Descriptionary

buzzer an illegal, battery-powered, vibrating device used to scare a horse into running faster.

calculator the clerk who calculates pari-mutuel odds.

cannon the foreleg between the ankle and the knee. canter a slow gallop. card a racing program.

carry the target to run last from start to finish.

chalk horse the favorite to bet on.

chalk player one who bets on favorites.

choppy abnormally short strides, due to lameness.

chute an extension of a stretch to provide a long, straight run from starting gate to first turn.

claiming race a race in which a horse is subject to purchase.

clerk of the scales the official who weighs riders and tack before and after a race.

clocker one who times workout runs, used as infor­mation for betting.

clothes horse blanket.

clubhouse turn a bend or turn in the track closest to the clubhouse. In races that begin on the home­stretch, the first turn.

colors riders' colorful, identifying costumes.

croup the uppermost hindquarters of a horse.

cuppy of a track, broken into clods and hoofprints.

daily double winning a bet by correctly picking both winners of two races.

dark referring to a track's nonracing day or night.

dark horse an underrated horse; a sleeper.

dead heat when at least two horses vie for the finish line nose-to-nose.

dead weight weights added to a saddle to raise the overall weight of rider and tack.

deep of a track, freshly harrowed.

derby race for three-year-olds.

disqualify officially to drop back a horse's finishing position due to interference or illegal weight.

dope sheet horseracing information sheet.

drench to give medicinal liquid to a horse.

dwell to break slowly at the gate.

eighth a furlong.

eighth pole a colored post marking V8 mile, or 1 furlong, from the finish line.

exacta picking the winner and place horses.

fade to tire and fall behind at the homestretch or before.

farrier a horseshoer.

fast track a dry, hard track.

fetlock the ankle of a horse.

field collective term for all the entrants in a race.

film patrol the crew that films the race to monitor for interference or other fouls.

five-eighths pole a post marking 5 furlongs from the finish line.

flash a change of odds shown on the tote board.

flatten out position of an exhausted horse, spe­cifically with its head hung low and even with its body.

footing a track's surface condition.

freelance a jockey who works independently and is not contracted by any one stable.

freshener time allotted for rest to restore a horse's energy.

frog the fleshy cushion on the sole of the hoof. furlong V₈ of a mile.

futurity a race in which horses are entered before they are born.

gad a jockey's whip.

gallop a horse's fastest gait, in which all four feet are intermittently off the ground at the same time.

gelding a castrated male horse.

gentleman jockey an amateur jockey.

graduate to break maiden.

groom the stable assistant who grooms the horse and escorts it to the paddock for a race.

grunter an out-of-condition horse.

gumbo a heavy mud track.

half-mile pole the pole located 4 furlongs from the finish line.

hand a measure of equine height, specifically 4 inches.

handicap the assigning of weights to equalize com­petition. Also, to study the records of horses' past performances to help in choosing a future winner.

hand ride to teach a horse to take longer or faster strides by pulling on its head at the beginning of each stride.

hat trick a jockey's winning of three races on a single program.

hayburner a horse that costs more money to main­tain than it is worth.

head of the stretch the last portion of the final turn.

heat a race.

herd to turn a horse to block another from gaining a superior position.

homestretch the straightaway in front of the stands.

hop to drug a horse illegally.

hot-walker a stable assistant who walls a horse to cool it off after a race.

impost the weight a horse must carry in a handicap race.

infield the area inside of the track, where the tote board is located.

inquiry an official investigation of a race to deter­mine if it was run fairly.

THOROUGHBRED RACING 553 irons stirrups.

jockey the rider. Also, to jockey for position during a race.

juvenile a two-year-old.

kiss the eighth pole to finish way behind.

lead pony the horse and rider that lead thorough­breds to the post.

leather a whip.

length 8 to 9 feet.

maiden a jockey or horse that hasn't won a race yet.

mile pole a colored post marking 1 mile to the fin­ish line.