Copy of `Cheltenham Festival - Horseracing terms`

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Cheltenham Festival - Horseracing terms Category: Sport and Leisure > Horseracing Date & country: 27/04/2011, UK Words: 54

Amateur
A non-professional rider who can be identified on any racecard as their title Mr, Mrs, Ms, Captain etc appears in front of their name.

Blinkers
This is a type of hood that fits over a horse

Blown up
When a horse starts to drop out of contention in a race due to lack of fitness.

Bumper
The informal term for a flat race for jump horses, in which they gain racing experience before going hurdling or chasing.

Clerk of the Course
The person responsible for the overall management of a racecourse during the raceday.

Clerk of the Scales
The person responsible for checking a jockey's weight against the allocated weight the horse is allowed to carry.

Colours
Shirts or

Conditional
A young jockey tied to a trainer whilst gaining race-riding experience. When racing against professional jockeys Conditionals often receive weight concessions to compensate for their relative inexperience.

Conditions
The make-up of a race, as in the number of runners, the ground conditions, if it

Connections
Term used to refer to a horse

Cut in the ground
A description of the ground condition, when there is give in the surface, also called

Dam
The mother of a horse.

Distance
The length of a race. It can also refer to the margin by which a horse wins or is beaten. This can range from

Field
Term for the runners in a race.

Form
A horse's race record. Denoted by figures next to its name in a racecard e.g. 1=1st, 2=2nd etc.

Furlong
The measure of distance used for all flat races in the British Isles. One Furlong equates to 220 yards and there are eight Furlongs in a mile.

Gelding
A male horse that has been castrated.

Get the trip
Usually said of a horse that stays the particular distance of the race.

Going
The official description of the state of the ground. This can range from heavy to hard, with variants in between.

Green
A horse is described as "green" or "running green" when he or she shows signs of inexperience.

Hacked up
When a horse has won easily.

Handicap
Probably the single most important term used in racing. After it has raced a few times and been adequately assessed a horse is awarded a handicap mark that allows it to be compared to all other horses under that code (horses can have different handicap marks for turf, all-weather, chase and hurdles races). A horse's handicap figure is then adjusted by the official handicappers judged on its subse...

Hands and heels
Riding a horse without using a whip.

Handy
A description of a horse who is in a prominent position during a race.

Hunter chase
A race restricted to horses that have hunted during the present hunting season.

Judge
The official responsible for declaring the finishing order and declaring the Distances between runners.

Length
The measurement used to describe the distance between horses in a finish with one Length equating to the body length of an average horse. Where a horse wins a race by a distance of less than one length, the winning margin will be described as anything from a short head (the closest of margins) to

Maiden
The name given to all horses without a victory.

Mare
Female horse aged five and above.

National Hunt
The traditional name for jumps racing.

Objection
A complaint by one jockey against another regarding breach of rules during a race.

Off the pace
When a horse isn't keeping up with other horses in a race.

Open ditch
A steeplechase fence with a ditch on the take-off side.

Over the top
A horse past his peak for the season.

Pace
The speed at which a race is run. Up with the pace means close to the leaders, off the pace means some way behind.

Pecked/Nodded
When a horse's head nearly lands on the ground after jumping a fence.

Penalty
An addition to a horse's weight when it has won a race after the entries for a future race have closed and therefore before the official handicapper has had a change to reassess their handicap mark. The amount of the penalty depends on the value of the race won.

Permit holder
A trainer who is only qualified to train for members of their family.

Photo finish
Electronic photographic equipment which decides who has won in a close finish.

Ping
To ping is a verb often used to describe when a horse is jumping in particularly good style.

Pulled Up
A horse who is stopped by his jockey from carrying on in a race, often because that horse is too tired to continue. Denoted by a

Racing plate
Lightweight horseshoes specially fitted for racing.

Refused
When a horse stops instead of jumping over a fence. Denoted by an

Run free
A horse going too fast too early, which then can

Schooling
Teaching a horse to race or jump. A "well-schooled" horse is less likely to show signs of inexperience or "greenness".

Scope
A horse is said to have scope if it is likely to improve with age and as it grows into its frame.

Spread a plate
When a racing plate or horseshoe comes off, sometimes causing delay to the start of a race as the horse is re-shod.

Stayers
Horses who have a lot of stamina and are more likely to show up best over 3 miles, rather than 2 miles over jumps, and over 2 miles on the flat.

Steeplechase
A horse race over fences, open ditches and water jumps.

Stewards
The group of people responsible for ensuring adherence to the rules of racing.

Stiff track
A track that requires a lot of stamina, such as one with a long home straight or an uphill finish, like Cheltenham.

Weigh in/out
Weighing the jockey before and after the race to make sure the horse carried the right weight. The

Weight cloth
A cloth with pockets for lead weights placed under the saddle.

Weights
Lead strips placed in a weight cloth to bring the jockey and tack up to the handicap weight.