betting on horse races
How to enjoy a day at the races-and bet to win!The last two years have seen a record number of Americans tune in for climatic Triple Crown races featuring Smarty Jones and Funny Cide; in 2004, television viewership jumped a whopping 61 percent over the record set in 2003, and the Belmont Stakes race itself drew a record crowd of more than 120,000! This easy-to-understand guide shows first-time visitors to the track how to enjoy the sport of horse racing-and make smart bets. It explains what goes on at the track, what to look for in horses and jockeys, how to read a racing form and do simple handicapping, and how to manage betting funds and make wagers that stand a good chance of paying off. Complete with coverage of off-track and online betting, it's just what anyone needs to play the ponies-and win!Richard Eng (Las Vegas, NV) is a racing writer and handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, and the host of a horseracing radio program in Las Vegas. He was formerly a part of the ABC Sports team that covered the Triple Crown.
ALL OUT: A horse who is trying to the best of his ability. ALSO-ELIGIBLE: A horse entered in the race but who cannot start unless another horse is scratched.
ALSO-RAN: A horse who finishes out of the money.
ACROSS THE BOARD: A bet on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets.
BACKSTRETCH: The straight way on the far side of the track.
BEARING IN (or OUT): Failing to maintain a straight course, veering to the left or right. Can be caused by injury, fatigue, outside distractions, or poor riding.
BLANKET FINISH: When the horses finish so close for the win you could theoretically put a single blanket across them.
BLINKERS: Equipment worn on the bridle to restrict a horse's vision on the sides to help maintain attention and avoid distractions.
BLOWOUT: A short fast workout, usually a day or two before a race, designed to sharpen a horse's speed.
BOARD: The tote board on which odds, betting pools and other race information is displayed.
BOBBLE: A bad step away from the starting gate, sometimes caused by the ground breaking away from under a horse and causing him to duck his head or go to his knees.
BOLT: Sudden veering from a straight course.
BREEZE: Working a horse at a moderate speed; less effort than handily.
BULLET WORK: The best workout time for the distance on a given day at a track.
BULL RING: Small racetrack less than one mile around.
BUTE: Phenylbutazone a commonly used analgesic for horses.
BREAKAGE: In pari-mutuel payoffs which are rounded out to a nickel or dime, those pennies that are left over. Breakage is generally split between the track and state and, in some cases, breeding or other funds, in varying proportions.
BABY RACE: A race for 2-year-olds.
CLAIMING RACE: A race where horses are entered for a specified price and can be claimed (purchased) from the race for that price. Claimers are horses who generally run only in claiming races.
CAULK: Projection on the bottom of a shoe to give the horse better traction, especially on a wet track.
CHECKED: A horse pulled up by his jockey for an instant because he is cut off or in tight quarters.
CHUTE: Extension of the backstretch or homestretch to allow a longer straight run at the start.
CLOSER: A horse who runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.
CLUBHOUSE TURN: Generally the turn immediately after the finish line and closest to the clubhouse.
COLORS: Racing silks, the jacket and cap worn by jockeys. Silks can be generic and provided by the track or specific to one owner.
CLASSIC: A race for three-year-olds, such as a Derby or Oaks, that has a long standing tradition behind it. The American classics are the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
CONDITIONED RACE: Eligibility to enter is determined by a set of conditions such as age, sex, races won, etc.
COUPLED: Two or more horses running as an entry in a single betting unit.
CUPPY: A track surface which breaks away under a horse's hoof.
DAILY DOUBLE: Type of wager calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races, usually the first and second.
DERBY: A stakes race for three-year-old colts.
DISTAFF RACE: A race for fillies, mares, or both.
DEAD-HEAT: Two or more horses finishing in an exact tie at the finish.
DEAD TRACK: Racing surface lacking resiliency.
DISTANCED: Well beaten, finishing a long distance behind the winner.
DOGS: Wooden barrier (or rubber traffic cones) placed a certain distance out from the inner rail, to protect the inner part of the track (usually the turf course) from traffic during workouts to save it for racing.
DRIVING: Strong urging by rider.
EASED: The jockey stops the horse during the race so he can't finish, usually due to an injury or equipment problem.
EASILY: Running or winning without being pressed by the jockey or opposition.
ENTRY: Two or more horses owned by the same stable or (in some cases) trained by the same trainer and running as a single betting unit.
EVENLY: Neither gaining nor losing position or distance during a race.
EXACTA (or PERFECTA): A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
EXTENDED: Forced to run at top speed.
FALTERED: Used for a horse that was in contention early and drops back in the late stages. It is more drastic than weakened but less drastic than stopped.
FAST TRACK: The optimum condition for a dirt track, dry, fast and even.
FIRM: A optimum condition for a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track.
FIRST TURN: Bend in the track beyond the starting point.
FLATTEN OUT: When a horse drops his head almost on straight line with body, generally from exhaustion.
FRONT-RUNNER: A horse who usually leads (or tries to lead) the field for as far as he can.
FURLONG: One-eighth of a mile; 220 yards; 660 feet.
FUROSEMIDE: Lasix, the medication used to treat of bleeders.
FIELD HORSE (or MUTUEL FIELD): Two or more starters running as a single betting unit, when there are more entrants than positions on the totalisator board can accommodate.
GRADED RACE: The most important or prestigious races in North America are assigned grades (I, II, or III) based on the quality of previous winners and the race's influence on other races or championships.
GROUP RACE: European equivalent to North American graded races.
HANDICAP: Race where the racing secretary or track handicapper assigns the weights to be carried.
GOOD TRACK: Condition between fast and slow, generally a bit wet.
GRADUATE: Winning for the first time.
HANDILY: Working or racing with moderate effort, but more effort than breezing.
HAND RIDE: The jockey urges a horse with the hands and arms without using the whip.
HEAD OF THE STRETCH: Beginning of the straight run for the finish.
HEAVY: Condition of track when wet similar to muddy but slower.
HUNG: A horse holding the same position, unable to make up distance on the winner.
IN THE MONEY: Finishing first, second or third.
INQUIRY: Reviewing the race to check into a possible infraction of the rules. Also, a sign flashed by officials on tote board on such occasions.
INVITATIONAL: A stakes race open only to horses who are invited to enter. Generally no entry fee is charged.
IN HAND: Running under moderate control, at less than best pace.
IMPOST: Weight carried or assigned.
LASIX: See furosemide.
LENGTH: Length of a horse from nose to tail, about 8 feet.
LUG (in or out): Action of a tiring horse, bearing in or out, failing to keep a straight course.
LOCK: Slang for a "sure thing" winner.
MINUS POOL: A mutual pool caused when one 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 tSohe difference.
MORNING GLORY: Horse who performs well in morning workouts but fails to fire in actual races.
MORNING LINE: Approximate odds quoted before wagering begins.
MUDDY: Deep condition of racetrack after being soaked with water. Horses who run will on wet tracks are generally referred to as mudders.
MAIDEN RACE: Horses who have not yet won a race are referred to as maidens, hence a race for non winners.
NECK: Unit of measurement, about the length of a horse's neck; a quarter of a length.
NOSE: Smallest advantage a horse can win by. In England called a short head.
ON THE BIT: When a horse is eager to run.
OVERWEIGHT: Surplus weight carried by a horse when the rider cannot make the assigned weight.
OAKS: A stakes race for 3-year-old fillies.
OBJECTION: Claim of foul lodged by rider, patrol judge or other official. If lodged by official, it is called an inquiry.
ODDS-ON: Odds of less than even money. In England it is simply called "on," thus a horse "5-4 on" is actually at odds of 4-5.
OFFICIAL: Sign displayed when result is confirmed. Also racing official.
ON THE NOSE: Betting a horse to win only.
OVERLAY: A horse going off at a higher price than he appears to warrant based on his past performances.
OVERNIGHT RACE: A race where entries close a specific number of hours before running (such as 48 hours), as opposed to a stakes race where nominations close far in advance.
PADDOCK: Area where horses are saddled and kept before post time.
PASTEBOARD TRACK: Lightning fast racing strip.
POLE: Markers at measured distances around the track, marking the distance from the finish. The quarter pole, for instance, is a quarter of a mile from the finish, not from the start.
PHOTO FINISH: A result so close it is necessary to use a finish-line camera to determine order of finish.
PICK SIX (or more): A type of wager in which the winners of all the included races must be selected.
PLACE: Second position at finish.
PLACE BET: Wager on a horse to finish first or second.
POST: Starting point or position in starting gate.
POOL: Mutual pool, the total sum bet on a race or a particular bet.
POST PARADE: Horses going from paddock to starting gate past the stands.
POST POSITION: Position of stall in starting gate from which a horse starts.
POST TIME: Designated time for a race to start.
QUINELLA: Wager in which first two finishers must be picked, but payoff is made no matter which of the two wins and which runs second.
ROUTE RACE: A race run at a mile or longer, generally around two turns.
RIDDEN OUT: Finishing a race without rider urging him to do his utmost.
SADDLE CLOTH: Cloth under the saddle on which number denoting post position is displayed.
SCALE OF WEIGHTS: Fixed weights to be carried by horses in a race according to age, distance, sex, and time of year.
SPRINT RACE: A race run at less than a mile, generally with only one turn.
STAKE: A race for which an owner must pay an entry fee to run his horse. The fees can be for nominating, maintaining eligibility, entering and starting, and are generally added to the amount put up by the track to make up the total purse. Racing Terms
SCALE OF WEIGHTS: Fixed weights to be carried by horses in a race according to age, distance, sex, and time of year.
SCRATCH: To be taken out of a race.
SHADOW ROLL: Usually a lamb's wool roll half way up the horse's face to keep him from seeing his own shadow.
SILKS: See colors.
SLOPPY: A track that is wet on surface with firm bottom.
SLOW: A track with some moisture in it that is not fast, between good and heavy.
STARTING GATE: Mechanical device with stalls for horses to stand in until the starter releases the doors in front to begin the race.
STEADIED: A horse being taken in hand by his rider, usually because of being in close quarters.
STICK: A jockey's whip, also called a bat.
STICKERS: Calks on shoes which give a horse better traction in mud or on soft tracks.
STRETCH: Final straight portion of the racetrack to the finish.
STRETCH RUNNER: Horse who finishes fast in the stretch.
STRETCH TURN: Bend of track into homestretch.
SHOW: Third position at the finish.
SHOW BET: Wager on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
STRAIGHT: Betting to win only.
TAKE (or TAKEOUT): Commission deducted from mutual pools which are shared by the track and local and state governing bodies in the form of tax.
TOUT: Person who professes to have, and sells, advance information on a race.
TRIFECTA (or TRIPLE): A wager picking the first three finishers in exact order.
TAKEN UP: A horse pulled up sharply by his rider because of being in close quarters.
TONGUE STRAP OR TIE: Cloth or rubber strap used to tie down a horse's tongue to prevent it from choking in a race or workout.
TRACK RECORD: Fastest time for a distance at a particular track.
TURF COURSE: Grass course.
UNDER WRAPS: Horse under stout restraint in a race or workout.
UNDERLAY: A horse racing at longer odds than he should.
VALLOWANCE RACE: A race where weights and eligibility to enter are determined by conditions set by the racing secretary.
WARMING UP: Galloping horse on way to post.
WASHY: Horse breaking out in nervous sweat before race, sometimes to the point it will be dripping from his belly.
WIN: Cross the finish line first.
WIN BET: Wager on a horse to finish first.
WHIP: Instrument, usually of leather, with which rider strikes horse to increase his speed.
In the Spring of 1997, thoroughbred horse racing fans (and sports fans in general) were treated to one of the most exciting Triple Crown series in years, as the three races were decided by a combined total of about a length and the participants, Silver Charm, Captain Bodgit, Free House and Touch Gold, developed the type of rivalries on which any sport thrives. The series culminated on June 7, when close to 80,000 people packed New York's Belmont Park racetrack, the third largest crowd in the track's history, in anticipation of Silver Charm winning the Belmont Stakes and becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. When Touch Gold got up in the final strides to win, the crowd let out a collective groan of disappointment.
Unfortunately, in recent years, racing has been subject to far more collective grumbling of disappointment about the decline of the sport of kings than packed grandstands excitedly viewing these spectacular equine athletes. Racing, once the only legal gambling in many venues and a vital industry in many states (for example, in California, racing provides more than 50,000 jobs and contributes $3 billion to the state's economy -- nearly three times that of any other professional sport), has increasingly declined as lotteries and casino gambling have taken its place over the past two decades. Moreover, not only does racing have to battle those competitors, but is also subject to intense regulation and taxation spawned from those earlier eras when racing was the only legal gaming in town and gambling was not as accepted by state governments. The repeated calls to state governments to lower pari-mutuel taxes -- the "take out" -- so that more of the pari-mutuel pool is returned to the bettors, only create the legislative dilemma of how to replace the revenue (although California did so in 1996, lowering horse racing taxes by $10 million).
And so, racing's fans, the horseplayers, have become an older and diminishing group and, correspondingly, handle has stagnated or decreased and thus purses have not grown, and the quality of racing has declined as half-filled fields of poorly talented horses make their way to the post. Honestly, who wants to see that ten or eleven times a day, when there are so many other sporting or gaming opportunities in which to partake?
Racing's solution over the past decade or so, has been to supplement its live cards with simulcasts and wagering on races from other tracks. Now, for example, New York horseplayers not only can bet on live races at Belmont, Saratoga or Aqueduct, but also might have races to bet on from Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Monmouth Park in New Jersey, Gulfstream Park in Florida, Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, and Hollywood Park in California and, similarly, New York's races are simulcast to other tracks. The Meadowlands in New Jersey even stays open until the wee hours on some nights to show live races from Hong Kong. (Simulcasting is subject to the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 3001, et seq.) New York now even provides cablecasts of the races and telephone wagering accounts to allow horseplayers to bet from home.
Another measure to reverse racing's decline has been to install slot machines at some tracks, such as those in Delaware and Iowa, and California's Hollywood Park has supplemented its racing operations with a card room casino on its premises, in the hope that some of the card players will wander over to the pari-mutuel windows. Indeed, this is all a far cry from years past where pay phones were prohibited from racetracks, to prevent bettors from calling their bookies. Yet, while simulcasting, slots and telephone betting have helped the racing industry, these measures have not completely reversed the trend. (Although such operations currently exist, there is a question as to whether out-of-state telephone betting on horse races is legal under federal law, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 1081-84, but at present, there has been no move to stop such activity.)
The next step, and a necessary one for the horse racing industry, is to put the races and allow wagering on the Internet (although some will argue, admittedly with a degree of persuasiveness, that while increasing handle and purses, racing on the Internet will all but destroy the live gate and render a day at the races, to see a Silver Charm, a thing of the past). One of New York's off-track betting corporations has already started to operate an Internet site, as have at least two other operators in other parts of the country.
Taken to its fullest extent, the Internet could link horseplayers with tracks all over the world, with a fan whose home track is Woodbine in Toronto, making wagers on races from San Siro in Italy (indeed, one of Capital Region OTB's Internet customers is from Dubai). As discussed below, the Internet and thoroughbred horse racing are a perfect fit that would no doubt favor racing's revival.
The problem is that the emergence within the past year or so of virtual casinos and other gambling opportunities on the Internet has set off storms of opposition that might prevent Internet wagering on horse racing from going forward. In fact, for instance, there is a slew of pending legislation in New York to address operating gambling sites on the Internet and bring such operations within state regulation. Among these proposed bills is one to prohibit racing associations from operating Internet wagering sites.
In general, with the proliferation in recent years of Indian casinos and the continued strength of state-run lotteries, it is more than apparent that we in the U.S.A. are a nation of gamblers, which naturally begs the question as to whether gambling should be further legalized. Indeed, any attempt to ban all gaming seems impractical to enforce. A National Gambling Impact Study Commission has been convened. Among the issues it faces is whether to permit gaming on the Internet.
Currently, there are at least 30 virtual casinos online and that number is expected to double within the next year. The initial reaction to them, however, appears to be that governments should prohibit Internet gaming. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona has introduced an Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which would expressly extend current federal prohibitions against interstate wagering over the "wires" to the Internet (it is unclear what application this has to racing; as noted above, federal law specifically permits interstate simulcasting and the prohibitions against interstate wagering have not been enforced with respect to interstate telephone betting operated by state racing associations).
Other examples of the opposition to Internet gaming are a suit brought by 35 state attorneys general against Executone, which operates a gaming site for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and Missouri's Attorney General has twice sued Internet gambling operations for doing business in Missouri and is investigating a New Mexico tribe regarding its "UPICKEM" site. Among the arguments from gambling opponents is that permitting gaming on the Internet will make gambling too accessible and promote compulsive gambling, and also allow children to get involved in gambling.
So, where does this leave horse racing? Pari-mutuel betting on racing at recognized tracks materially differs from gambling on virtual roulette, virtual card games, virtual keno and the like, the "odds" in all of which can be easily be manipulated by an unscrupulous virtual casino's operator. Because of these differences, and the long-standing interest in horse racing, many believe that development of racing coverage and wagering should and will expand on the Internet, rather than be curtailed as part of the indictment of virtual casinos.
The benefits to the racing industry of providing racing and pari-mutuel betting on the Internet are clear -- larger handles and more, and likely younger, fans. Larger handles mean larger purses and better racing, and should allow states to lower pari-mutuel taxes without reducing revenues. This again benefits the horseplayers by returning a larger portion of the pari-mutuel pools to the bettors, and thus makes racing a more attractive wagering opportunity, permitting racing to recapture some of the gambling market it has lost to casinos and lotteries. As the fan base increases, particularly among younger people, it can be anticipated that the new generation will attend live racing.
The dangers of Internet casino-style gaming simply do not seem to apply to horse racing. Since the kind of wagering on horse racing addressed above is conducted through the use of pari-mutuel pools, the risk of an unscrupulous Internet gaming operator rigging its games with odds completely in the house's favor does not exist. Likewise, horse racing is already heavily regulated at the track, with its participants and every race being subject to the strict scrutiny of the racing stewards. Given the alternative of having cyber-horseplayers turn to illicit and off-shore Internet bookies, the state-regulated racing operators should be the ones primarily offering wagering on the Internet and racing fans should be expected to welcome the existence of pari-mutuel pools in which they can have confidence that the odds are not being artificially manipulated.
Furthermore, wagering on racing is entirely unlike playing a Keno game or an instant lottery, which when done on the Internet is likely to become like merely playing a video game until of course the bill comes. Those virtual games deal with chance and the perception that the odds have not being artificially changed. Wagering on horse racing requires handicapping, not just chance or the semblance of chance. Handicapping also seems yet another reason for the Internet to be a perfect fit with racing, as the cyber-horseplayers sitting at their terminals, while accessing the races, could pull down the Daily Racing Form, or their own charts, trip notes and programs for their "systems," into another desktop window
For many reasons, racing and the Internet seem to be perfect fit, a progressive and economically needed measure to ensure quality racing in years to come. Contrary to the old warning, horse racing and the Internet properly places the cart with the horse. Since existing law on simulcasting envisions interstate pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, and since horse racing at established venues does not carry the risk of possible fraudulent odds making that casts a shadow over virtual casinos, it may be that governments will decide not to direct their limited enforcement resources so as to try to preclude pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, even if efforts are made to curtail virtual games of chance.
http://www.enterbet.com
Enterbet Post will attempt to teach the basics of betting on horse races. The term used for horse race betting, handicapping.
American betting on horse racing is sanctioned and regulated by state. Distance of a Quarter Horse race is 440 yards, but races are run from anywhere.
Statistical Approach to Betting the Horse Races ( betting on horse races ).
horse betting at Enterbet Racebook, with online horse race betting and horse racing.
Win at horse races with winning betting systems: trifecta, trifectas, triactor, betting crowd picks the winner in consecutive races, or skipping just one race.
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