Forecast in the UK.)

Exacta Box
A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are covered.

Exotic (wager)
Any wager other than win, place or show.

Exposure
The amount of money one actually stands to lose on a game or race.

Extended
Forced to run at top speed.

False Favorite
A horse that is a race favorite despite being outclassed by others.

Faltered
A horse that was in contention early in the race but drops back in the late stages.

Fast (track)
Optimum condition for a dirt track that is dry, even, resilient and fast.

Favorite
The most popular horse in a race, which is quoted at the lowest odds because it is deemed to have the best chance of winning the race.

Feature Races
Top races.

Fence
The inside fence is the inside running rail around the race track, while the outside fence is the outside running rail.

Field
1) All the runners in a race. 2) Some sportsbooks or bookmakers may well group all the outsiders in a competition under the banner headline of 'Field' and put it head to head with the favorite. This is known as favorite vs the field betting and is common in horse and golf betting.

Field Horse
Two or more starters running as a single betting unit, when there are more entrants than positions on the totalisator board can accommodate.

Filly
Female horse four-years-old or younger.

Fire
A burst of acceleration by a horse in a race. Example: 'The horse did fire (or didn't fire) when asked'.

Firm (track)
A condition of a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track. A firm, resilient surface.

First Up
The first run a horse has in a new campaign or preparation.

Fixed Odds
Your dividend is fixed at the odds when you placed your bet.

Fixture
See 'Meeting'.

Flag/Super Robin
A bet consisting of 23 bets on 4 selections in different events (6 Doubles, 4 Trebles, 1 Fourfold, plus 12 single stake cross bets).

Flash (US)
Change of odds information on tote board.

Flat race
Contested on level ground as opposed to a steeplechase.

Flatten Out
When a horse drops his head almost in a straight line with his body, generally from exhaustion.

Float
1) An equine dental procedure in which sharp points on the teeth are filed down. 2) The instrument with which the above procedure is performed.

Floating
Flat plate or wooden implement dragged over the surface of a wet track to aid in draining water.

Foal
A baby horse, usually refers to either a male or female horse from birth to January 1st of the following year. All racehorses are given the nominal birthday of January 1st. Thus a two-year-old born in June and one born in January of the same year are considered to be of the same age for the purposes of satisfying the conditions of some races re: weight carried. In reality, the January horse may be...

Fold
When preceded by a number, a fold indicates the number of selections in an accumulator (e.g. 5-Fold = 5 selections).

Forecast
A wager that involves correctly predicting the 1st and 2nd for a particular event. This bet can be straight, reversed or permed. (USA, Perfecta or Exacta).

Form
Statistics of previous performance and comment as to the expected current performance of a runner, useful in deciding which runner to bet on.

Form Player
A bettor who makes selections from past-performance records.

Fresh (Freshened)
A rested horse or a freshened horse.

Front-runner
A horse whose running style is to attempt to get on or near the lead at the start of the race and stay there as long as possible.

Frozen (track)
A condition of a racetrack where any moisture present is frozen.

FTL
FTL stands for 'First Time Lasix'. Lasix is a brand name for "furosemide" or "frusemide". The name 'lasix' is derived from 'lasts six' (hours)

Full Cover
All the doubles, trebles and accumulators involved in a given number of selections.

Furlong
One-eighth of a mile or 220 yards or 660 feet (approx. 200 meters).

Futures
(Also, Ante Post) Bets placed in advance predicting the outcome of a future event.

Gait
Harness horses are divided into two distinct groups, pacers or trotters, depending on their gait when racing. The gait is the manner in that a horse moves its legs when running. The pacer is a horse with a lateral gait, whereas a trotter or square-gaiter has a diagonal gait.

Gate
Another term for barrier, or position a horse will start from.

Gelding
A male horse that has been castrated.

Gentleman Jockey
Amateur rider, generally in steeplechases.

Get on
Have your bet accepted.

Going
The condition of the racecourse (firm, heavy, soft, etc.). Official Jockey Club going reports progress as follows: Heavy

Good (track)
Condition between fast and slow, generally a bit wet. A dirt track that is almost fast or a turf course slightly softer than firm.

Graded Race
Established in 1973 to classify select stakes races in North America, at the request of European racing authorities, who had set up group races two years earlier. Always denoted with Roman numerals I, II, or III. Capitalized when used in race title (the Grade I Kentucky Derby). See 'Group Race' below.

Graduate
Winning for the first time.

Grand
GBP

Green
An inexperienced horse.

Hand
Four inches. A horse's height is measured in hands and inches from the top of the shoulder (withers) to the ground, e.g., 15.2 hands is 15 hands, 2 inches. Thoroughbreds typically range from 15 to 17 hands.

Hand Ride
The jockey urges a horse with the hands and arms without using the whip.

Handicap
1) Race for which the track handicapper assigns the weights to be carried. Each horse is allocated a different weight to carry, the theory being all horses then run on a fair and equal basis.. 2) To make selections on the basis of past performances.

Handicapper
The official who decides the weights to be carried in handicap events, and the grading of horses and greyhounds.

Hang
A horse that hang. A hung horse. See "Hung" below.

Hard (track)
A condition of a turf course where there is no resiliency to the surface.

Head
A margin between horses. One horse leading another by the length of its head.

Head Of The Stretch
Beginning of the straight run to the finish line.

Heavy (track)
Wettest possible condition of a turf course, similar to muddy but slower; not usually found in North America.

Hedge
The covering of a bet with a second bet.

Hedging
A bet made by a cautious bookie on a horse on which he has accepted large bets

Heinz
A Heinz is a multiple bet consisting of 57 bets involving 6 selections in different events. The multiple bet breakdown is 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15x4-folds, 6x5-folds and one 6-fold.

High Weight
Highest weight assigned or carried in a race.

Hit the Board
Horses that 'hit the board' are those whose numbers appear on the tote board as first, second, third or fourth.