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UK HORSE RACING TERMS AND JARGON EXPLAINED

Welcome to my plain English explanation of UK horse racing terms and jargon. No doubt you will have heard horse racing terms
like "handicap race" "bay horse" and "claimer" from TV horse racing presenters like Claire Balding, Willie Carson and Big Mac,
as well as trainers and jockeys without having a clue about what they were talking about?. Hopefully my explanation of some of the
more common horse racing terms and jargon will add to your greater understanding and enjoyment of both flat and jump racing.

AMATEUR: A non professional jockey who can be identified on any racecard by their title: Mr, Mrs, Ms, Captain appearing before
their name.

APPRENTICE: A young jockey contracted to a trainer while learning how to race ride.

BAY: A horse which has a brown body and black mane.

BLINKERS: A type of hood that fits over a horse's head to prevent it from seeing sideways and help it concentrate it's attention
ahead during a race.

BLOWN UP: When a horse starts to drop out of contention during a race due to lack of fitness.

BROKEN DOWN: When a horse sustains an injury - normally a tendon or soft tissue injury requiring a long rest to recover.

CHESTNUT: A horse with a "ginger" body, mane and tail.

CLAIMER: An apprentice flat race jockey.

CLERK OF THE COURSE: The person responsible for the overall management of a racecourse during raceday.

COLOURS: A jockey's shirt or 'silks' which identifies the owner of the race horse.

COLT: A young, ungelded (see gelding) male horse aged up to four years.

CONDITIONAL JOCKEY: A National Hunt jockey, under 26, who receives a weight allowance for inexperience until he has ridden a certain number of winners.

CONDITIONS RACES: Weights carried are determined by the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males;
the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving weight from older runners, referred to as weight for age; and quality of runners, with horses that have won certain values of races giving weight to less successful entrants.

CUT IN THE GROUND: A description of the ground condition, when there is 'give' in the surface, AKA 'soft going'.

DISTANCE: The length of a race. Five furlongs is the shortest, four and half miles (The Grand National) the longest. Also refers to the margin by which a horse wins or is beaten. This can range from 'a short head' to 'a distance' which is more than 30 lengths.

DRAW: A Flat racing term denoting a horse's position in the starting stalls.

FILLY: A female horse aged up to four years.

FORM: Refers to a horse's race record. Denoted by figures next to it's name on a racecard i.e. 1=1st, 2=2nd etc.

FURLONG: The unit of distance in a horse race. One-eighth of a mile or 220 yards or 201 metres.

GALLOPING TRACK: Generally a wide-open track that suits bigger horse with big strides i.e. Ascot or Newbury.

GELDING: Horses which have been castrated (gelded) as the temperament of a stallion is not usually suited for an extended racing career.

GET THE TRIP: Usually said of a horse that is expected to complete the race distance.

GROUP RACE: Refers to the category of a horse race. Group One races are the premier class and include the Classics
(Derby, The Kentucky Derby, 1000 Guineas). Group Two races also have international prestige and Group Three races are usually domestic races and regarded as being preparation for the higher Groups. Pattern races are designed to ensure competitive horse
racing throughout Europe.

HACKED UP: When a horse wins easily.

HANDICAP: A handicap race in which the the weight each horse has to carry is individually allotted according to it's past performance
to make the chances of all horses in the race more equal. See NURSERY

JUVENILE: A two year old Flat horse or a three year old National Hunt horse.

MARE: A female horse over five years old.

NATIONAL HUNT: Racing over fences and hurdles AKA jump racing.

NOVICE: A horse which has not won more than two races.

NURSERY: A handicap race for two year old horses.

OBJECTION: A complaint by one jockey against another regarding a breach of rules during a race.

OFF THE PACE: When a horse isn't keeping up with the others horses in a race.

OVER THE TOP: A horse past his peak for the season.

PACE: The speed at which a race is run. Up with the pace means close to the leaders, off the pace means some way behind.

PENALTY: Additional weight carried by a horse on account of previous wins. In a handicap, penalties are added to the allotted weight
of a horse if it has won since the weights for the race were published.

PULLING: A horse that is unsettled during the early part of a race and uses too much energy fighting the jockey by pulling against the bridle.

RACING PLATE: Lightweight horseshoes designed for racehorses.

SIRE: A horse's father.

STAYERS: Horses with a lot of stamina are more likely to perform best over 3 miles, rather than 2 miles over jumps, and over 2 miles
on the flat.

STEEPLECHASE: A horse race over fences, open ditches and water jumps.

THOROUGHBRED: A horse whose lineage can be traced back to any of the three founding sires: Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Arabian.

TIGHT TRACK: Generally a narrow track with tight turns that suits smaller, nippier horses, such as Cartmel or Kelso.

WEIGHT CLOTH: A cloth with pockets for lead weights placed under the saddle.

WEIGHTS: Lead strips placed in a weight cloth (as above) to bring the jockey up to the handicap weight of the race.

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