ACEY-DEUCY – a riding style in which the jockey uses a longer stirrup on the left or inside leg
ACROSS THE BOARD – a bet on a horse to win, place and show
ACTION – describes a horse’s manner of movement
ADDED MONEY – money added to the purse of a race through nomination fees, starting or entry fees, by the racing association or by a breeding or other fund
ALL OUT – when a horse extends himself to the utmost
ALLOWANCE RACE – a race other than claiming for which the racing secretary drafts certain conditions to determine weights – for higher caliber horses
ALLOWANCES – weight permitted to be reduced because of the conditions of the race, by age or by sex or because an apprentice is on a horse
ALSO-ELIGIBLE (AE) – a horse officially entered in a race, but not permitted to start unless the field is reduced by scratches below a specified number
ALSO-RAN – a horse who finishes out of the money
APPRENTICE – rider just beginning his/her career who has not ridden a certain number of winners within a specified period of time. Also known as a bug boy.
APPRENTICE ALLOWANCE – weight concession to an apprentice rider to compensate for their inexperience: usually 10 pounds until the fifth winner, seven pounds until the 35th winner and five pounds for one calendar year from the 35th winner
ASTERISK (*) – used beside a jockey’s name in the program to indicate an apprentice. One asterisk = 5 lbs. allowance. Two asterisks = 7 lbs. Three asterisks = 10 lbs.
BABY RACE – a race exclusively for two-year-olds
BACKSIDE – stable area also called the backstretch
BACKSTRETCH – straightaway on the far side of track between the turns. Also entire stable area.
”BAD DOER” – a horse with a poor appetite. May be due to anxiety or other digestive problems.
BALK – refusing to break from the starting gate. If the horse does this more than once, the stewards can refuse the entry of the horse into a race until they are satisfied that the horse has been properly trained to come out of the gate.
BANDAGE – strips of cloth wound over padding around the lower part of a horse’s legs for support or protection against injury. May be used in either a race or in a stall.
BAR SHOE – a horseshoe with a rear bar closing the two open ends to protect an injured foot
BAY (B) – a brown horse with a black mane, tail nose and lower legs. Can range from light brown to dark.
BEARING IN (OR OUT) – deviating from a straight course
BIT – metal bar that fits in a horse’s mouth and is attached to the reins for control
BLACK (Bl.) – a very dark brown horse. A true black horse has no brown hairs in muzzle area
BLACK TYPE – designation for a stakes winner or stakes-placed horse in a sales catalogue – tends to increase a horse’s value
BLANKET FINISH – three or more horses finishing a race so closely together they could be “covered by a blanket”
BLEEDER – a horse who bleeds from the nose during or after a workout or race due to ruptured blood vessel or tiny tear in the lungs. Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging (EIPH)
BLINKERS – a cloth “mask” that goes over the horse’s head with lateral cups around the eyes to limit a horse’s peripheral vision. Helps focus the horse and prevent distraction and must be declared as part of the equipment on the horse when it races.
BLOWOUT – a short, quick, timed workout, usually a day or two before a race
BOARD – totalisator board in the infield on which odds, betting pools and other information is displayed
BOBBLE – a bad step usually coming out of the starting gate evidenced by a horse ducking its head or nearly going to its knees
BOLT – sudden veering from a straight course
BOTTOM LINE – thoroughbred’s breeding on the female side or the bottom half of an extended pedigree diagram
BOUNCE – poor race run directly following a career-best or near-best performance
BOWED TENDON – rupture of the sheath enclosing the tendon from the knee to the fetlock joint, giving it a bowed appearance
BOXED IN – a horse that is racing on the rail/pylons and is surrounded by other horses in front, outside and behind it. The horse is held up and unable to gain a clear passage.
BREAK – 1) the start of a race. 2) to train a young horse to accept saddle, bridle, harness, rider, driver etc.
BREAKAGE – in pari-mutuel payoffs which are rounded out to a nickel or dime, those pennies that are left over. Breakage is generally split between the track and province and in some cases, breeding or other funds, in varying proportions.
BREAKDOWN – when a horse suffers an injury; lameness that prevents it from running
BREAK MAIDEN – horse or rider winning first race of a career
BREEDER – owner of dam at time foal is born
BREEDING FUND – a fund set up by many provinces to provide bonus prizes for locally-bred horses
BREEZE – working a horse at a moderate speed; less effort than “handily”
BRIDLE – the equipment that goes over a horse’s head for control, consisting of the bit, headstall and the reins
BROODMARE – female horse used for breeding
BUG BOY – apprentice rider
BULLET (WORK) – the best time for the distance for a work on a given day at a track indicated on paper with a solid dot
BULL RING – small racetrack; usually less than one mile in distance