Heard a phrase that sounds like code? Don’t worry – racing lingo can be wild! Use our handy guide to brush up on the buzzwords and impress your mates with your new trackside vocabulary. You’ll be talking like a seasoned punter in no time!
Age – All racehorses have the same birthday which is January 1st
Also-ran – a horse that finishes out of the prize money
Apprentice Jockey – a trainee Flat jockey that receives a weight allowance depending on experience.
At the Post – when all the horses have arrived at the start they are said to be “at the post”
Backstraight – the straight part of the track opposite to the finish line.
Banker – the horse expected to win – often a short priced favourite
Blanket finish – when horses finish so close together at the finish line you could throw a horse blanket to cover them all
Bottle – bookmaking term for the odds 2-1
Bumper – a flat race run under Jump Rules, to educate horses before they tackle fences or hurdles.
Colt – ungelded male horse under the age of 5
Covered Up – when a jockey settles their horse behind others in
Dam – a horse’s mother
Dead-heat – a tie between two or more horses for first or another finishing position
Double Carpet – bookmaking term for the odds 33-1
Draw – a horses starting position in the stalls allotted in races on the Flat
Each-way – a betting term when half the stake is for win and half is for a place
Filly – female horse, four years or younger
Going – the condition of the racing surface which can range from heavy to firm
Green – a term to describe an immature or inexperienced horse
Hacked-up – describes a horse winning easily
Layer – an alternative term for a bookmaker, someone who lays or accepts bets
Length – a unit of measurement for the distance between each horse at the finish of a race
Maiden – a horse that has yet to win a race
Minimum Trip – the shortest race distance – 5 furlongs for the flat 2 miles for jumps
Nap – the best bet of the day made by a tipster
Nose – smallest distance a horse can win by
Objection – a complaint by one jockey against another regarding the running of a race
Off the bridle – describes a horse being pushed along and losing contact with the bit in its mouth
On the nose – placing a win bet
Outsider – a long priced runner in a race considered unlikely to win
Paddock – the area of the racecourse that incorporates the parade ring and winner’s enclosure
Pulled up – a horse that drops out of a race and does not finish the course
Punter – a person who gambles or lays a bet
Rails – white plastic rails are used to mark out the track on the racecourse
Spread a Plate – when a horse loses or damages a horseshoe before a race.
Starter – racecourse official responsible for starting the horse race
Stewards’ Enquiry – a hearing held by the stewards into a race to determine whether the rules have been broken
Stick – a jockey’s whip
String – all the horses from a particular training stable
Tic-tac – the sign language used by bookmakers to communicate prices between each other
Trip – another term for the distance of a race
Turn of foot – a horse’s ability to accelerate in the closing stages of a race
Under starters orders – the moment a race is about to start
Valet – a person employed to help prepare the jockey’s equipment in the weighing room
Visor – similar to blinker but with a slit in them to allow some lateral vision
Walkover – a race involving only one horse. The horse and jockey have to walk past the finish line
Weight cloth – a cloth with pockets for inserting lead weights worn under the saddle
Weighed In – the official declaration of a race result when jockeys have had their weight checked
