Glossary of North American horse racing

Glossary of North American horse racing:

Additional glossaries at:
 * Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting
 * Glossary of equestrian terms
 * Parimutuel betting

A
Advance-deposit wagering:

Allowance race:

Allowances:

Allowance optional claiming:

Also eligible:

Apprentice:

B
Backside:

Backstretch:

Bearing In (or out):

Black type:

Blanket finish:

Bleeder, bled:

Blinkers:

Bloodstock agent:

Blue hen:

Book:

Bounce:

Break or broke:

Break maiden:

Breather:

Breeze:

Broke down:

Bullet or bullet work:

Butazolidin or bute:

C
Chalk: The horse who runs a particular race at the best win odds; the favorite. A bettor who routinely places wagers on favorites is called a "Chalk Player." The horse with the second—-lowest win odds is sometimes called "Second Chalk" and so on. If all the races run so far have been won by horses with relatively low win odds, then today's results so far are called "Chalky."

Champion: Formally, and especially when capitalized, a Champion is a racehorse who has won an Eclipse Award in America, or an equivalent award in other racing jurisdictions. Informally, the term may be used for the winner of a major race.

Chart: A detailed list of statistics about a race. The chart lists the position of each horse at various points of the race, the margin between horses, plus the odds for the race, and each horse's sex, age, weight carried, owner, and trainer. The chart also describes the purse, race conditions, payouts for various winning bets, times and other data.

Chute:

Circle the field:

Claiming race:

Closer:

Clubhouse turn:

Conditions:

Connections:

Coupled:

D
Dead heat:

Derby:

Did not finish (DNF):

E


Eased:

Eighth pole:

Entry:

F
Far turn:

Fast pace:

Frontrunner, pacesetter:

Furlong:

Furosemide:

Futurity:

G
Graded stakes race:

H
Half-brother, half-sister:

Handicap:

Handily:

Hand ride:

Handle:

Head of the stretch, top of the stretch:

Hit the board:

Homestretch or stretch:

I
In the money:

Inquiry:

J
Juvenile:

L
Lasix:

Length:

M
Maiden race:

Margin:

Minus pool:

Morning line:

Mudder:

N
never fired:

New shooter:

Nom de course:

Nose:

O
Oaks:

Odds-on:

Optional claiming:

Out of the money: For a horse to finish worse than third, meaning that bettors do not win money. Opposite of "in the money".

P


Pace:

Pacemaker, Rabbit:

Pacesetter:

Paddock:

Past performances:

Phenylbutazone:

Photo finish:

Pinhook, pinhooking:

Place:

Place bet:

Pole:

Post:

Post parade:

Post position:

Post time:

Prep:

Pull up:

Q
Quarter pole:

R


Rabbit:

Racecard:

Racemare:

Race meet:

Racetrack or racecourse:

Rail:

Rank:

Rank outsider:

Rate:

Ridden out:

S
Scratch:

Sealed track:

Show:

Silks/colors, colours:

Stakes race:

Stalker:

Stayer:

Steward or track steward:

Stretch:

Stud mare:

T
Top of the stretch:

Track record/course record:

U
Undercard:

W
Walkover:

Washy, Washed out:

Weight for Age:

Winner's circle:

Wire to wire: