Glossary of Terms
| BOX: | When you bet every possible combination of two or more horses in an exacta, or quinella it is call a BOX |
| BOXED IN: | This has nothing to do with parking and everything to do with the ability of a horse to move into position during a race. If the announcer states that horse#3 is boxed in, it means that there are horses in front, behind and beside him thus not allowing him any room to move to another position. This is most prevelant in harness racing. |
| BLINKERS: | To prevent distractions, BLINKERS, a hood designed to limit the horse's vision behind him or beside him. |
| CHALK: | The favorite horse in a race. |
| COLT: | A male horse up until his fourth birthday is called a COLT. After his fourth birthday he is referred to as a HORSE |
| DAM: | Mother of a thoroughbred horse. |
| DEAD HEAT | When two or more horses finish precisely at the same time it is called a DEAD HEAT. |
| DRIVER: | |
| FARRIER: | Also referred to as a blacksmith, the FARRIER specializes in shoeing the horses. |
| FEATURE: | The most important race of the program. FEATURES the best horses for the best money. |
| FILLY: | A female horse is called a FILLY up until her fourth birthday when she becomes a MARE. |
| FURLONG: | FURLONG is used to measure distance in thoroughbred racing. One FURLONG equals an eighth of a mile. |
| HAND: | The unit by which horses are measured. Horses are measured from the ground to the point where the saddle cloth/ saddle sites. One hand equals four inches. |
| HANDLE: | The total amount of money wagered on a racing card. |
| LONGSHOT: | LONGSHOT refers to a horse that appears not to have a good chance to win a race. When the LONGSHOT wins it usually pays very well. |
| MAIDEN: | A horse that has never won a race is called a MAIDEN. |
| PADDOCK: | This is an area at the track where the horses are saddled just before the race. This is a place for the novice to take a good look at all the horses before post time. |
| POST TIME: | The start time of the race. |
| PURSE: | The money which is offered and paid in each race to owners of horses, finishing in the first five places. |
| SILKS: | In throughbred racing, silks refers to the jockey's silk cap and jacket. These are distinctive patterns, which are determined by the horse's owner and registered with the Alberta Racing Corporation. |
| SIRE: | Father of a horse. |
| STRETCH: | Final straight portion of the racetrack to the finish. |
| STUD: | A stallion used for breeding. |
| SUPERFECTA: | Correctly select the first four finishers in the exact order of finish. |
