Speak Horse Racing

Types of Race Horses
Thoroughbred - A horse whose parents trace back to any of the three Founding Sires: the Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb, and who has satisfied the rules and requirements of The Jockey Club. They can sustain speeds of 40 mph for about a mile.
(*I primarily follow Thoroughbred horse racing.)

Quarter Horse - The oldest recognized American breed. Very versatile and prized for their ability to sprint over short distances. Their top speed is nearly 55 mph.

Standard Bred - Descendents of the Thoroughbred, they excel in harness racing.

Foal
A baby horse is called a "foal". It's also a verb meaning to birth a horse. All race horses are given the same birthday of January 1st in the year they were born. This makes it easier to manage competition.

The Sexes
Sire - A horse's father.
Dam - A horse's mother.

Colt - A male horse up to four years old.
Filly - A female horse up to four years old.

Gelding - A male horse which has been fixed and cannot produce offspring.

Mare - A female horse over four.
Horse - An ungelded male horse over four.

Broodmare - A female horse for breeding.
Stallion - A male horse for breeding.

Colors
Black and Grey are self descriptive, but there are, of course, other color terms:
Bay - Most common color. Bright red to deep brown, with black points (mane, tail, lower legs, and sometimes the muzzle and tip of the ears).
Chestnut - A chestnut horse has brown skin and the hairs are actually red.

Length
The length of a horse from head to tail is about 8 feet, and this is used as a measurement in races: "He won by two lengths".

Equipment
Besides the saddle, each horse will have a distinctly numbered and colored saddle cloth. In 2006, the three Princes of the Triple Crown, Barbaro, Bernardini, and Jazil, all raced with a pink saddle cloth and the number eight. The numbers are their positon in the starting gate (drawn at random a few days before the race). The numbers have a corresponding color, such as pink #8, at most Thoroughbred racetracks.

Blinkers - The cool looking masks designed to limit a horse's peripheral vision so he can focus forward. Can greatly benefit a horse.

Medication
Lasix - Helps prevent exercise stress in a horse's lungs which can cause them to bleed.
Butazolidin - ("Bute") Fights pain, inflammation, and fever. Used as a theraputic drug to treat sick or injured horses.

Jockeys
The horse's pilot is the jockey, who usually stand about 5 feet tall, and weigh no more than 115 pounds. If they lean a few inches too far forward or backwards they will fall off. Jockeys are managed by agents who schedule their races all across the country, and they have a Jockey's Guild to help voice their concerns.

Apprentice - A trainee jockey who will usually ride only flat races.

Silks - The jacket and cap worn by jockeys. Silks can be generic and provided by the track or specific to one owner (the horse's Stable).

Equipment
Whip - Instrument, usually leather, used to encourage a horse to run by setting off a horse's flight reflexes. There are rules jockeys must follow so that the whip does not become abusive and injurous. Many talented horses don't require the riding crop to reinvigorate their course, they will complete the race under a hand ride and the full confidence of their jockey partners.

A Jockey must wear a helmet to protect his head, and can also wear goggles for their eyes. Horses kick up alot of dirt and debris.

Types
Dirt tracks are referred to as the Main Track.
Turf tracks are the grass.
*Some horses race well on either dirt or turf, fewer have equal success on both surfaces.

Conditions
Dirt is called fast when dry. Rain or snow can make it wet, sloppy, or slow. A good wet track might be called "wet fast".
Turf can be firm at best, or condition can be reduced to yielding or soft.

Distances
Furlong - An eighth of a mile.
*Six furlongs = 3/4 of a mile.

Sprint - A race run less than a mile (or eight furlongs as you experts call it).

Thoroughbred Race Tracks
A list of NTRA member tracks in North America

Types of races
Maiden - A race for non-winners.

Maiden Special Weight - For horses that have never won a race, but can't be claimed.

Claiming - Race in which horses entered are subject to purchase, or "claim", for the entry price.

Allowance - A race other than claiming for which the racing secretary drafts certain conditions to determine weights.

Allowance races have various levels:
N1X, N2X, N3X and N4X.

In an N1X allowance race, all horses must have not won an allowance race before. In other words, the horse can only have won at the previous levels. In a N2X allowance race, all the horses have only won once at the allowance level. N3X is for winners of not more than two allowance races and N4X is for winners of not more than three allowance races.

Stakes Races

Stakes races are the major leagues of horse racing. They have three different classes, the highest is Grade I, then Grade II and Grade III.
A horse who's struggled at the Grade II or III level will have a hell of a time beating a Grade I Stakes winner.

Post Position
These are chosen at random in the post draw and start from inside at the rail with number 1. This is also called the horse's program number.

The Trip
A horse's experiences in the race are the trip. Obvioiusly, a horse can have a good trip or a bad one. Let's talk about running styles:

Front Runner - You guessed it, these guys or gals set the pace by leading from the gate.

Stalker - This horse patiently presses the lead and waits for the perfect moment to spring to the front.

Closer - Comes from behind late in the race with alot of reserved energy to catch up with and accelerate past the leaders.

A horse can have a wide trip, meaning there are horses from inside of him. If he's five wide at the turn, he's got four horses to get around.

The Finish
Photo Finish - A finish so close between horses that a photo must be examined to determine the winner.

Blanket Finish - Several horses finish close together.

A horse can win a race by lengths, or narrowly beating opponents by a nose, head, or neck.

All betting at American tracks today is done under the pari-mutuel wagering system, which was developed by a Frenchman named Pierre Oller in the late 19th century. Under this system, a fixed percentage (14 percent-25 percent) of the total amount wagered is taken out for track operating expenses, racing purses, and state and local taxes. The remaining sum is divided by the number of individual wagers to determine the payoff, or return on each bet. The projected payoff, or "odds," are continuously calculated by the track's computers and posted on the track odds board (or "tote") during the betting period before each race. Odds of "2-1," for example, mean that the bettor will receive $2 profit for every $1 wagered if his or her horse wins.

Odds
Price - Bettors may say something like they want a price horse. The price is the money paid to you, the bettor. A good price means a good payout.

Underlay and Overlay - An underlay is an overbet horse. Likewise, an overlay is underbet (she has the ability to win, but she's being overlooked by bettors).

Chalk
A horse called the "chalk" is the favorite. A chalky day at the track means mostly favorites won. ("Chalk" comes from when the tote was written on chalkboards.)

Win, Place, and Show:
Bet the horse to come in first (win), second (place), or third (show).
All three bets on the same horse is called "Across the board".

Exotic Wagers:

Exacta: The Win (1st) and Place (2nd) horse in exact order of finish. Also called a "Perfecta".

Trifecta: Win, Place, and Show (3rd) in exact order of finish.

Superfecta: First four horses in exact order of finish.

Horse Player's Guide
Reference and online resources.

Now that you're freshened up on the lingo check out recent races and see if you can teach the race speak to your friends!

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