ABANDONED: A race meeting which has been cancelled because a club did not receive sufficient nominations to be able to stage it, or because of inclement weather which made racing on the track unsafe. A race meeting may also be abandoned part way through because of inclement weather. All bets placed on abandoned races are fully refunded.
ACCEPTOR: A runner officially listed to start in a race.
ALL CLEAR: Signified by a siren at the end of a race, the all clear means that the stewards deem the finishing order of horses is correct and bets may be paid out. It also means that no protest or objection has been made by the connections of any horse in the race.
ALL THE WAY WIN: To lead from start to finish in a race.
ALL UP: This involves picking the winners of more than one race at the same meeting. A single wager amount is placed on more than one outcome, whereby the stake and winnings of the first selection will be rolled over into the second selection and so on.
ALL-IN: With all-in betting there are no refunds given for scratched or withdrawn competitors or teams in an event where a bet is placed. Should an event be cancelled then the amount bet will be refunded.
APPRENTICE JOCKEY: Apprenticed to a trainer, apprentice jockeys have typically won less than 60 races and been in apprenticeship for less than 4 years. The weight carried by a horse is reduced from that stated in the handicap for eligible races only.
BACK MARKER: In a standing start event, which is handicapped, the horse that is given the biggest handicap is known as the back marker.
BACK STRAIGHT: The straight length of the track or paceway farthest away from the main grandstand and the winning post.
BACK: To bet or wager. An investor is often referred to as having backed a particular runner.
BACKED IN: See shorten. A runner that is "backed in" means that investors have outlaid a considerable amount of money on that runner, with the result being a decrease in the odds offered.
BANKER: Your "anchor". If you pick a banker in a multi-bet type (eg. Quinella or Trifecta), you are picking that Runner to come in any place within your bet.
BARRIER: The positions in the starting stall that the runners start the race from.
BARRIER DRAW: The ballot held by the race club to decide which starting stall each runner will occupy.
BELL LAP: In harness racing, the last lap of a race, signified by the ringing of a bell.
BEST BET: A runner that is considered to have a good all round chance of winning a race or running a place. A best bet may be an investor's own choice, or a runner that has been highlighted by a tipster or selection panel.
BET: A transaction in which monies are staked pending the uncertain outcome of a race or sporting event.
BETSLIP: The coupon, available at TAB retail, racetracks and some sporting venues, on which you mark your bet.
BIRDCAGE: See Enclosure.
BLINKERS: A device to prevent a horse from having sideways vision and keep its attention to what's in front of it.
BOOK: A collection of all the bets taken on fixed odds betting events.
BOOKMAKER (BOOKIE): A person licensed to take Fixed Odds bets on racing or sport.
BOX: "In any order". You are asking that your bet covers your selections to finish in any order eg. Trifecta boxed - 4, 5 and 6 would mean that your bet covers your selections to get first, second and third, but in any order.
BOXED IN: A runner that is racing on the rails (or fence) and is surrounded by other runners in front, outside and behind it. A runner that is boxed in is held up and unable to gain a clear passage.
CALCUTTA: A betting event where the names of runners in a particular race are "auctioned off" to the highest bidder.
CHECK: When a runner is interfered with and has to change stride or slow down.
COLOURS: The special colourful silks worn by jockeys or drivers when in a race.
COLT: A male horse aged three or under.
COMBINATION: If you select more than the minimum of runners required to win your bet, you introduce additional chances to win. Each of these chances is a "combination" and will change the total cost of your bet. The bet unit is the amount you bet on each chance or combination.
CORRECT WEIGHT: Horses are allocated a weight to carry that is checked before and, for at least the place getters, after a race. Correct weight must be signaled before bets can be paid out.
COUNT BACK: Where there is no winning ticket on a terminating pool, the TAB will "count back" to find the "most correct" ticket or tickets. The priority order of the count back for different Racing Bet Types or Sport Options is detailed in the TAB Rules.
DAM: The female parent, or mother, of a horse.
DEAD HEAT: When 2 or more runners finish together and cannot be separated by the judge after consulting the photo finish.
DECLARATION OF WEIGHTS: The publication of weights allocated to each horse nominated for a race by the handicapper.
DERBY: A classic race for three-year-old horses.
DIVIDEND: The amount paid out on a winning or placed horse/greyhound in a racing event and the winning team or player in a sports betting event.
DOUBLE: Select the teams or players you believe will win two separate specified events or two parts of the same event, e.g.: Winners of a rugby and league game, or the half and full time leaders in the same game. All bets are placed prior to the first event.
DRAW: Where competitors in an event finish evenly. Where there is a draw and this is not offered as a betting option, the return will be divided by the number of joint winners. Note that some sports have processes such as extra-time or play-offs to determine an event winner that are included as part of the bet where others are not. This may affect some bets and you should always be sure how an event would be decided in this instance.
DRIFTER: When the odds of a runner increase. A drifter is, for example, a runner that is given an opening price of 2-1 but is unfavoured by investors, so its odds are increased to say 4-1 in an effort to attract investors. Drifting is also known as easing.
EACH WAY CHANCE: A runner that has a good chance of winning or finishing in second or third place in a race. Because it's not considered to be a sure thing, punters will back an each way chance for a win and a place, which means they will get a return if it finishes in the top three.
EACH WAY: This bet combines a win and a place bet on the same runner.
EMERGENCY: Replacement runner in a race when an official acceptor is scratched prior to a particular time before the race.
ENCLOSURE: The area where the runners gather for viewing before and after the race.
EQUAL FAVOURITE: A runner that is as popular as another runner in a race, which is deemed to have an equal chance of winning. Naturally, as equal favourites, they will be quoted at the same odds.
EVEN MONEY: When the bookmaker's or totalisator's stake is equal to the investor's stake. For example a winning $1 bet on a horse that is quoted at 1-1 or even money, would give the investor $1, plus his or her original dollar, making a total return of $2 for the $1 outlay.
FAVOURITE: The runner or competitor that has the most dollars bet on it to win and is seen as having the greatest chance of winning.
FEATURE RACES: Major races, including Listed and Group races.
FENCE: The inside fence is the inside running rail around the racetrack, while the outside fence is the outside running rail.
FIELD: All the individual runners listed by race. If you "take the field" you are backing every runner in the race.
FILLY: A female horse aged three or under.
FIRST UP: The first run a runner has in a new campaign or preparation, usually after having a spell.
FIXED ODDS: Your dividend is fixed at the odds when you placed your bet. No matter how much the odds fluctuate the odds at the time you bet are fixed. Your dividend for winning is paid at the value stated on your ticket, no matter what happens after you have placed your bet.
FIXTURE: See meeting.
FORM: As found in a form guide, it consists of a listing of each runner's previous performance history. Recent form is included in race books and form guides in an effort to help punters select the runner most likely to win.
FURLONG: A description of distance on a racetrack. 1 furlong = 200 metres.
FUTURES: Fixed Odds betting which is taken well in advance of the event. Higher odds are sometimes offered, as not all players will end up competing.
GAIT: Harness horses are divided into two distinct groups, pacers or trotters, depending on their gait when racing. The gait is the manner in that a horse moves its legs when running. The pacer is a horse with a lateral gait, whereas a trotter or square-gaiter has a diagonal gait.
GATE: Another term for barrier, or position a horse will start from.
GELDING: A de-sexed male horse of any age.
GROUP RACES: An elite group of races.
HANDICAP: This can be a class of race or it can refer to the weight a horse carries. For harness and greyhound events, it can be added distance for the runner to travel.
HANDICAPPER: The official who decides the weights to be carried in handicap events, and the grading of horses and greyhounds.
HEAD TO HEAD: Select the team, or player, you believe will win the game or an event.
HOLD ALL TICKETS: If the Stewards have deferred the All Clear (in order to investigate certain aspects of the race), no dividends can be paid out. Therefore, investors are told to hold all tickets until a race has been given the all clear and the official placings declared.
HOME TURN: The final turn a runner must travel around before entering the home straight in the run to the finish line.
INQUIRY: If interference is suspected in a race, the stipendiary stewards (who run the race day) will call an inquiry. All dividends are held until the inquiry is resolved. The outcome may mean a change in the winning positions or payment on the original placings.
INVESTOR: A person who bets with a bookmaker or the totalisator.
JUDGE: The person who declares the official placing for each race.
LATE SCRATCHING: A runner that is scratched from a race after acceptances have been declared.
LAY OFF: Bets made by one bookmaker with another bookmaker, in an effort to reduce his liability in respect of bets already laid by him with investors.
LEG: A race that forms part of a Multi Race bet, eg. "First leg of the Double" would be the first race of the two that make the designated Double race feature.
LINE BETTING: See POINTS START.
LISTED RACES:
LONG ODDS: A runner, team or player paying more than $10 in a Fixed Odds market.
LONG SHOT: See outsider. An outsider is often referred to as being a long shot, because of the fact it is returning high odds and is therefore deemed to have little chance of winning the race.
MAIDEN: A runner that has not yet won a race. Alternatively, a race for runners yet to win a race.
MARE: A female horse, aged four and over.
MARGINS: The official distance between placed runners at finish of a race, expressed in lengths. A length is the average length of a horse - 2.4 metres. When the margins are small, the judge uses terms like Neck or Head.
MARKET: The list of all runners, teams or players engaged in an event or race and their respective odds.
MEETING: A collection of races conducted by a club on the same day or night forms a race meeting.
MILE RATE: In harness racing it is the approximate time a horse would have run had the distance been one-mile (1609m).
MOBILE START: Harness racing starts effected from behind a moving barrier gate.
MULTIPLES: This involves picking the winners of more than one event. A single wager amount is placed on more than one outcome, whereby the stake and winnings of the first selection will be rolled over onto the second selection and so on. See DOUBLE.
NO THIRD PLACE DIVIDEND: Occurs when there is five to seven runners in a race (after all scratchings have been declared). In this situation, dividends will only be paid out on the runners that finish in first and second place. Note that no place dividends are paid for less than five runners (after all scratchings declared) and any bets will be refunded.
NOMINATIONS: The complete list of runners entered by owners and trainers for a race.
OAKS: A classic race restricted to three-year-old fillies.
ODDS AGAINST: The odds when you will win more than double your money, eg. for a $1 stake the dividend would be anything more than $2.
ODDS: Chances of winning expressed in dollar (monetary) terms. Dividends displayed in dollar terms are inclusive of the unit of outlay. Odds can also be expressed in fractional terms showing the ratio of Win to Stake. Example: The New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup shows a dividend of $5. In fractional terms they would be quoted at 4/1 - for a stake (bet) of 1 unit you win 4 units for a total return of 5 units.
ODDS-ON: The odds when you will win less than double your money. E.g. for a $1 stake the dividend would be anything less than $2. Also known as odds being "in the red".
ON COURSE TOTE: The totalisator that is situated at the track itself and utilises monies bet on course.
ON THE BIT: A horse that is racing well and keenly.
OUTLAY: The money an investor bets or wagers is called their outlay.
OUTSIDER: A runner whose chances of winning a race are not considered to be very strong. An outsider is usually quoted at the highest odds.
PACING: A type of gait. When pacing, a horse moves both legs on the same side, forward at the same time. As they go forward, the other legs on the other side go backward.
PARI-MUTUEL: See totalisator.
PHONE BETTING: A service that enables bettors to bet on sport and racing using the phone.
PHOTO FINISH: When the finish of a race is so close that the judge requires the photo taken by a special camera to make his decision.
PLACE GETTER: Typically the competitors finishing first, second and third in an event. In some events the number of places paid may vary.
PLUNGE: Related to backed off the map. The numerous substantial investments made on such a runner are referred to as a betting plunge.
POINTS START: Betting is a handicap system whereby the punter concedes or receives a start designed to make an event a more even betting proposition. Also known as LINE BETTING.
POOL: The total money that has been bet on the race on each of the bet types.
POSTPONED: The meeting will run at a later date.
PROTEST: When a jockey/owner/trainer/steward alleges interference by one party against another during a race that may have affected the outcome of a race. If a protest is Upheld by officials, the runner that caused the interference is placed directly after the horse interfered with. If a protest is Dismissed by officials, the original result of the race stands.
PUNT: Another term for bet or wager.
PUNTER: Another term for investor. A person who places bets.
PUNTER'S CLUB: Clubs set up by racing clubs and other organisations which allow punters the chance to invest money into a pool, which will then be utilised by an industry person to make large bets on selected races at a meeting. A dividend will be declared for each share purchased by an investor.
RACE CALL: The description of a race while it is in progress.
RACE CALLER: The person who describes the race at a racecourse.
RATINGS: Tipsters may determine a set of ratings that reflect, in their opinion, each runner's chance of winning a particular race. They may take a number of factors into account when preparing them.
RESTRICTED RACES: Races which only certain horses are eligible.
RETURN: The dividend you receive on a particular bet.
ROUGHIE: See Outsider. A runner which is considered to have a 'rough' chance of winning a race.
RUNNER: A participant in a race. Synonym: starter.
RUNNING RAIL: The rail that defines the track configuration.
SADDLE CLOTH: Worn by a horse denoting the TAB list number and the horse's or dog's barrier or box position in a race.
SCORE UP: In harness racing the movement behind the mobile barrier before a start is initiated.
SCRATCHING: A runner that is withdrawn from a race after being listed as an acceptor.
SELECTIONS: The runner's selected by a knowledgeable person (tipster) to have the most likely chance of finishing in first, second and third place. This may also refer to a person's own selections - the horses they have chosen to back.
SHORT PRICE: Low odds, reflecting the anticipated strong winning chances of the runner.
SHORTEN: When the odds of a runner decrease, usually because a lot of money has been wagered on that horse. A shortener is a runner that opens at a specific price at the start of betting, and is at a lower price when betting closes.
SIRE: The male parent, or father, of a horse.
SPELL: The resting period between preparations or racing.
SPORTSBOOK: A collection of all the bets taken on a Fixed Odds betting event
STAKES: The sums of money deposited or guaranteed by the parties to a bet, or the amount of prize money available to placed runners in a race.
SURE THING: A runner which an investor (punter) or tipster believes is unbeatable in a race.
STANDING START: In harness racing, starters start from a standing position, once the barrier across the track is released.
STALLION: A male horse that has not been de-sexed.
STARTER: The person responsible for starting a race.
STARTING STALLS: Mechanical gates that ensure all horses start in unison, in greyhound racing the term is starting boxes.
STAYER: A runner that has the endurance to race well over long distances.
STEWARDS: The people who control the days' racing by ensuring that every runner competes on its merits and imposing penalties for any breach of the rules of racing.
STIPES: Another term for the Stewards. The correct term is stipendiary stewards.
STRAIGHT: From the home turn to the winning post.
STRAPPER: Person who assists the trainer, cares for the horse or helps to put on its equipment. Also known as an attendant.
SULKEY: The cart that is pulled behind a harness racing horse.
SWEEPSTAKES: Type of betting whereby a particular person (who pays a set amount of money for the privilege of buying a runner) draws each runner in a race out of a hat. The people that chose the winner and place getters would receive a percentage of the total money pool.
TAB: Totalisator Agency Board. The body appointed to regulate off-course betting.
TICKET: The betting slip or ticket that is received by the investor from the bookmaker or totalisator, as proof of his or her wager. The ticket is used to collect any dividends
TIP: Suggestion about a likely winner from an expert.
TIPS: The selections and predictions of competitors performance for an event from an expert or observer
TIPSTER: A person who makes selections for a race, providing tips on which runner's they believe will fill the first three places.
TOTALISATOR: The system of betting on races in which the winning bettors share the total amount bet, minus a percentage for the operators of the system, taxes etc. Synonyms: tote, parimutuel.
TOTE: Totalisator. The organisation appointed to receive bets and supply dividends in proportion to the amount of the investment.
TRACK CONDITIONS: In order from good to rain affected: fast, good, dead, slow, heavy.
TRAIL: Racing immediately behind another horse. A trail is also known as a sit.
TRAINER: The person responsible for looking after a runner and preparing it to race. A trainer must hold a license or permit to be entitled to train.
TREBLE: Select the teams or players you believe will win three separate specified events, eg. winners of three games of rugby union. All bets are placed prior to the first event.
TROTTING: A term for harness racing in general. It also describes the specific gait of a "trotter".
UNBACKABLE: A runner that is quoted at short odds that investors decide is too short to return any reasonable amount for the money they outlay.
WAGER: Another term for bet.
WEIGH-IN: After each race, jockeys, their saddles and any additional weight they needed to carry, are weighed in to ensure they complied with the set handicap.
WEIGHT-FOR-AGE: Intention of weight-for-age is to allow horses of the same age and sex to compete on equal terms. The weight a horse carried is allocated on a set scale according to its sex and age.
WHIP: An implement used to spur on the horse in the run to the finish line.
WIN & PLACE: Synonym: 'each way'.
WIN ONLY: Betting on a competitor to win an event. Also known as 'straight out' or 'money line' betting.
WINNER: The first runner that crosses the finishing line with the tip of its nose.
WINNING POST: The finishing line of a race. Synonym: the post.
