Horseracing Terminology | S - T - U

S

Scale Of Weights

Fixed weights to be carried by horses in a race according to age, distance, sex, and time of year.

Scalper

One who attempts to profit from the differences in odds from book to book by betting both sides of the same game at different prices.

Schooled

A horse trained for jumping.

Scope

The potential in a horse.

Score

GBP£ 20. In US, to win a race or a bet. Also, a victory.

Scratch

To be taken out of a race before it starts. Trainers usually scratch horses due to adverse track conditions or a horse's adverse health. A veterinarian can scratch a horse at any time.

Scratch Sheet

Daily publication that includes graded handicaps, tips and scratches.

Second Call

A secondary mount of a jockey in a race in the event his primary mount is scratched.

Selections

The horses 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.

Selling Race

A race where the winner is sold by auction immediately afterwards.

Settler

A bookmaker's expert who calculates payouts.

Shadow Roll

Usually a lamb's wool roll half way up the horse's face to keep him from seeing his own shadow.

Shorten (Shortening the Odds)

When the odds of a horse decrease, usually because a lot of money has been wagered on that horse.

Short Runner

A horse who barely stays, or doesn't stay, the full distance of a race.

Short Price

Low odds, meaning a punter will get little return for their initial outlay.

Show

Third position at the finish.

Show Bet

Wager on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.

Shut Out (US)

What happens to a bettor who gets on the betting line to late and is still waiting in line when the window closes. Also, in sports betting, when the losing team do not score.

Silks

See 'Colors'.

Simulcast

A simultaneous live television transmission of a race to other tracks, off-track betting offices or other outlets for the purpose of wagering.

Single

A Straight bet on one selection to win one race or event, also known as a straight-up bet.

Single Stakes About (or SSA)

A bet consisting of 2 bets on two selections (1 single on each selection any to come 1 single on the other selection reversed).

Sire

Father of a horse.

Six-Dollar Combine (US)

An across-the-board bet in racing.

Sloppy (track)

A track that is wet on surface, with standing water visible, with firm bottom.

Slow (track)

A racing strip that is wet on both the surface and base. Between good and heavy.

Smart Money

Insiders' bets or the insiders themselves.

Soft (track)

Condition of a turf course with a large amount of moisture. Horses sink very deeply into it.

Spell

The resting period between preparations or racing.

Sportsbook

The person, shop or website who accepts bets.

Spot Play (US)

Type of play in which bettor risks money only on types of races and horses which seem relatively worthwhile risks.

Sprint

Short race, less than one mile.

Stake

The prize money for the winning horses paid to the owner (eg. trophy or prize money).

Stakes

The sums of money deposited or guaranteed by the parties to a bet.

Stakes-Placed

Finished second or third in a stakes race.

Stakes Horse

A horse whose level of competition includes mostly stakes races.

Stallion

A male horse used for breeding.

Standing Start

In harness racing, starters start from a standing position, once the barrier across the track is released.

Starter

The person responsible for starting a race.

Starting Gate

Partitioned mechanical device having stalls in which the horses are confined until the starter releases the doors in front to begin the race.

Starting Price (or SP)

An estimation of odds available when the race starts.

Starting Stalls

Mechanical gates that ensure all horses start in unison.

Stayer (Also, Slayer)

A horse that can race long distances.

Steam

When a betting selection starts to move quite rapidly, usually caused by many bettors betting on it.

Steeplechase

A race in which horses are required to jump over a series of obstacles on the course. Also known as a 'Chase'.

Stewards

The group of people who control the day's racing by ensuring that every runner competes on its merits and imposing penalties for any breach of the rules of racing.

Stewards Enquiry

An enquiry by the stewards into a race.

Stick

(Also, Bat) A jockey's whip.

Stickers

Calks on shoes which give a horse better traction in mud or on soft tracks.

Stipes

Another term for the Stewards. (Or Stipendiary Stewards)

Stooper (US)

Those who make a living picking up discarded mutuel tickets at racetracks and cashing those that have been thrown away by mistake.

Store (US)

A sportsbook or a bookie.

Straight

Betting to win only.

Straight Forecast (UK)

A tote bet operating in races of 3 or more declared runners in which the punter has to pick the first and second to finish in the correct order. See 'Exacta'.

Straight Six

A wager to correctly select the winner of each of six consecutive nominated races.

Strapper

Also known as an attendant. A person who assists the trainer, cares for the horse or helps to put on its equipment.

Stretch (home-Stretch)

Final straight portion of the racetrack to the finish.

Stretch Runner

Horse that runs its fastest nearing the finish of a race.

Stretch Turn

Bend of track into homestretch.

Stud

1) Male horse used for breeding. 2) A breeding farm.

Superfecta

A bet placed on four horses to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.

Super Yankee

Alternative name for a multiple bet known as Canadian, a Super Yankee is a Yankee type bet with five selections instead of four.

Sure Thing

A horse which a punter or tipster believes is unbeatable in a race.

Sweepstakes

Type of betting whereby each horse in a race is drawn out of a hat by a particular person (who pays a set amount of money for the privilege of buying a horse). The people which chose the winner and placegetters will receive a percentage of the total money pool.

System

A method of betting, usually mathematically based, used by a punter or bettor to try to get an advantage.

T

TAB

Totalisator Agency Board. The body appointed to regulate off-course betting (bets made by people who are not present at the race track).

Take (Takeout)

Commission deducted from mutuel pools which is shared by the track, horsemen (in the form of purses) and local and state governing bodies in the form of tax.

Taken Up

A horse pulled up sharply by his rider because of being in close quarters.

The Jockey Club

An organization dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing. Incorporated Feb. 10, 1894 in New York City, The Jockey Club serves as North America's Thoroughbred registry, responsible for the maintenance of 'The American Stud Book', a register of all Thoroughbreds foaled in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada; and of all Thoroughbreds imported into those countries from jurisdictions that have a registry recognized by The Jockey Club and the International Stud Book Committee.

Thick'un

A big bet.

Thoroughbred

A Thoroughbred is a horse whose parentage traces back to any of the three 'Founding Sires' the Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb, and who has satisfied the rules and requirements of The Jockey Club and is registered in 'The American Stud Book' or in a foreign stud book recognized by The Jockey Club and the International Stud Book Committee. Any other horse, no matter what its parentage, is not considered a Thoroughbred for racing and/or breeding purposes.

Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA)

An industry group comprised of many of the racetracks in North America.

Ticket

The betting slip or ticket which is received by the bettor from the bookmaker or totalisator, as proof of his or her wager. The ticket is necessary to collect the dividends.

Ticketer (US)

A forger of bookmakers' tickets.

Tic-Tac

The secret and complex sign language used by bookmakers at racecourses to indicate movements in the price of a horse. See BBC's Tic-Tac guide.

Tierce

A French combination bet in which the bettor predicts the horses that will finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Tips

The selections chosen by an expert to bet on (also known as Picks). See 'Selections'.

Tipster

A person who makes selections for a race, providing tips on which horses they believe will win the first three places.

Top Weight

See 'High Weight'.

Totalizator (Totalisator)

The system of betting on races (an automated system that dispenses and records betting tickets, calculates and displays odds and payoffs and provides the mechanism for cashing winning tickets) 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

Totalizator. The organisation appointed to receive bets and supply dividends in proportion to the amount of the investment. A body in the UK set up to operate pool-betting on all racecourses.

Tote Board

The (usually) electronic totalizator display in the infield which reflects up-to-the-minute odds. It may also show the amounts wagered in each mutuel pool as well as information such as jockey and equipment changes, etc. Also known as the 'Board'.

Tote Returns

Returns from a tote pool (also known as a Dividend), calculated by taking the total stake in each pool (after the take out) and dividing it by the number of winning tickets. A dividend is declared to a fixed stake, for various win, place and forecast pools.

Tout

Person who professes to have, and sells, advance information on a race. Also used as a verb meaning to sell or advertise.

Track Condition

Condition of the racetrack surface. Slow; Fast; good; muddy; sloppy; frozen; hard; firm; soft; yielding; heavy.

Track Record

Fastest time for a distance at a particular track.

Trail

Racing immediately behind another horse. A trail is also known as a sit.

Trainer

The person responsible for looking after a horse and preparing it to race. A trainer must hold a license or permit to be entitled to train.

Treble

A bet consisting of 3 selections, all of which must win for the wager to be successful.

Tricast (UK)

See 'Trifecta' below.

Trifecta

A wager picking the first three finishers in exact order. Called a 'Triactor' in Canada and a 'Triple' in some parts of the U.S. ('Tricast' in the UK.)

Trifecta Box

A trifecta wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are bet upon. The total number of combinations can be calculated according to the formula (x3)-(3x2)+(2x), where x equals the amount of horses in the box. The sum of the formula is then multiplied by the amount wagered on each combination.

Triple

(Also 'Treble') See 'Trifecta' above.

Triple Crown

Used generically to denote a series of three important races, but is always capitalized when referring to historical races for three-year-olds. In the United States, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. In England the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and St. Leger Stakes. In Canada, the Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales Stakes and Breeders' Stakes.

Trixie

A Trixie consists of 4 bets involving 3 selections in different events, i.e. 3 doubles plus 1 treble.

Trotting

A term for harness racing in general. It also describes the specific gait of a trotter.

Turf Accountant

The UK euphemism for a bookmaker.

Turf Course

Grass course.

U

Unbackable

A horse which is quoted at short odds that punters decide is too short to return any reasonable amount for the money they outlay.

Underlay

A horse racing at shorter odds than seems warranted by its past performances.

Under Starters Orders (or Under Orders)

The starting of a race.

Under Wraps

Horse under stout restraint in a race or workout.

Union Jack

A bet consisting of 8 trebles on 9 selections A to I: ABC, DEF, GHI, ADG, BEH, CFI, AEI, and CEG.