| Allowance: |
is the weight
concession the horse is given to compensate for its rider's
inexperience |
| All Weather Racing: |
flat racing
which takes place on an artificial surface |
| Amateur (rider): |
on racecards,
their names are prefixed by Mr, Mrs, Captain, etc, to indicate their amateur
status |
| Ante-Post: |
betting
(usually on the most important races) days, weeks and even months before the
race is due to take place |
| Apprentice: |
a young jockey
tied by annually renewed contract to a licensed trainer while he or she is
learning the business of race-ridingon the flat |
| Bankroll: |
Also known as
'roll' or 'wad' (colloq.) This is gambling money or risk money, as
opposed to the money you live on. |
| Book: |
Running a
'book' is the act of quoting odds and accepting bets on an event. Hence the
term 'Bookmaker'. |
| Case money: |
Emergency
money. |
| Chase: |
Having lost
money on a bet, "chasing" is having another bet simply to try and get back the
loss, usually on a random wager. |
| 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 |
| Draw: |
for flat
racing only, describes a horse's position in the starting stalls, drawn
randomly the day before |
| Exacta: |
First two
horses in a race in the correct order . |
| Drop: |
Money
lost. |
| Filly: |
Female horse
up to four years old |
| Foal: |
Horse of
either sex from the time of its birth until 1 January 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 considered to have a
significant advantage in terms of physical development at this early stage in
its caree |
| Gelding: |
castrated
horse |
| Get on: |
Have your bet
accepted |
| Going: |
the
description of conditions underfoot on the racecourse. Official Jockey Club
going reports progress as follows: Heavy - soft - good to soft - good - good to
firm -firm |
| Hand: |
unit of four
inches in which a horse's height is measured, at the shoulder |
| Jolly: |
Betting
parlance for the favourite in a race - the horse with the shortest
odds |
| Juice: |
(U.S) See 'Vig'.. |
| Juvenile: |
Two-year-old
horse |
| Lay: |
Take a bet on,
like a Bookmaker. |
| Line Betting: |
It is an
even-money paid bet where you take a position either side of two possible
outcomes of the event. e.g. England runs vs. Australia may quote 225-230
(a bit like a spread), thats called the Line. Selling the Line
means you win if they score less than 225 and Buying the line
means winning if they score more than 230. This is popular in the
U.S. |
| Maiden: |
Horse which
has not won a race |
| Mare: |
Female horse
five years and over |
| Match Bet: |
A bet between
two horses or people, not necessarily in competition with each other. e.g. two
golfers who will be trying to win their tournament, not beat each other or be
aware that the bet exists |
| Objection: |
complaint by
one jockey against another regarding breach of rules during a race |
| Odds: |
The ratio to
which your bet will be paid if your bet wins. e.g. 3-1 means for every £1
you bet, you will receive £3 of winnings |
| On tilt: |
Losing the
ability to rationalise bets and betting wildly on every race. |
| Overlay: |
This is a
price offered on a particular horse that is higher than the true odds of it winning. |
| Paddock: |
area of the
racecourse incorporating the pre-parade ring, parade ring (where horses are
paraded before each race) and winner's enclosure |
| Plater: |
Horse which
usually runs in selling races |
| Pool: |
A pool is a
sum of many collected as bets on a horse race. i.e. the tote. |
| Price: |
Noun ~
The quoted odds for a horse to win
Verb ~ The process of giving
Prices |
| Quinella: |
First two
finishers in no particular order. |
| Schooled: |
Trained to
jump |
| Shorten: |
Odds that
reduce, say from 10-1 to 8-1, are said to have shortened. |
| Sire: |
Father of a
horse |
| Stewards: |
The panel of
men and women - usually a total of four - who are responsible for ensuring
adherence to the Rules of Racing |
| Tote: |
"Tote" is
short for Totalisator, a system introduced to Britain in 1929 to offer pool
betting on racecourses. |
| True Odds: |
The real odds
of something happening as opposed to what the bookies offer. |
| Vig: |
Vig is short
for the word 'vigorish'. Also referred to as 'juice' (US). The edge that one
side of a bet has to make their advantage. |
| White meat: |
 Profit. |
| Yearling: |
Horse of
either sex from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its
birth |
Main Menu
