30 Must-Know Horse Racing Terms, Phrases and Slang

65 horse racing terms explained, from furlong, maiden and trifecta to photo finish and silks, plus the sayings racing gave English.

Horse racing terminology reaches further than most sports, because it has to name the animal, the rider, the distance, the ground and the bet all at once. The words associated with horse racing that confuse newcomers are usually the breeding ones, and the words related to horse racing that sound like slang are usually betting terms. Every horse racing phrase used on this page is gathered in the horse racing glossary below.

Must-Know Horse Racing Terms, Phrases and Slang:

1. Blinkers
2. Colt
3. Dam
4. Furlong
5. Gait
6. Handicap
7. Infield
8. Jockey
9. Maiden
10. Mare
11. Neck
12. Odds
13. Paddock
14. Post position
15. Quarter pole
16. Rail
17. Saddle
18. Silks
19. Stakes
20. Stud
21. Tote board
22. Track
23. Trifecta
24. Whip
25. Win
26. Yearling
27. Photo Finish
28. Claiming race
29. Daily double
30. Harness racing

Horse Racing Glossary: Every Term A to Z

Term	What It Means
Also-ran	A horse that finished outside the placings and out of the money.
And they’re off	The call as the starting gate opens. It is the standard two word phrase for the moment a horse race begins.
Apprentice	A young jockey learning the trade, who gets a weight allowance in many races.
Blinkers	A hood with cups beside the eyes that narrows a horse’s vision so it stays on the job in front of it.
Bug boy	An apprentice jockey in American racing, from the asterisk printed next to the name.
Chalk	The favorite in a race, from the chalk once used to mark odds on boards.
Claiming race	A race in which every runner can be bought for a set price before the start, which keeps the field evenly matched.
Classic	One of the major races for three-year-olds, such as the Derby or the 2000 Guineas.
Closer	A horse that settles at the back early and finishes hard down the stretch. The opposite of a front-runner.
Colt	A young male horse under five years old.
Daily double	A bet on the winners of two consecutive races, struck before the first of them.
Dam	The mother of a horse. The sire is the father.
Dead heat	A tie between two or more horses at the finish.
Draw	British word for post position.
Exacta	A bet on the first two finishers in the exact order. The trifecta extends it to three.
Favorite	The horse with the lowest odds.
Filly	A young female horse under five years old. From five she is a mare.
Front-runner	A horse that goes straight to the lead and tries to hold it all the way home.
Furlong	One eighth of a mile, or 220 yards. Race distances are still quoted in furlongs.
Gait	The way a horse moves. Walk, trot, canter and gallop, with the gallop used in flat racing.
Gelding	A male horse that has been castrated. Geldings race but cannot be bred from.
Going	The condition of the ground, from firm through good and soft to heavy. It can matter more than the form.
Handicap	A race in which the weights are assigned by an official according to past form, so that every runner theoretically has a chance.
Harness racing	Racing at the trot or the pace, with the driver seated in a light two-wheeled cart behind the horse.
Head	A winning margin of about the length of a horse’s head.
Infield	The ground enclosed by the track oval, used for spectators and, at some courses, for the tote board.
Jockey	The professional rider. Jockeys carry a set weight and are licensed to ride in races.
Length	The standard unit for the gap between horses at the line, roughly the length of one horse’s body.
Long shot	A horse with high odds, considered unlikely to win.
Maiden	A horse that has never won a race. Maiden races are restricted to them.
Mare	A female horse aged five or over.
Margin	The distance between two horses at the finish, called in noses, heads, necks and lengths from smallest to largest.
Neck	A winning margin of about the length of a horse’s neck. Closer than a length, wider than a head.
Nose	The smallest winning margin.
Odds	The price on a horse, which reflects how likely the market thinks it is to win. Short odds mean a strong favorite.
Owner	The person or syndicate that owns the horse and whose registered colors the jockey wears as silks.
Paddock	The enclosure where horses are saddled and paraded before the race, and where punters get their last look.
Photo finish	A finish too close to call by eye, decided from the finish line camera.
Place	A bet that pays if the horse finishes first or second.
Post position	The numbered stall a horse starts from in the gate. An inside draw shortens the trip in a sprint.
Post time	The scheduled time a race starts.
Purse	The prize money a race carries, divided among the leading finishers.
Quarter pole	The marker showing a quarter of a mile left to run. It is where the real riding usually starts.
Rail	The inner boundary of the track, and the shortest way round. Getting stuck behind horses on the rail is the price of taking it.
Saddle	The lightweight seat strapped to the horse’s back for the jockey. Racing saddles weigh almost nothing.
Scratch	The withdrawal of a horse from a race after entry but before the start.
Show	A bet that pays if the horse finishes in the first three.
Silks	The colored jacket and cap the jockey wears, registered to the horse’s owner.
Sire	The father of a horse. A successful racehorse retired to breeding stands at stud as a sire.
Stakes	A higher class of race in which owners pay entry fees that swell the purse.
Starting gate	The barrier of stalls that opens at once to start a race.
Steward	The racing official who enforces the rules, holds inquiries and decides on interference.
Stretch	The final straight to the finish line, also called the home stretch.
Stud	A male horse used for breeding, and also the farm where breeding takes place.
Superfecta	A bet on the first four finishers in the exact order.
Thoroughbred	The breed used in flat and jump racing, developed for speed over distance.
Tote board	The display showing odds, betting pools, results and payouts.
Track	The course itself. Surfaces are dirt, turf or synthetic, and each rewards a different kind of horse.
Trainer	The person responsible for conditioning the horse, choosing its races and instructing the jockey.
Trifecta	A bet on the first three finishers in the exact order.
Triple Crown	The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, won in the same year.
Turf	A grass racing surface.
Whip	The padded stick a jockey carries. Its use is limited by strict rules on how often and where it may be applied.
Win	A bet on a horse to finish first. Place and show cover second and third.
Yearling	A horse in its second year, too young to race but old enough to be sold at the yearling sales.

What Is It Called When…? Horse Racing Terms by Situation

Know what happened but not the word for it? Find the situation on the left and the horse racing term on the right.

When…	It Is Called
The race begins	And they’re off
Two horses finish too close to call	Photo finish
Two horses finish exactly level	Dead heat
A horse wins by the smallest margin	By a nose
A horse has never won a race	Maiden
A horse wins its first race	Breaking the maiden
A horse leads from the start	Front-runner (wire to wire)
A horse comes from behind to win	Closer
A horse is withdrawn before the race	Scratch
A horse finishes outside the first three	Also-ran
A bet picks the first two in order	Exacta
A bet picks the first three in order	Trifecta
A bet picks the winners of two races in a row	Daily double
A horse is the betting favorite	Chalk
A horse has high odds	Long shot
A horse can be bought out of a race	Claiming race
A horse wins all three American classics	Triple Crown
A horse pulls a cart	Harness racing
A horse is ridden by a young jockey with a weight allowance	Apprentice (bug boy)
Horses race at the back of the field	Backmarkers

#1 Blinkers

Cups attached to a hood that limit what a horse can see to the sides and behind. They help horses that are easily distracted or shy away from other runners. A horse wearing blinkers for the first time is marked in the racecard, because the change can improve form sharply.

In a sentence: “First time in blinkers today, and he’s travelling much better.”

#2 Colt

A male horse aged four or younger that has not been gelded. From five years on he is called a horse, or a stallion once he stands at stud. Most of the classic races are dominated by colts, which is why the Oaks and the Kentucky Oaks exist for fillies only.

In a sentence: “The colt has a big pedigree and stud value is already high.”

#3 Dam

The mother of a horse. Pedigrees are written as sire, out of dam, and the broodmare sire, the dam’s father, is studied closely by breeders. A dam that produces several winners is called a blue hen.

In a sentence: “He’s by a Derby winner out of a sprinting dam.”

#4 Furlong

The standard distance unit in racing, one eighth of a mile, or 220 yards (about 201 metres). Races are measured in furlongs: a sprint is 5 or 6 furlongs, the Kentucky Derby 10 and the Epsom Derby about 12. The word comes from Old English for the length of a furrow in a field.

In a sentence: “She’s been strong at seven furlongs, but a mile is a step up.”

#5 Gait

The way a horse moves: walk, trot, canter and gallop. Thoroughbreds race at a gallop, while harness horses race at a trot or a pace, the pacer moving both legs on one side together. A harness horse that breaks into a gallop has to be pulled back.

In a sentence: “Pacers have a different gait, both legs on one side move together.”

#6 Handicap

A race in which better horses carry more weight, so that in theory all runners finish together. Each horse gets an official rating, and the weights are assigned by the handicapper. Most British and Irish races are handicaps.

In a sentence: “Top weight in a big handicap is a lot to carry.”

#7 Infield

The area inside the oval of the track. At big American races it fills with spectators, and the Kentucky Derby infield is famous for its party. Some tracks also use it for turf courses or ponds.

In a sentence: “Half the crowd in the infield never actually saw the race.”

#8 Jockey

The rider of a racehorse. Flat jockeys are very light, often around 110 to 120 pounds in the United States, because every pound counts. An apprentice jockey gets a weight allowance, called the bug in American racing.

In a sentence: “The jockey kept her on the rail and saved ground the whole way.”

#9 Maiden

A horse that has never won a race. Maiden races are only for such horses, and winning one is known as breaking the maiden. A horse is a maiden until its first win, no matter how many races it has run.

In a sentence: “Still a maiden after eight starts, so I can’t back him.”

#10 Mare

A female horse aged five or older. Younger females are fillies. Mares can race against males, and they receive a weight allowance in many races, but most retire to breeding after their racing career.

In a sentence: “The mare beat the boys in the big race last year.”

#11 Neck

One of the margins measuring how far one horse finished ahead of another, longer than a head and shorter than half a length. Margins go nose, short head, head, neck, half a length and then lengths.

In a sentence: “He held on by a neck at the line.”

#12 Odds

The price on a horse, showing the possible payout and the market’s view of its chance. Odds of 5-1 mean 5 units of profit for each unit staked. In American pari-mutuel betting the odds keep changing until the race starts, because they depend on how much money goes on each horse.

In a sentence: “He drifted from 3-1 to 6-1 in the last ten minutes.”

#13 Paddock

The area where the horses are saddled and walked before a race, so the public can look at them. Experienced punters watch the paddock for signs such as sweating or a shiny coat before deciding to bet.

In a sentence: “He looked on edge in the paddock and boiled over.”

#14 Post position

The stall a horse starts from in the starting gate, numbered from the inside rail outward. In American races it is drawn at random, and an inside post usually saves ground on the turn. In Britain the same thing is called the draw.

In a sentence: “Post 20 in the Derby is a long way from the rail.”

#15 Quarter pole

A marker post a quarter of a mile from the finish line. Track poles are colored by distance, and turning for home at the quarter pole is where most races start to take shape.

In a sentence: “At the quarter pole she was still last.”

#16 Rail

The fence around the inside or outside of the track. The inside rail marks the shortest way around, so horses that save ground there run less distance. A horse that keeps to the rail is said to be on the rail.

In a sentence: “She saved every inch on the rail and still had something left.”

#17 Saddle

The racing saddle is tiny and light, some weighing under a pound, so that jockeys can make weight. If a horse carries less than its assigned weight, lead weights go into a pad under the saddle.

In a sentence: “The saddle slipped at the start and the jockey had to ride without stirrups.”

#18 Silks

The colored shirt and cap a jockey wears, registered to the horse’s owner. The designs make horses easy to tell apart, and famous colors are passed down through families of owners for generations.

In a sentence: “The royal blue silks turned for home in front.”

#19 Stakes

A race in which owners pay entry fees that go into the prize money. In American racing the most important stakes races are graded from Grade 1 to Grade 3, and in Britain and Europe the top races are Group races.

In a sentence: “She won a Grade 1 stakes race as a two-year-old.”

#20 Stud

A breeding farm, and also a stallion used for breeding. A horse that retires to stud begins a second career as a sire. Thoroughbred breeding allows only natural cover, so artificial insemination is not permitted.

In a sentence: “He retires to stud with a huge fee at the end of the season.”

#21 Tote board

The board in the infield that shows the odds, the pool totals and the results. The name comes from the totalizator, the machine that calculates the pari-mutuel payouts. The odds shown change constantly up to post time.

In a sentence: “Look at the tote board, he’s been backed off the board.”

#22 Track

The racing course, and in American usage the whole venue. Surfaces are dirt, turf or synthetic, and the condition of the surface, from fast to sloppy, can decide the result. In Britain the condition is called the going.

In a sentence: “The track is sloppy after the rain, so expect mud specialists.”

#23 Trifecta

A bet on the first three finishers in the exact order. Picking the first two in order is an exacta, the first four a superfecta. Trifectas pay big because they are hard to hit, especially when a long shot runs third.

In a sentence: “I had the trifecta, but the 40-1 shot ruined it.”

#24 Whip

The jockey’s crop, used to encourage a horse. Its use is tightly regulated: British racing limits jockeys to a set number of strikes in a race, and padded whips are now required in many countries.

In a sentence: “The jockey was suspended for using the whip above the permitted level.”

#25 Win

Finishing first, and the basic bet on a horse to do so. In American racing a win bet pays only on first, while place pays on first or second and show on first, second or third.

In a sentence: “Ten dollars to win on the favorite.”

#26 Yearling

A horse between one and two years old. All thoroughbreds in the Northern Hemisphere share an official birthday on January 1, so a foal born in May becomes a yearling the following January. Yearlings are sold at auction before they ever race.

In a sentence: “He cost a fortune as a yearling and never won a race.”

#27 Photo Finish

A finish too close to call by eye, decided by a camera on the finish line. The camera takes a continuous image of the finish, and the stewards study it before announcing the result. A tie confirmed by the photo is a dead heat.

In a sentence: “Photo finish, and nobody knows who got up.”

#28 Claiming race

A race in which every horse is for sale at a set price. Anyone licensed can claim a horse before the race and takes it over after the race, whatever the result. Claiming races keep horses of similar ability running against each other.

In a sentence: “He was claimed for 20,000 and won next time out.”

#29 Daily double

A bet on the winners of two consecutive races, usually the first two on the card. Both picks must win. Daily doubles were among the first exotic bets in American racing.

In a sentence: “He hit the daily double before the third race even went off.”

#30 Harness racing

Racing in which horses pull a light two-wheeled cart called a sulky. The horses must trot or pace, and the driver sits in the cart rather than on the horse. Harness horses are usually Standardbreds, not thoroughbreds.

In a sentence: “In harness racing the drivers are in the sulky, not on the horse.”

Horse Racing Slang Players and Fans Actually Use

Slang	What It Means
Chalk	The favorite. A chalk player bets favorites, and a chalky result is one where the favorites win.
Bug boy	An apprentice jockey, from the asterisk, or bug, printed next to the name in the program.
Railbird	A racing fan who watches from the rail, often a regular who watches morning workouts.
Punter	A bettor, mostly in British and Australian English.
Mudder	A horse that runs well on a wet, muddy track.
Overlay	A horse whose odds are higher than its real chance suggests.
Beard	A person who places bets for someone else to hide who is betting.
Bridge jumper	A bettor who puts very large sums on heavy favorites, usually on show bets.
Pony	Twenty-five pounds in British betting slang.
Monkey	Five hundred pounds in British betting slang.
Blanket finish	A finish so close that a blanket could cover the leaders.
Boat race	A fixed race, one where the result has been arranged.
Off the board	Odds of 99-1 or longer, too high to show on the tote board.

Horse Racing Expressions and Sayings in Everyday English

• Down to the wire: Undecided until the very last moment, from the wire stretched across the finish line at old American tracks.
• Neck and neck: Level, with neither side ahead, from two horses racing side by side.
• Front-runner: The leading candidate in a contest, from the horse that leads from the start.
• Dark horse: A little-known competitor who unexpectedly succeeds, from a horse whose form nobody knew.
• Also-ran: Someone who took part but did not succeed, from horses listed after the placed finishers.
• Home stretch: The final phase of a project or journey, from the straight leading to the finish line.
• Across the board: Applying to everyone or everything, from a bet covering win, place and show.
• Win by a nose: To win by the smallest possible margin, from the shortest official distance in racing.

FAQ