Descriptionary

monkey crouch a riding style characterized by a low crouch over the horse's withers.

muck out to clean out a horse's stall.

mudder a horse that runs especially well on muddy tracks.

nightcap the final race on a card.

objection a jockey's complaint of a foul.

odds board the tote board.

odds on odds of less than even money.

off the board to finish out of the money.

off-track betting betting conducted away from the track.

outrider the mounted escort who leads horses to the post.

overland making wide turns.

paddock a saddling enclosure or stall. Also, a pasture.

pari-mutuel a betting system in which the winners collect all the money bet by the losers, minus house percentage.

pasteboard track a fast track that is thin and hard.

pinched back getting pocketed and pushed back behind a group of horses.

pocket being surrounded by other horse.

pony any nonracing, working horse on a track, such as a lead pony.

pool the total amount bet.

post the starting gate.

pull to hold a horse back intentionally to prevent it from winning.

punter one who plays the horses.

quarter pole the colored post 2 furlongs from the finish line.

quinella betting in which the bettor tries to pick the first two finishers.

racing secretary the track handicapper and official who assigns weights in handicap races.

rack up to run into or interfere with several horses at once.

rate to hold back a horse early in a race to help con­serve its energy for the home-stretch.

roar loud coughlike breathing of a horse.

runner a messenger between the people in the club­house boxes and the mutuel window.

run wide to run too far out from the inside rail and waste ground.

saliva test a drug test performed on winning horses.

save ground to hug the inside rail, the most efficient means of saving ground and running the track faster.

scenic route a wide run covering too much ground; an inefficient run.

scratch the withdrawal of an entrant from a race.

scratch sheet a racing tip sheet featuring graded handicaps, scratches, and so on.

seat the rider's posture on a horse.

sex allowance a weight concession granted to female horses running against males.

shed row row of barns near the backstretch.

shoe board a sign listing the types of shoes worn by the entrants.

short an out-of-shape horse that fades in a stretch.

shut off to cut in front of another racer and block him out.

silks see colors.

sixteenth pole the pole marking half a furlong from the finish line.

skin to roll the surface of a track to make it harder and faster.

sleeper an underrated horse.

sophomore a three-year-old horse.

spit out the bit said of an exhausted horse who refuses to go any further.

sprint any short race, about 7 furlongs or less.

stake the commission paid to the winning jockey or trainer.

stall gate a starting gate having individual compart­ments for each horse.

stewards the three officials of racing law who judge races.

stiff to hold back a horse intentionally to prevent it from winning.

string collective term for the horses owned by one stable.

tack collective term for the saddle and other equip­ment placed on the horse.

three-eighths pole the colored pole marking 3 fur­longs from the finishing line.

three-quarters pole the colored pole marking 6 fur­longs from the finish line.

tout a trainer, groom, stable boy, jockey, or other person connected to the sport who provides "inside information" on a horse or race for a fee.

trackmaster person in charge of maintaining the track.

Triple Crown winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

urine test a drug test for horses.

valet one who cares for a jockey's clothing and car­ries his tack.

walking ring an oval walking area near the pad­dock where the horses are walked for the purpose of observation by the betting public. Also known as the parade ring.

walkover a race in which every horse is scratched but one, who can win simply by walking in.

washy of a horse, sweaty.

weigh-in the weighing of jockeys with tack after a race is over.

weigh-out the weighing of jockeys with track before a race begins.

whoop-de-doo an aggressive riding style in which the horse is frequently whipped and is allowed to run as fast as possible without restraint.

track and field

anchor one who runs the last leg of a relay race. Also, the last leg of the race itself.

baton in a relay race, the tube passed from one run­ner to another.

bell lap the last lap of a multi-lap race, marked by the ringing of a bell.