Horseracing Terminology | M - N - O

M

Maiden

1) A horse or rider that has not won a race. 2) A female that has never been bred.

Maiden Race

A race for non-winners.

Mare

Female horse five-years-old or older.

Market

The list of all horses engaged in a race and their respective odds.

Meeting

A collection of races conducted by a club on the same day or night forms a race meeting.

Middle Distance

Broadly, from one mile to 1-1/8 miles.

Mile Rate

In harness racing it is the approximate time a horse would have run per mile (1609 meters).

Minus Pool

A mutuel pool caused when a horse is so heavily played that, after deductions of state tax and commission, there is not enough money left to pay the legally prescribed minimum on each winning bet. The racing association usually makes up the difference.

Money Rider

A rider who excels in rich races.

Monkey

GBP£ 500.

Morning Glory

Horse who performs well in morning workouts but fails to fire in actual races.

Morning Line

Approximate odds quoted before wagering begins.

Mudder

A horse that races well on muddy tracks. Also known as a 'Mudlark'.

Muddy (track)

A condition of a racetrack which is wet but has no standing water.

Mutuel Pool

Short for 'Parimutuel Pool'. Sum of the wagers on a race or event, such as the win pool, daily double pool, exacta pool, etc.

N

Nap

The selection that racing correspondents and tipsters nominate as their strongest selection of the day or meeting. Reputed to stand for 'Napoleon'.

National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA)

A non-profit, membership organization created in 1997 to improve economic conditions and public interest in Thoroughbred racing.

Neck

Unit of measurement about the length of a horse's neck.

Nickel

A $500 wager.

Nod

Lowering of head. To win by a nod, a horse extends its head with its nose touching the finish line ahead of a close competitor.

Nominations

The complete list of runners entered by owners and trainers for a race.

Nose

Smallest advantage a horse can win by. Called a short head in Britain.

Nursery

A handicap for two-year-old horses.

O

Oaks

A stakes event for three-year-old fillies (females).

Objection

Claim of foul lodged by rider, patrol judge or other official after the running of a race. If lodged by official, it is called an inquiry.

Odds

The sportsbook's or bookmaker's view of the chance of a competitor winning (adjusted to include a profit). The figure or fraction by which a bookmaker or totalisator offers to multiply a bettor's stake, which the bettor is entitled to receive (plus his or her own stake) if their selection wins.

Odds-against

Where the odds are greater than evens (e.g. 5 to 2). When the bookmaker's or totalisator's stake is greater than the bettor's stake. For example, a horse that is quoted at 4:1 would be odds against, because if it wins a race, the bookmaker or totalisator returns $4 for every dollar a bettor places on that horse, plus his or her original outlay.

Odds Compiler

Same as 'Oddsmaker' below.

Oddsmaker

A person who sets the betting odds. (Sportsbooks or Bookies don't set the odds. Most major sportsbooks use odds set by Las Vegas oddsmakers.)

Odds Man (US)

At tracks where computers are not in use, an employee who calculates changing odds as betting progresses.

Odds-On

Odds of less than even money. This a bet where you have to outlay more than you win. For example if a horse is two to one Odds-On, you have to outlay two dollars to win one dollar and your total collect if the horse wins is three dollars. That is made up of your two dollars and the one dollar you win.

Official

Sign displayed when result is confirmed. Also racing official.

Off the Board (US)

A horse so lightly bet that its pari-mutuel odds exceed 99 to 1. Also, a game or event on which the bookie will not accept action.

Off-Track Betting (OTB)

Wagering at legalized betting outlets.

On The Board

Finishing among the first three.

On The Nose

Betting a horse to win only.

Open Ditch

Steeplechase jump with a ditch on the side facing the jockey.

Outlay

The money a bettor wagers is called his or her outlay.

Out Of The Money

A horse that finishes worse than third.

Outsider

A horse that is not expected to win. An outsider is usually quoted at the highest odds.

Overbroke

Where the book results in a loss for the bookmaker.

Overlay

A horse going off at higher odds than it appears to warrant based on its past performances.

Overnight Race

A race in which entries close a specific number of hours before running (such as 48 hours), as opposed to a stakes race for which nominations close weeks and sometimes months in advance.

Over The Top

When a horse is considered to have reached its peak for that season.

Overweight

Surplus weight carried by a horse when the rider cannot make the assigned weight.