Horse Wager Dictionary
Across the board - a bet made on one horse to win, place or show
Age - all race horses in the northern hemisphere arbitrarily celebrate their birthday on January 1
Backstretch - the straightaway of the track away from the grandstand
Colors - color designations in horses:
- Bay - brownish body coat with black points
- Black - black with no brown or tan patches
- Dark bay or brown - brown coat with areas of tan
- Chestnut - a reddish brown color varying from a dark liver color to coppery-gold
- Gray or roan - a combination of white hairs with any one or several of the above-noted colors
Colt - a male horse (four years old or younger)
Dark day - day at a racetrack when there is no racing
Derby - stakes race for three-year-olds
Distaff - a race for female horses
Fast - the preferred rating for the racing surface; at its best, it is dry, firm and even
Filly - a female horse (four years-old or younger)
Furlong - a distance measuring one-eighth of a mile
Gelding - a male horse of any age that has had both testicles removed
Good - a track surface that is still drying out, but is almost "fast"
Handle - the sum of all wagers bet on a race or a card or during some period of time
Horse - in racing, a horse is narrowly defined as any male five years or older with genitalia intact
Inquiry - is a claim of foul lodged by a racing official
Juvenile - two-year-old horses
Length - measure of distance based on average length of a horse
Mare - a female horse (five-years or older)
Maiden - a horse which has not won a race
Muddy - a wet, sticky racing surface
Objection - is a claim of foul lodged by a jockey or trainer
Parimutuels - a betting system whereby bettors collect on the total money wagered after deduction of the house percentage
Route - in Thoroughbred racing, any distance greater than one mile
Ridgling - a male horse of any age with either one or two undescended testicles
Scratch - a horse that has been withdrawn from a race
Sloppy - a track so saturated with rain that it has water lying on the surface
Slow - a slow track is a muddy surface which is beginning to dry out
Sprint - in Thoroughbred racing, any distance less than one mile
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