Age:
Horses all have the same birthday no matter the exact date of the foaling.
This is set in order to allow the configuration of races according to age groups. The date is set as 1 January each year in the northern hemisphere.
Until 1834, the fixed date was 1 May, in line with the end of the [...]
DEAD HEAT
This occurs when, even with the aid of the photo finish, a judge is unable to declare an outright winner of a race. Before the advent of the photo finish there was frequent uproar when the judge declared a dead heat, when it seemed plain to everyone else that there had been a definite [...]
CLASS A
Races on the flat are classified in terms of prize money from the Class A down to Class G. This classification is often used in framing conditions races
CLASSICS
Classic, when applied to a horse race is that term consecrated by long usage.
Classic races are races of longstanding, which habitually attract the best horses and are [...]
CAME AGAIN
A phrase used in the formbook to indicate a horse that has renewed its effort after dropping back in a race
CAMERA PATROL
First officially used at Newmarket, and 30th of June, 1960.
Cameras originally photographed the closing stages of a race from different angles, including head on, and later the coverage was extended to provide, by [...]
BOOKMAKERS
These can be divided into
- those who make a book on the racecourse
- those who operate betting shops off course
- those who operate a telephone credit service or a postal betting service
- firms who operate spread betting services
A number of big firm bookmakers will combine two or [...]
BAD LEGS
A more common condition among racehorses than the public generally realize.
To understand it and indeed to appreciate the whole process of racing,and training horses to race, it is necessary to think of the horses as equine athletes which indeed they are.
To continue the analogy, would Seb Coe have shone over 100m?
Would he have raced [...]
HANDICAP
When horses in a race are allocated different weights to carry, in order that each horse has an "equal" theoretic chance of winning, it is called a "Handicap" race.
Similar to the animals in George Orwell's books, some horses are more "equal" than others. Horses vary slightly between races and their form on any given day [...]
GELDING
After being castrated a male or colt horse is said to have been "gelded". There are a variety of reasons behind this seemingly rather harsh practice.
By taking a horses mind off sex it becomes more amenable, and calm. A horse becomes less temperamental due to the shift in hormonal balance, which occurs with all neutered [...]
EACH WAY BET
The practice of staking equal amounts for a place and for a win is known as making an "Each Way Bet".
Bookmakers used to be reluctant to take each way bets from everyday punters except in the big events like the Grand National and the Derby, however this is not the case nowadays, with [...]
DEAD HEAT
When there is a photo finish and the judge still cannot determine the winner - this is said to be a "dead heat". Frequently before the days of photo finish, there would be mayhem when a dead heat was declared by a judge but everyone else could see there was an outright winner.
Often it [...]