Handy Phrases

Here's some helpful jargon that you can slip into conversations to make you sound like a well seasoned racing guru!

Stayer:
A horse who can handle long distances or someone who can drink all day. The Stella Artois Auckland Cup is a staying race.

Mud-lark:
A horse that likes rain-affected tracks.

Maiden:
A horse that has not yet won a race.

Birdcage:
Actually for horses not parrots…the horses head to the track via the birdcage and the jockeys dismount here after the race. In the birdcage is where you'll spot important trainers and owners.

Photo finish: 
The  finish of a race which is so close that the judges need to examine a photograph to determine the winner (or placegetters).

Spelling:
Leave the dictionary at home…a horse will typically race until it needs a rest or is injured and then it will be turned out in a paddock to recuperate or 'spell' (if a horse had spelled recently it will be marked in the horse's form in the racebook as 'X').

Flutter:
A small bet.

Plunge: 
A very big bet.

Blinkers:
Serve to improve a horse's concentration by limiting their vision of the other horses running. The racebook will indicate which horses are wearing blinkers.

Blaze:
A long, wide white marking on a horse's head.

Scratched:
When a horse is withdrawn from a race before the start.

Length:
Describes the distances between horses in a race. Horses can win by anything from a nose to a head to a length or a number of lengths. A length is approximately 3 metres, the length of a horse from nose to tail. (Anything over 5 lengths is commonly known as 'daylight'.)

In the money:
When a horse finishes first, second or third

The toppie:
Horse number one usually has the most weight, which means it was the first to qualify for the race and will be carrying the most kilograms of extra weight. It is known as the toppie.

Group One (I):
A Group I race is the best there is. Any mare or stallion that wins a Group I will be a valuable animal later in life when it goes to stud.

Favourite:
The winner of the popularity contest for that race. Also known as 'a certainty', 'the banker' or a 'sure thing', it means that all of those in the know expect this horse to win. The favourite will be paying the shortest odds.

Roughie:
A roughie is more than just someone who has had a late night! Also known as 'a long shot' or 'a rank outsider', it is a horse with very long odds. Backing a long shot that wins takes a whole lot of luck and skill but if you win on a roughie, you will be basking in the glory all day.