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Horseracing
has a language of its own, and the richness of its expressions
adds to the romance of the sport. But we don't want a new and
different language to deter you from fully enjoying your day at
the races. Here are some good words to know.
ACROSS
THE BOARD - Betting a horse
to win, place and show.
APPRENTICE
- A jockey at the beginning of their career. Because of their
rider's inexperience, the mounts of an apprentice jockey receive
weight allowances.
BANDAGES -
Wrappings on the lower parts of horse's legs. They are used for
support or to protect the legs from abrasions.
BIT
- The metal bar attached to the bridle that is placed in the
horse's mouth and is used through the reins to give the jockey
control over his mount.
BLINKERS
- A hood designed to limit a horse's side vision. Blinkers are
frequently used to focus a horse's attention on running and also
with horses that shy away from horses beside them.
CHALK
- The favorite in a race.
CLASS
- Thoroughbred racing has
three broad classes of races. You can think of the types of races
as forming a pyramid, with Claiming Races forming the base.
Claimers are horses whose owners are willing to sell them (have
them claimed) at a specific price. Next are Allowance Races, which
have weight assignments based on the horse's accomplishments. At
the top of the pyramid are Stakes Races, and the best of the best
are Graded Stakes Races.
CLOSERS
Horses that fall back
early, but come running late.
COLT
- A male horse from birth through age four. An older male is known
as a horse. A castrated male is referred to as a gelding.
DEAD
HEAT - A tie. Close finishes
at the track are decided through the use of a photo-finish camera.
DISQUALIFICATION
- Moving a horse down in the finishing order because of an
infraction that impeded another horse. At the track, it's often
said that a horse was DQed. Also, a disqualified horse is said to
have had its "number taken down" from the tote board.
EXOTIC
WAGERS - At one time, wagers
such as the Exacta and Trifecta were so innovative that they were
regarded as "exotic". Today, they are among the staples
of a bettor's program.
FILLY
- A female horse through the age of four. An older female is known
as a mare.
FRONT
RUNNERS Horses that run
on or near the lead.
FULL-CARD
SIMULCASTING - Transmitting
entire racing cards from one track into another across state
boundaries. Turfway Park has an extensive full-card simulcasting
program in The Race Book at Turfway Park.
HANDICAP
-A race in which the horses are assigned different amounts of
weight to carry, according to their respective abilities and past
performances.
INTERTRACK
WAGERING - When races are
transmitted electronically to another track within the same state
and betting is conducted on those races. It is virtually
synonymous with simulcasting.
LASIX
- Trade name for the diuretic furosemide, which is commonly
administerd to prevent bleeding in the horse's pulmonary system.
Its use is indicated by the letter (L) in the Official Program.
MAIDEN
- A horse who has not yet won.
MUDDERS
Horses that like to run
on a muddy or sloppy track.
ODDS
ON - Odds less than even
money, such as 3-5.
OVERWEIGHT
- Sometimes, horses are assigned low weights and their riders
cannot reduce to the assignment. The horse then carries an
overweight, the difference between the assignment and the jockey's
weight.
STALKERS
Horses that follow,
stalk, the early speed.
STEWARD
- One of the presiding judges at a race meet. Stewards assure that
the rules of racing are being followed and that the races are
conducted fairly.
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