County Boxes

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

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 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

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 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 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.