RACING PHRASE BOOK

ACCUMULATOR bet involving two or more selections in different races: winnings from one are placed on the next

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 young jockey tied by annually renewed contract to a licensed trainer while he or she is learning the business of race-riding

BACKWARD used of a horse which needs time to mature

CLAIMER of a race: a claiming race; of a jockey: an apprentice

COLT male, ungelded horse up to four years old

DAM mother of a horse

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 shortly after the horses are declared to run

EVENS or EVEN MONEY when your stake exactly equals your winnings - thus £5 at evens wins a further £5

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

FURLONG 220 yards (one eighth of a mile)

GELDING castrated horse

GOING the description of conditions underfoot on the racecourse. Official BHA going reports progress as follows:

Heavy - soft - good to soft - good - good to firm - firm - hard

GREEN (of a horse) inexperienced

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 returned to you): thus a winning £2 bet at 2-1 on wins you £1

PADDOCK area of the racecourse incorporating the pre-parade ring, parade ring and winner’s enclosure

PATTERN the elite races, divided in Flat racing into Groups One, Two, Three and Listed, and in jumping into Grades One, Two and Three

PENALTY weight added to the allotted handicap weight of a horse which has won since the weights were originally published

SIRE father of a horse

SPREAD A PLATE when a racing plate or horseshoe becomes detached from an animal’s hoof, this sometimes causes a delay while the horse is re-shod

SPRINGER/STEAMER a horse which shortens dramatically in the betting SP/STARTING PRICE the official price of horse at which bets are settled in betting shops

STEWARDS the panel of men and women - usually a total of four - who are responsible for seeing that the Rules of Racing are adhered to STEWARDS’ ENQUIRY enquiry by the stewards into the running of a race TIC-TAC the bookmaker’s method of relaying odds information on the racecourse, by means of hand signals

JUDGE official responsible for declaring the finishing order of a race and the distances between the runners

JUVENILE two-year-old horse

MAIDEN horse which has not won a race

MARE female horse five years and over

MONKEY betting parlance for £500

OBJECTION complaint by one jockey against another regarding breach of rules during a race

ODDS ON odds where the winnings are less than the stake (which is of course

PHOTO FINISH electronic photographic device which determines minimal distances in a close finish

PLATE shoe worn by horse for racing

PLATER horse which usually runs in selling races (selling ‘plates’)

PONY betting parlance for £25

RULE 4 betting rule covering deductions made from winning bets if a horse is withdrawn after the betting market has been formed but before the ‘Under Starter’s Orders’ signal; the amount deducted depends on the price of the withdrawn horse

WEIGH IN/WEIGH OUT weighing of jockey before and after a race to ensure that the correct weight has been carried; the announcement ‘weighed in’ signals that the result is official, and all bets can be settled

YANKEE combination bet involving four selections in different races: six doubles, four trebles and one four-horse accumulator - eleven bets

YEARLING horse of either sex from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its birth.