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Glossary Central - horse racing glossary Category: Agriculture and Industry > Horses and racing Date & country: 31/05/2011, USA Words: 135

all clear
Signified by a siren at the end of a race, the all clear means that the stewards deem the finishing order of horses is correct and bets may be paid out. It also means that no protest or objection has been made by the connections of any horse in the race.

ante-post prices
Odds offered before the day of the race.

apprentice
A boy rider apprenticed to a racing stable until he is aged 25 or until he has ridden 95 winners.

attack
To challenge the leading horse during a race, in an attempt to take the lead. An attack can sap the horse's energy, or even that of the leader, and may leave both of those horses with little in reserve for the finish.

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 inclement weather which made racing on the track unsafe. A race meeting may also be abandoned part way through because of inclement weather.

accumulator
A bet that four or more horses win, or are placed (each way), in separate races run on the same day. The winnings on the first horse go onto the second and then onto the third, fourth and so on. It is also possible to bet on four or more sports events on different days, including major horse races advertised ante-post. (Also described as four timers, four-folds, five timers, five-folds etc).

stayer
A horse which has the endurance to race well over long distances. Sometimes a person will comment that a horse can 'stay all day'. This means the horse in question is a good stayer and will continue to race at a said pace for however long is asked of them.

stud book
Registry and genealogical record of thoroughbreds, maintained by the Jockey Club of the country in question.

requalify
A horse which has raced intractably in a registered event, or causes a false start or behaves intractably at the start, may be barred from racing by the Stewards until it can perform satisfactorily in one or more qualifying trials. Once the horse has achieved this, the horse has requalified to start in registered events.

square gaiting
Another term describing the gait of a trotter. When trotting or square gaiting, a horse stretches its left front and right rear legs forward almost simultaneously and then follows suit with its right front and left rear legs.

spell
The resting period between preparations or racing. Horses cannot remain in peak form and hard training all year round. Sooner or later they become stale and require a spell so that their system may regenerate.

yearling
Any horse between its first and second birthday.

wire
Another term for the finish line.

winning post
The post, usually stipulating the name of the paceway, which marks exactly where the finish line is for all races at that track.

without cover
To race in front of all other horses, without any protection from the wind resistance. A horse can be racing without cover if it is the leader, racing in the death seat, or racing out wide on the track.

whip
An implement used by the driver to spur on the horse in the run to the finish line. Drivers will tap their horse with the whip when they want them to accelerate. A driver may only use the whip in an elbow action - upper arm action is not permitted.

weakened
A horse which started off well in a race and was in a position from which it could win, but could not keep up that pace or keep up with the pace of the other runners and dropped back in the field. That horse is said to have weakened.

weanling
A baby horse, up to its first birthday.

weight
The weight carried by each horse in a race. Includes the jockey and all equipment except the bridle and the jockey's helmet. If this is not enough to match the weight demanded by the official 'handicapper' then dead weight is added to the saddle pockets. If he fails, the fact that he is 'carrying overweight' will be announced on the race course.

well tried
A horse which has been well supported by punters.

well drawn
To be given a favourable starting position or barrier, that suits the way that particular horse runs. For instance, a horse which is a good beginner (has a lot of early speed) would be considered to be well-drawn in the front row.

under pressure
To be given a hard time or experience a hard run during a race. A horse may be placed under pressure by another runner in the field, for instance, when being attacked for the lead. Under pressure may also refer to a horse that is finding it hard to keep up with the pace (is weakening), or is not responding to the driver's command to accelerate.

tracks
Circuit lengths are Half-Mile in America, five furlongs/1000 meters (predominant in Scandinavia and much of Europe) and mile, though the famous 'Grande piste' at Vincennes in Paris is 2000 meters. Racing 'one wide' outside another horse means covering an extra 63 feet (almost 6 lengths) per mile on a half mile track and 47 feet on a five-eights one.

tout
See tipster.

trotter
Horses which move with a diagonal gait.

tipster
A person who presents himself as an expert on shares or racing and offer advice on current opportunities for profit.

tipped out
A driver who falls off the sulky or is thrown out, usually as a result of interference between his or her horse and another runner. The horse may also fall during the race.

timing board
This displays the progressive sectional, lead and overall times during a race, and the sectional and overall time, mile rate, placings and margins after a race.

sulky
Also known as the cart or gig, the sulky is the contraption attached to the harness which carries the driver and which the horse pulls. A modern sulky has two bicycle tyres and weighs around 25kg.

suspension
A driver or trainer who is deemed, by the stewards, to have broken one or more of the rules of harness racing, may receive a suspension as punishment. A suspension means a driver cannot participate in any race and a trainer may not train for a set period of time. The length of time a trainer or driver is suspended is decided by the stewards in relation to the severity of their offence. For instanc...

stacked up
The opposite to strung out. In a field which is stacked up, the distances between the leader, rear horse and all other runners will be quite small.

stables
Areas, enclosures or places on a Paceway used for the accommodation of horses competing at a meeting. Stables may also refer to the areas on a trainer's property or other property where their horses are accommodated.

stallion
A male horse, generally retired from racing, that stands at stud and is used for breeding purposes.

stake
The amount bet by the punter on a single transaction.

standardbred
Most harness racehorses in Britain, North America and Australasia are Standardbreds, so called because the American harness studbook, begun last century, used the ability to cover a mile in a 'standard' time (initially 2 min 30 secs) as the criteria for entry. In Europe the French Trotter, the Sandinavian 'cold-blood' and the Russian Orlov are also used in harness racing, though standardbreds ...