We’ve rounded up Horse Racing and betting terms and phrases to make you an expert when it comes to watching the races! Know your Exacta from your Trifecta and Furlong from your Filly!
Across the Board – Bet of a horse to come in win (1st), place (2nd) and show (3rd). If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets
Breeze – Working a horse out at a moderate speed
Closer – Horse who runs best towards the end of the race
Club House Turn – The turn immediately after the finish
Colors/Silks – The color of the jacket & cap of the jockeys are often the colors associated with the barn/owners of the horse
Colt – Ungelded male horse, age 4 or younger
Exacta – Wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked
Fast Track – Optimum condition for the dirt track, fast, dry and even
Field – All the runners in the race
Filly – Female horse, age 4 or younger
Furlong – One-eighth of a mile; 220 yards, 660 feet
Graduate – Winning for the first time
Groom – Person caring for the horse or horses washing, grooming and feeding
Hot Walker – Person who walks horses to cool them after a workout or race
In The Money – Finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd
Inquiry – Reviewing the race to check for possible rule infractions that may affect the outcome of the race
Length – Length of horse from nose to tail, approximately 8 feet
Morning Line – Odds quoted before wagering begins
Nose – Smallest distance a horse can win by
On The Nose – Betting a horse to win only
Paddock – Where horses are saddled before the race
Post – Starting point or position in starting gate
Post Parade – The walk from the paddock to the gate past the stands with all of the horses in post-position order
Post Position – Position of stall in starting game, Post 1 is closest to the rail
Scratch – Horse is removed from the race before it begins
Show – Wagering on a horse to finish in the money, 3rd or better
Starting Gate – Mechanical device with stalls for each horse to stay in until the race begins and doors release
Stickers/Studs – Spikes on the horse shoes to give horse better traction in mud or soft track
Stretch – Final straight position of the track to the finish line
Tongue Strap or Tie – Cloth or rubber used to tie down a horse’s tongue to keep it out of their airway
Track Record – Fastest distance at a particular track
Trainer – Person who trains the horse and makes decisions about where and when they will race
Trifecta – Wager picking the first three finishers in exact order
Turf – Race is run on a grass track rather than dirt
Triple Crown – Consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these races is the highest accomplishment in horse racing. Both colts & geldings can run in these races. Horses do not have to run in all three races, and do not have to have the same jockey for all three races, though they typically do.
Kentucky Derby 1 ¼ mile dirt track race, held the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.
Preakness Stakes 1 3/16 mile dirt track race, held two weeks after the Derby at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD.
Belmont Stakes 1 ½ mile long dirt track race, the longest in Thoroughbred racing at Belmont Park in Bemlont, NY
The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978.
Triple Tiara – Filly Triple Crown
Races are held the evening before each race for only fillies. These races are called Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and Acorn Stakes
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