Glossary of Horse Racing Betting Terms

A

Accumulator 

A bet involving four or more selections, with additional sections increasing the potential payout. All selections must win for the bet to pay out.

Across the Board

Betting on a single horse for every eventuality (winning, placing and showing)

All-Weather Track (AWT)

A racing track made with artificial turf so it can be used regardless of the weather. As of 2025, there are five AWTs in England (Chelmsford, Kempton, Lingfield, Southwell and Wolverhampton) and one in Ireland (Dundalk). 

Also Ran

Runners that did not place in a race.

Ante-Post Betting

Placing a bet on an event far in advance. In horse racing betting, this is any bet you place before the final declaration stage of the race. Prices on ante-post bets tend to be higher as there isn’t a guarantee the horse will run. 

B

Banker

A racer you’re confident will place first, around which you place other bets. Useful in multi-bets.

Bar Price 

The price on the lowest odds horses. For example, 30-1 bar means all horses not listed will be priced at 30-1 or more. 

Betting Exchange

A special kind of sportsbook where you bet against other bettors rather than against a sportsbook. 

Best Odds Guaranteed

A common horse racing promotion at online sportsbooks where the site promises to set your wager at the starting price if it rises above what it was when you placed the bet. This is usually only available from around 8-9am of the race day until the race itself starts. 

Blinkers 

A type of horse gear used to reduce a horse’s vision and limit distractions during a race. If a horse is wearing blinkers in a race, this is indicated by a small ‘b’ on the race card. If you see a b1 on the card, this means the horse is wearing blinkers for the first time in a race.

Boxed Bet 

A bet made to account for many permutations of a race. Only used when talking about Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta bets.

C

Class

The level of prestige a specific horse race holds. Horse races in the UK and Ireland are split into eight classes with two main groupings. Classic and Class 1 races, also called pattern races, make up the bulk of the standard races and usually hold some kind of international or domestic importance. Classes 2–7 are mainly run as handicaps and are split by rating. 

Classics

A group of major races for three-year-olds in the flat seasons. There are five in the UK: the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas, the Oaks, the Derby and the St Leger. Other European countries have their own classics.

Clerk of the Course 

The member of racecourse staff who is responsible for overseeing overall course management, including preparation of the racing surface. 

Colt 

A male aged five years or younger that hasn’t been gelded. 

Combination Bet 

A large bet that’s made up of many different types of bet, many of which have unique names. Examples include Trixies, Luckys, Yankees, Canadians and Heinz bets. These bets are made to maximise winnings and can still pay out if only some of the legs win.

D

Daily Double 

A bet where you try to predict the winner of sequential races on a single ticket. 

Dead Heat 

A tie between two or more horses for any placing position. If there is a dead heat for a first-place win bet, half the bet will be played at full odds, and the other half will be lost. 

Drifter 

A racer whose odds continue to grow longer as a race approaches due to a lack of market support. This is also sometimes called being ‘on the drift.’

E

Each Way 

Two bets made as a pair to predict a horse coming in either first or placing. If the race pays out, it will be done differently depending on which outcome is won. As this isn’t a single bet, the stake must be paid twice. 

Exacta 

A bet on who the two winning horses will be in a race, also known as a straight forecast.

Entry Stage

The point where a trainer/owner submits a horse to run in a race. The horse’s details and qualifications are considered by the racing authorities to determine whether the horse is eligible to participate.

Evens/Even Money

Odds of 1-1 (2). A bet that has a 50% of winning, which will payout the same as the stake (for a total of double your stake). 

F

Favourite 

The horse with the shortest odds in a given race — this horse is the most likely to win, according to bookies.

Field 

Refers to the total number of horses participating in a race. Important for determining the number of winning places. 

Flat Racing 

A horse race without any jumps.

Forecast

A type of bet where you bet on the winner and runner up in a race. Can also be constructed as a reverse forecast, which will cover the outcomes of either horse coming first or second. 

Form 

A horse’s recent racing record. It’s displayed as a series of numbers that represent the horse’s placement in each race, with the last digit representing the most recent result. I.e. 376142 suggests that a horse’s most recent outcome was second place. 

Furlong 

The measurement by which we record the length of a race. It is equivalent to 220 yards, or an eighth of a mile (approx. 201 meters).

G

Gelding 

A male horse that has been castrated. The majority of jump racing horses have been gelded, and some flat racers may be too. However, some races, like the Derby, don’t allow Geldings to participate, as they’re important for finding quality studs. 

Going 

The ground condition of a race course. This can have a large impact on the outcome of a race, including whether a trainer chooses to allow their racers to run. 

Group/Graded Race 

Separation of races within each class. Flat races are split by ‘groups,’ and jump races have ‘grades.’

H

Handicap Race 

A race with 16 or more racers where each competitor carries different weights depending on their handicap racing. This ensures races are run on equal footing. 

Headgear 

Various kinds of gear worn on a horse’s head to improve a horse's performance in some way. Examples include hoods, which limit a horse’s hearing, and blinkers, which focus the horse’s vision forward. 

Heinz 

A type of combination bet where you pick six selections (races) across six races to form a total of 57 bets (which is where the name of the bet comes from, referencing Heinz 57). At least two horses must win to start seeing any winnings. 

I

In the Money 

When a horse places, meaning a horse that places in a position where the trainer/owner can win part of the purse, usually first, second or third.

In Running

A bet placed during the running of a race rather than before it. Can also refer to any event that occurs after a race has started and before it ends.

J

Jockey 

A professional racing horse rider. Usually paid at a fixed rate. 

Joint Favourite 

When two horses share the shortest odds in a race, they’re called joint-favourites. Both horses are likely to win. 

K

Key Horse 

Another way to refer to a banker. This is a horse which you rely on winning first, with other bets placed around it. 

L

Lay Bet 

A wager that wins if the chosen horse doesn’t win the race. 

Length 

The unit of measurement for the distance between horses at the end of a race. This is the length of a horse from head to tail.

Longshot 

A horse that is unlikely to win a race.

Lucky 15

A popular type of combination bet. It covers four selections across 15 bets and can pay out even if one or two of the selections lose, although with smaller winnings. Also comes in Lucky 31 (five selections) and Lucky 63 (six selections). The number at the end references how many bets are placed in total.

M

Maiden 

A horse that hasn’t yet won a race. Some races designated as ‘Maiden Races’ are limited to participants who haven’t yet won a race. 

Market Mover 

A selection that changes dramatically in price before the start of a race, can go in either direction.

Multiples 

Bets placed where more than one selection must win for a payout. 

N

Nap

A tipster's best bet of the day.

Non-runner 

A horse that is removed from the race at the last moment for any reason, often the going or other health concerns.

Nose 

The shortest official distance of measurement a horse can win by.

O

Off the Pace 

When a racer is far behind the horses in the lead.

Off-Course Betting (OCB) 

Any bet made on a horse race that takes place away from the racecourse. In the US, this is referred to as off-track betting.

Odds On 

When the money you win from a bet will be less than the amount you staked; less than evens.

P

Pass/Past the Post

The finishing line in horse racing is called the ‘post,’ so when a horse crosses it, it’s called ‘passing the post.’ Some bonuses refer to ‘past the post’ guarantees, which promise to pay out a victory as the horses pass the post, even if one of the racers is later disqualified or demoted for whatever reason. 

Photo Finish 

When the placings in a race can’t be easily determined, the result is taken from a photograph taken on the finishing line. 

Place Bet 

To win a place bet, your racer only has to place in a race, not win. This means making first, second, third or fourth. However, the number of places that count will depend on how many racers participate. 

Pool Betting 

Also called parimutuel betting, this has you betting against other betters through a lottery system. All wagers are collected into a single pot, which is then distributed among the winners depending on how much you wagered.

Post Position 

A racer’s numbered position in the starting gate.

Purse 

The total money prize which is distributed among the racers depending on how they place in the race. The winner gets the largest percentage, then second, third and so on. In the UK and most of Europe, the purse is only distributed between the first three or so places, but in the US, all participants might receive a small portion.

Q

Quadpot 

A type of pool bet hosted at the tote where you need to bet on which horses will win the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th races of a race day. 

R

Rail 

White plastic fences used to mark out the boundaries of the race track.

Rule 4 

A common rule enforced in the case of a horse being withdrawn from a race when there isn’t enough time to change the odds. All odds on the remaining runners are adjusted to compensate for there being one less competitor and thus a slightly higher chance of any participant winning.

Runner 

A horse that’s been confirmed to run in a race.

S

Scratched 

Shortened to SCR on race cards, this refers to a horse that has been removed from the running in a race. 

Show Bet

A bet placed on a horse you think will place but not win.

Silks

The jackets worn by jockeys that identify the horse they’re riding. The colours are chosen by the trainer.

Spread Betting 

A type of betting where you wager on the difference between an outcome and the prediction of a bookie. The more correct you are, the more you can win. The same is true of the reverse, where the more wrong you are, the more you will owe the sportsbook, so you can lose more than you stake. 

Stake

The amount of money you place on a wager, from which all winnings are calculated. If you lose a bet, the sportsbook keeps this stake.

Steeplechase

The formal name for a jump race. Involves the racers clearing fences, open ditches and pools of water before passing the post. 

Steward’s Inquiry

A meeting held in the Stewards’ room to decide whether any rules have been broken during a race. If the consensus is yes, a racer could be disqualified or demoted. 

T

Tote 

The tote is a pool betting platform originally established by the British government in 1928. It’s one of the most popular sportsbooks for horse racing in the UK and specialises in pool/parimutuel betting. Most famous for its Placepot bet, where you bet on 6 horses to win across a race day for a chance at huge payouts.

Tricast 

A bet where you predict the winner, runner up and third place racer in a single race. If turned into a combined forecast bet, your three chosen racers can place in any order, as long as all make the top three.

Trip 

A way to refer to the distance of a race. If a horse has the stamina for a particular race, it is said to ‘get the trip.’

U

Under Starter’s Orders 

The time after a horse and jockey have been lined up in the stalls — the moments before a race starts. 

Unfancied 

A racer that isn’t expected to win a race.

V

Value Bet 

When a sportsbook places odds that don’t accurately reflect the likelihood of an event happening. If the odds are skewed in your favour, a value bet has a high potential for winnings.

Visor 

A type of headgear similar to blinkers but with additional slits that allow a horse a small amount of peripheral vision. 

W

Walkover

A race involving just racer. Despite having only one competitor, the horse and jockey must both pass the post to be declared the winner.

Weigh-In 

Confirmation that a jockey and horse have run at the correct weight, legitimising their placement in the race. 

Weight-for-Age 

An alternate form of handicapping where horses carry weight according to their age rather than their ranking/performance. Allows younger horses to compensate for a lack of physical maturity.

Win Bet 

A bet on the outright winner of a race with no bells and whistles. The bet will not pay out if the racer places but doesn’t win.

Y

Yankee

A type of combination bet covering four selections over 11 bets. Similar to a lucky 15, however, the individual selections don’t count as win bets, with only doubles, triples and an accumulator placed. The bet can start to pay out when at least two of the selections win. When five selections are made instead, it is called a Canadian or a Super Yankee. 

Yearling 

The term for a foal during the year after its birth. This term starts on the January 1st after it’s born until the following December 31st. 

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Responsible Gambling

Horse racing is a storied pastime with plenty of thrills to be had. However, as with all other forms of gambling, betting on the races has the potential to get out of hand. This is why it’s always important to adhere to responsible gambling practices. Maintaining healthy gambling habits and controlling your spending is paramount to having a good time when watching the races. 

While you can find lots of information on how to gamble responsibly, especially from the many helplines available in the UK, here are a few actionable things you can do today to get yourself on the right track:

• Set a deposit limit — if you struggle to hold to a strict budget, online sportsbooks allow you to set hard and fast limits on the amount of money you can deposit into your account. You can also set wagering and loss limits, if you’d rather limit the amount of money lost from your account rather than your bank.

• Turn to friends and family — it’s much easier to maintain healthy behaviours when you have someone you trust holding you accountable. If you have someone who you trust to help you, have them keep an eye on you and pull you away when you need it. 

Monitor your betting — most online sportsbooks have tools to help you do this anyway, but it’s always a good idea to take note of and learn about your own habits. If you can see clearly when you’re most likely to overspend or be on the sportsbook for a little too long, you can take effective action against it.

For more information on the best horse racing betting sites that you can use to put your new-found knowledge to the test, head over to our page here.