09 Racing Glossary / Betfair Education / 24 November 2008 / Leave a comment

If you've ever looked at a formguide, particularly one from outside your home country, then you have probably been confused at some of the terminology used. This definitive guide covers racing terms you are likely to find in Australia, the UK and the US. For the sake of simplicity, please note abbreviations for the UK also include Ireland, the US includes Canada and Australia includes New Zealand.

A

Abandoned - a race meeting which will not go ahead due to bad weather, lack of nominations or unforeseen circumstances.

Acceptor - a horse officially listed to start in a race.

Accumulator (UK) - refers to a single bet with selections in several events or races. All selections must win for the bet to be successful. Every time a selection wins, the stake plus winnings is then invested onto the next selection. Any loser means the whole bet loses. Accumulators are also referred to as doubles, trebles, four-folds etc. A winning accumulator can turn a small stake into a big payout, however the odds are remote and bookmakers make a big margin on these bets. Also known as All-up (Aus)

Across the Board (US) - betting on a horse to Win (1st), Place (1st or 2nd - US only) and Show (1st, 2nd or 3rd). Three bets in all.

Age - in the northern hemisphere, all thoroughbreds count January 1 as their birthday so races can be run according to age groups. In the southern hemisphere, the breeding season is different, so August 1 is the common birthday for thoroughbreds.

All-age Race - as it sounds, a race for all-aged horses, from two years (minimum racing age) upwards. Usually held in the latter half of the season when younger horses are mature enough to compete against older runners.

All Out - a horse giving absolutely everything, usually in the latter stages, in order to win the race.

Allowance - reduction in weight to be carried by the horse because of certain conditions - apprentice jockey, young horse competing against older rivals, female horse facing male rivals etc. Also a type of US race restricted to certain types of horses.

All-up (Aus) - see Accumulator.

All-Weather Racing - racing which occurs on an artificial surface, i.e. neither dirt nor grass.

Also-Ran - horse that finished well back in the field, gaining no prizemoney for connections or returns for punters.

Amateur - jockey who is not professional. Usually only rides in races restricted to amateur jockeys. Usually denoted by Mr, Miss, Captain etc.

Antepost (UK) - long-term racing markets, such as betting on next year's Derby or Grand National. The prices on offer are generally higher than will occur on the day of the race because part of the risk is that the horse won't start in the race. No refunds are given on horses which do not compete in the race. See Futures (Aus).

Apprentice - inexperienced jockey competing on the flat. In most races, the horse will be given an allowance (less weight) to compensate for the apprentice's lack of experience, otherwise trainers would rarely use them. The size of the allowance/claim depends upon how many winners the apprentice has ridden.

Approximates - tote pool prices. As these dividends are not fixed until after the race, any price/odds seen before the race are only approximate.

Arbitrage - also known as risk-free betting. A type of betting which aims to lock in a profit by betting on all options across various betting companies (bookmakers, exchanges, totes) and taking advantage of price variations. If done correctly, the 'arber' doesn't care who wins the event.

AWT - All Weather Track

B

Back - to bet on something to happen/win, to place a wager.

Backed - a horse that has been supported, popular in the betting.

Backed in - a horse whose odds have decreased due to the number of bets placed on it to win the race.

Back straight - straight part of the track on the far side from the finish line. Also known as Back stretch (US).

Backward - a horse that has not developed as much as expected or is not as fit as expected to be e.g. the horse was backward in its preparation.

Banker - a heavily-favoured selection. In multiple bets, the banker is included on its own as a leg of an accumulator or in trifectas etc.

Bar Price - not the price of beer. In big fields, the longer-priced runners may be listed as 25 bar, meaning every other horse at least 25/1. Usually shown in media when space is limited.

Barrier - starting stall, a framework used to separate horses at the start of a race. Used only for flat races in the UK and Ireland, barriers are drawn randomly when the final field is declared. The importance of which barrier the horse starts from varies according to track and distance.

Beard - person used to place bets for a punter who wishes to keep his identity concealed due to publicity, not wanting to give away secret information or the bookmaker may otherwise restrict his bets. Also known as a bowler (Aus).

Bearing In (Out) - going wide on the turn (out) or moving towards the inside rail (in). Failing to maintain a straight course, veering to the left or right. Also known as Hanging In/Out. Can be caused by fatigue, injury, aversion to the whip or other factors.

Bell Lap - harness racing term for one lap to go, acknowledged by a bell as the leader passes the finishing post with one lap remaining.

Bet - a transaction of risk where the punter places money on a selection in order to win more money should the selection win.

Betting Board - a board used by a bookmaker to display their odds at a racetrack.

Betting Ring - the main area of a racecourse where bookmakers operate.

Bettor (US) - someone who places a bet. Known as a punter in most other countries.

Beyer Number (US) - a handicapping (form analysing) tool, devised by Andrew Beyer, assigning a numerical value to each race run by a horse based on final time and track condition. This enables different horses running at different racetracks to be objectively compared. Specific to US racing where early speed on dirt is a crucial factor.

Bismarck - a heavily-favoured horse which a bookmaker or media pundit does not expect to win. Named after a famous battleship sunk in World War II.

Black-type - bold type in a sales catalogue. Horses which have won or been placed in stakes races are said to have achieved 'black-type' which distinguishes them from lesser horses.

Blank day - a day with no racing scheduled.

Blanket Finish - when the horses finish so close together on the winning line that you could theoretically place a single blanket across them.

Blinkers - a cup-shaped device applied over the sides of the horse's head near the eyes to limit vision. This helps the horse to concentrate and avoid being distracted by horses or objects close by. Putting blinkers on a horse for the first time can result on a sharp improvement in form. Horses by certain sires react better than others to wearing blinkers.

Blow-out - a longshot winner, a race where very few punters won.

Bolt - going away very fast, eg the winner bolted in (won easily) or the loose horse bolted away (ran freely without a jockey).

Book - a bookmaker's tally of bets on a race. The bookmaker tries to attract equal business on each horse in order to guarantee a profit, though this is rarely achieved by taking bets alone.

Bookmaker - person/company who is licensed to accept bets on the result of an event based on their provision of odds to customers. Most commonly found on racecourses, but also in licensed betting shops in Britain and Ireland. Also know as a Bookie.

Bottle - UK slang for odds of 2 to 1.

Bowler (Aus) - see Beard.

Box - a wagering term denoting a combination bet with all possible numeric combinations covered, e.g. a box trifecta with three horses covers all six possible combinations of those horses running first, second and third.

Boxed In - being trapped by other horses and unable to accelerate when the jockey wants to.

Break down - when a horse suffers a serious injury, potentially ending its career.

Breeders' Cup - North America's 'World Championship' of racing, now conducted over two days with very big prizemoney. Races are conducted across a variety of age groups and distances, with both sexes catered for.

Breeze - easy workout, often used in sales, eg 'Breeze Up Sales' when young horses are given a short gallop in front of potential buyers.

Bridge jumper (US) - a punter who invests vast sums of money on heavy favourites to run a place (show in US). So named because of the 'only' option remaining if the unthinkable happens. Also known as a 'bank teller bet' in Australia, where bank tellers back in the 1930s would allegedly take the cash out of the drawer on Friday night, invest in a very short-priced favourite, pocket the winnings and put the cash back in the drawer on Monday. This system famously came unstuck when champion horse Ajax was beaten at prohibitive odds of 1/40.

Bug boy (US) - apprentice jockey

Bull ring (US) - small racetrack less than one mile in circumference.

Burlington Bertie - UK slang for 100/30.

Buy price - in Spread or Index betting, the higher price quoted by the bookmaker.

C

Canadian - also known as a Super Yankee. A combination bet comprised of 26 bets linking five selections in 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and one five-fold.

Card - fixture or race meeting.

Carpet - UK slang for 3 to 1.

Chalk - betting favourite in a race. Many years ago bookmakers would write their odds on a blackboard with chalk.

Chalk player - favourite backer

Chase - type of race over thick, brush fences. Also known as a Steeplechase.

Checked - when a jockey has to briefly pull up a horse because it has been cut off or blocked for a run.

Chute - extension of a racecourse to allow a longer straight run from a particular starting position.

Claimer - a race in which all horses are entered subject to claim at a specified price. The price set determines the class of the race and the weight the horse will carry, but each horse can be purchased before the price, thus deterring owners with a good horse entering it into a weak race, because it may be claimed by someone else. Also known as a Claiming Race.

Closer (US) - horse that runs on late, coming from off the pace. Known as a hold-up horse in the UK or swooper in Australia.

Co-favourite - UK term for when three or more horses share the status as favourite.

Colours - racing silks worn by a jockey, usually specific to the owner(s) or trainer.

Colt - an ungelded (entire) male horse aged four years old or less (UK, US), three years or less in Australia.

Combination bet - a bet with multiple options taken, e.g. Scoop6 ticket with more than one horse in each race, or a forecast bet combining three runners.

Conditional jockey - the National Hunt version of an apprentice jockey.

Correct weight - signal given after a race (Australia, US) to announce all bets can now be paid. This is given after horses have returned to scale and the jockeys of the placegetters have carried their correct weight. Known as 'Weighed In' in the UK. If a jockey weighs in light (i.e. the horse has carried less than it should have), the horse will be disqualified.

Cracking pace - very fast early speed in a race.

Crossing to the fence - when a horse drawn wide shifts closer to the rail.

Crossing to the lead - when a horse drawn wide pushes forward and takes the lead by crossing to the fence.