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Glossary
Are you feeling lost and don’t know your Exacta from your Pick-3? Well let MyR2D.com help you with some common terms to aid your enjoyment of wagering and betting on horse racing.
- Across the Board
- To select a single runner to win, place and show in a single race. The word “combination”, “combine”, or simply “across” is also used to express this wager.
- All
- Indicates all possible runners in a field; typically used to wheel a selected runner.
- Allowance Race
- A race where weights and eligibility to enter are determined by conditions set by the racing secretary.
- Also-ran
- A horse who finishes out of the money.
- Backstretch
- The straightway on the far side of the track.
- Blinkers
- Equipment worn on the bridle to restrict a horse’s vision on the sides to help maintain attention and avoid distractions.
- Box
- The selection of all possible combinations of a given number of runners.
- Breeders and Sires Stakes
- A race where horses are nominated to compete a year before the year in which they will be racing.
- Bute
- Phenylbutazone, a commonly used analgesic for horses.
- Claiming Race
- A race where horses are entered for a specified price and can be claimed (purchased) from the race for that price. Claimers are horses that generally run only in claiming races.
- Colors
- Racing silks, the jacket and cap worn by jockeys. Silks can be generic and provided by the track or specific to one owner.
- Conditioned Race
- A race where eligibility is based on age, sex, money won, or races won.
- CVV/CVC #
- 3 digit printed number found in the signature panel (back of card) at the top right hand corner or following your 16-digit credit card number. This code is required to make a credit card deposit.
- Daily Double
- Racing’s oldest exotic wager; selecting the winners of two consecutive races. The wager must be placed prior to the running of the first selected race.
- Dam
- The mother of a horse
- Dead Heat
- Two or more horses finishing in an exact tie at the finish.
- Derby
- A stakes race for three-year-olds.
- Driver
- The man or woman who sits in a sulky pulled by a horse in a harness race.
- Exacta
- A wager, the selection of the first two finishers in their exact order of finish for a single race; sometimes referred to as exactor or perfecta.
- Filly
- A female horse, four years old or younger.
- Four Digit Code
- The four digit number found on the front of your credit card just above or below the first four digits of your credit card number.
- Furlong
- The distance of one-eighth of a mile, or 220 yards.
- Futurity
- A stakes race for two-year-olds.
- Gelding
- A male horse that has been neutered
- Handicap
- Race where the racing secretary or track handicapper assigns the weights to be carried.
- Handle
- Total dollars wagered at a given track, for a given performance.
- Horse
- Sometimes refers to a male horse, five years old and older (not gelded).
- Invitational, Preferred or Open
- A race for the fastest horses on the grounds. In Invitational and Preferred events, the racing secretary invites the top horses he wants for a particular race.
- Jockey
- The rider of a horse in a thoroughbred or quarter horse race.
- Juvenile
- A two-year-old horse.
- Key
- The selection of a specified runner, to finish in a specific position in a race in combination with some, but not all of the runners in a field. A key is most commonly used in a Trifecta or Superfecta wager.
- Lasix
- (Furosemide) The medication used to treat bleeders.
- Maiden Race
- Horses who have not yet won a race are referred to as Maidens, hence a race for non winners.
- Magna 5
- A wager offered by Magna Entertainment Corp.; selecting the winners of five races chosen from Magna tracks from coast-to-coast, all run and completed in about an hour.
- Mare
- A female horse, five years old and older.
- Morning Line Odds
- Approximate odds quoted before wagering begins.
- Odds
- A number indicating the likelihood of a specific runner to finish in a specific positioning a race. Odds may be predetermined or based on dollars wagered on that entry.
- Pari-Mutuel
- The system of wagering in which players bet "among ourselves"; after deductions are made to cover the costs of the race, all money bet is returned to those selecting the winning combinations.
- Pick 3
- A wager, variations are Pick 5, Pick 6 and Pick 9; selecting the winners of three or more consecutive races.
- Place
- To finish second in a given race; a wager, the selection of a runner to finish first or second in a given race.
- Pool
- Used interchangeably with Bet Type or the total sum bet on a race or a particular bet.
- Pool Total
- Total dollars wagered on a specific runner or wager.
- Post Position
- Position of stall in starting gate from which a horse starts.
- Purse
- The prize money distributed to owners of winning horses in the races.
- Quinella
- A wager, the selection of the first 2 finishers, regardless of order for a single race.
- Probable Pay
- A number found on a Tote Board indicating the likely payout of a particular exotic wager.
- Saddle Cloth/Blanket
- Colored Blanket placed on a racehorse under the saddle to exhibit the stable colors and protect the horse from saddle irritation.
- Scratch
- To take a horse out of the race before it starts.
- Screen Resolution
- The number of pixels per inch used to display text and images on a computer screen. Most common is 1024 X 768.
- Show
- To finish third in a given race; a wager, the selection of a runner to finish first, second, or third in a given race.
- Sire
- The father of a horse.
- Gate
- Mechanical device with stalls for thoroughbred and quarter horses to stand in until the starter releases the doors in front to begin the race.
- Stretch
- Final straight portion of the racetrack to the finish.
- Sulkie
- Cart driven by a driver in a harness race.
- Superfecta
- A wager, the selection of the first 4 finishers, in their exact order of finish, in a single race.
- Tote
- An automated pari-mutuel system that tracks all wagers, and calculated odds and payout information.
- Tote Board
- A display providing odds, pool totals, and probable pay information.
- Trainer
- The person who trains the horses, is responsible for their wellbeing and makes the decisions about where and when they will race.
- Trifecta
- A wager, the selection of the first three 3 finishers, in their exact order of finish, for a single race; sometimes referred to as triactor.
- Turf Course
- Grass course.
- Universal Driver Rating
- A number that is calculated like a batting average and is used to compare Drivers at a particular racetrack. The rating is derived from a formula that calculates the total starts at a specific track divided by the total wins, places, and show finishes. The formula to calculate the Universal Driver Ratings is: (Number of wins x 9) + (Number of seconds x 5) + (Number of thirds x 3) divided by (Number of starts x 9).
- Win
- To finish first in a race; a wager, the selection of a runner to finish first in a single race.
- Wire
- The finish line of a racetrack.
- With
- Used to define the movement from one leg of a bet to another, e.g. an Exacta bet may be described as 1 with 2 and 3.
- Wheel
- The selection of one or more runners, to finish in a specific position of a race, in combination with all other runners in the field.
- Win/Place/Show
- A wager combining the Win, Place, and Show bets in a single race; sometimes abbreviated as WPS.
