Understanding Australian Horse Racing (Part 1/3)

Aged:

A horse seven years old or older.

All Up:

A type of bet where the winnings of one race is carried over to the next race and so forth.

Apprentice allowance:

Reduction in the weight to be carried by a horse which is to be ridden by an apprentice jockey. Also called a "claim". It varies from 4 kg to 1.5 kg depending on the number of winners the apprentice has ridden. Recent rule changes have resulted in an increase in the maximum amount able to be claimed—from 3 kg to 4 kg.

Approximates:

The T.A.B prices horses are showing before a race begins.

Asparagus:

Name given to a punter {someone that bets on horses} who arrives on course with a stack of papers,hence: more tips than a can of asparagus

Back:

To bet on a horse.

Backed In:

A horse whose odds have shortened.

Backed off the map:

A horse which has been heavily supported resulting in a substantial decrease in odds.

Back up:

To race a horse soon after its latest engagement. Also, bettors who keep backing a particular horse are said to "back up."

Bank teller job:

A horse considered such a near certainty that a bank teller could invest 'borrowed' bank funds and replace them without detection.

Dead cert:

Dead certainty, a horse or team that is considered highly likely to win. Dead ‘un: A horse deliberately ridden to lose.

Dead ‘un

A horse deliberately ridden to lose.

Deductions:

The percentage reduction in odds, for win and place bets, when a horse is scratched from a race after betting on that race has commenced

Dogs are barking it

A big tip which has become common knowledge.

Donkey-licked:

To be defeated convincingly.

Double carpet:

33/1 outsider.

Drift:

When the odds of a horse increase or ease.

Drift in:

A horse moving from a straight path towards the rail during a race.

Drum:

Good information, a tip. Drum can also mean to be placed 2nd or 3rd in a race; to run “the drum.”

Dutch book:

To bet on a number of horses, at varying odds, such that whichever bet wins, a set profit is guaranteed.

Ham:

As in ‘What a Ham’. Term used for a horse that has been in a good paddock/looks a little large around the edges.

Handicapper:

The racing official who assigns the weights to be carried by horses in handicap races.

Hang:

To veer away from a straight course during a race.

Hard earned:

Money.

Hoop:

Jockey.

Hot Pot:

The race favorite.

Impost:

The weight a horse is allocated or carries.

Jigger:

An illegal battery powered device used by a jockey to stimulate a horse during a race or track work.

Jumped out of the ground:

Said of a horse which comes from nowhere at the end of the race.

Jumped out of trees:

Said by bookmakers of a rush of punters to plunge on a horse.

Odds on:

odds which are shorter than evens (e.g. 1-2 or 2-1 on). Or $1.50, using the above example in Odds Against.

Odds on look on:

odds which are shorter than evens (e.g. 1-2 or 2-1 on). Or $1.50, using the above example in Odds Against.

Odds on look on:

An old adage used by bettors in which the decision is made not to bet on a race in which the favorite is at odds on.

Off side:

The right hand side of a horse.

On the bit:

When a horse is eager to run.

On the nose:

A bet placed on the win only

Ordinary cattle:

A derogatory term for a low class field of runners.

Outlay:

The money an investor bets or wagers is called their outlay.

Outsider:

A horse whose chances of winning a race are not considered very strong. An outsider is usually quoted at the highest odds.

Overs:

Odds about a horse which are considered to be good value because they are longer than its estimated probability of winning.

Scraping paint:

Racing tight, or close, to the running rail.

Sectionals:

Intermediate times recorded during a race.

Set the board:

When a bookmaker completes the information shown on the betting board, by listing each runner in a race and their respective odds, he or she is said to have set the board.

Shillelagh:

Colloquial term for a jockey’s whip.

Shorten:

When the odds of a horse decrease, usually because a lot of money has been wagered on that horse.

Slaughtered:

Said of a jockey who has ridden a horse so badly as to be the main cause of it losing a race.

Smoky:

A well supported horse with no apparent form to justify its price.

Speedy squib:

A horse which has a reputation for beginning races extremely fast and running out of steam before the winning post.

Spell:

The resting period for a horse between preparations or racing.

Spot:

A term used for one hundred dollars.