A

Allowance race — A non-claiming race for which weight assignments, or allowances, are determined according to published conditions.

Also eligibles — In an overflow field, the horses that can enter the race if there's a scratch.

Also ran — A horse that doesn't finish in the top three.

Apprentice — A jockey who has been riding for less than a year or who hasn't won 45 races. Horses ridden by apprentices are allowed to carry five less pounds.

B

Backstretch — The straightaway opposite the homestretch.

Beyer number, or speed figure — A quantitative measure of performance that appears in The Daily Racing Form, so-called because the numbers were refined and made popular by Andy Beyer of the Washington Post.

Bleeder — A horse that suffers exercise-induced bleeding in its respiratory system. Such horses might slow abruptly when their breathing is inhibited. The condition can sometimes be controlled with the drug Lasix.

Board — Short for "tote board" on which the odds, betting pools, and other information are displayed.

Box — A wagering term denoting a combination bet in which all possible numeric combinations are covered.

Break — Start of a race.

Break maiden — Win for the first time.

Breeders' Cup — The sport's seven-race, multi-million-dollar championship event.

Bullet workout — The fastest workout of the morning at a particular distance.

C

Claiming race — A race in which the horses are for sale. Any claims must be made before the race, and the new owner assumes possession after the race.

Closer — A horse that does its best running in the final stages of a race.

Colors — Racing silks.

Colt — An ungelded male horse 4 years old or younger.

Consolation double — A daily double payoff for the winner of the first race with a late scratch in the second.

Coupled — Two horses are coupled when they run as an entry, or single betting interest.

D

Daily Racing Form — Daily publication that includes past performances and charts.

Dam — The female parent.

Dead heat — A tie.

Derby — A significant stakes race for 3-year-olds, as in the Kentucky Derby.

Disqualification — A change in the order of finish, by the stewards' ruling because of a rules violation.

Distaff — Female.

Distanced — Very badly beaten.

Drop — To move down in class.

E

Early foot — Early speed out of the gate.

Eased — When the jockey slows a horse that is badly beaten.

Eighth pole — The pole marking an eighth of a mile to the wire.

Exacta (perfecta): A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in the exact order of finish, must be picked.

F

Fast — Official track condition when the surface is free of excessive moisture and at its best. Other track conditions are good, slow, heavy, muddy, sloppy and wet fast, describing various levels of moisture in the surface and its liveliness.

Filly — Female horse 4 years old or younger.

Foal — 1) A horse in its first year of life.

Furlong — An eighth of a mile.

Futurity — A stakes race for juveniles that requires continuous payments by their owners to maintain the horse's eligibility.

G

Gelding — A castrated male horse.

Going away — To win with an ever-increasing margin.

Graded races — Selected major stakes that are classified by the North American Graded Stakes Committee as Grade I, II or III according to the quality of competition.

H

Handicap — 1) To analyze the past performances and rate the horses in a race. 2) A race for which the racing secretary assigns weights.

Handle — The money wagered on a given race day.

Horse: An ungelded male 5 years old or older.

I

Inquiry — A review of the race by the stewards for purposes of discovering possible rule violations.

In the money — Finishing first, second or third.

J

Juvenile — A 2-year-old.

L

Lasix — A drug used to discourage bleeding.

M

Maiden — A horse that never has won a race.

Mare — Female horse 5 years old or older.

Mutuel field — Horses grouped together as one betting interest, usually the longshots in a large field.

O

Objection — A claim of foul after the running of a race, usually made by a jockey but sometimes by a trainer.

Off-track betting (OTB) — Legalized betting at locations other than the racetrack.

Overweight — Additional weight carried by a horse because the jockey cannot make the assigned weight.

P

Pacesetter — The early leader of a race.

Paddock — 1) The enclosure where horses are saddled before a race.

Parlay — A wager in which the payoff is parlayed, or bet again, on another horse in a subsequent race, as in a three-horse parlay.

Parimutuel — Form of wagering at the racetrack. Under the parimutuel system, which was originated by Pierre Oller in 1865, all the money wagered is returned to the bettors after a set takeout, which means the bettors are competing among themselves and not against the racetrack.

Pool — Sum of the money wagered in a particular way; e.g., the place pool is all the money bet to place.

Post parade — The horses' procession in front of the stands before a race.

Post position — A horse's stall in the starting gate.

Post time — Time for a race to start.

Purse — Prize money offered in a race.

Q

Quinella — Wager in which the first two finishers must be picked in order.

R

Route — A long race, as opposed to a sprint.

S

Scratch — To be declared or removed from the starting field, usually by the trainer.

Simulcast — A televised race from another track.

Sire: 1) Male parent. 2) To beget foals.

Sprint — A race of a mile or less.

Stakes — A race for which there is often a nomination and entry fee and for which horses must be nominated (or invited) in advance, as opposed to an overnight race .

Stallion — A male horse used for breeding.

Steadied — Impeded.

Stewards — Officials responsible for enforcing the rules of racing.

Stick — A jockey's whip.

Stretch — The straightaway that leads to the wire; also homestretch.

T

Tack — Racing equipment.

Tag — A price tag, as in a claiming price.

Thoroughbred — Breed developed specifically for racing. A Thoroughbred must be registered with the Jockey Club or a recognized foreign registry.

Tote board — The totalizator board that displays odds and other information.

Track bias, or simply bias — A surface's favoring certain paths or running styles.

Trifecta — A wager picking the first three finishers in exact order.

Triple Crown — The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Turf course — The grass course, usually located inside the dirt track.

W

Wire — The finish line.

Workout, or work — An exercise at moderate to extreme speed for a predetermined distance.

Y

Yearling — A horse that is a year old and so is in its second calendar year. (Officially, every horse's birthday is Jan. 1.)