Understanding Australian Horse Racing (Part 1/3)
This is the first of a three part series on Australian horse racing. Today I will list terms you will hear at an Australian track that you wouldn't hear for the most part at an American track.
Click here to view part 2 in this series.
Acceptor: | A horse confirmed by the owner or trainer to be a runner in a race. |
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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. |
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Daylight: | Often called as second place horse in a race where the winner has won by a wide margin. |
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Dead cert: | Dead certainty, a horse or team that is considered highly likely to win.
Dead ‘un: A horse deliberately ridden to lose.
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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. |
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Hairy-goat: | A racehorse that has performed badly. |
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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. |
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Odds against: | Odds which are longer than evens (e.g. 2-1). At present Australian odds are expressed as a $ figure: 2-1 is now shown as $3 (2-1 plus the $1 stake). |
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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. |
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Salute the judge: | The horse wins the race. |
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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. |
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