Horse Racing Terms Explained: From ‘Furlong’ to ‘Photo Finish’

Horse racing is one of the most unique sports in the world, as it almost has a different language that newcomers should pick up if they want to make more knowledgeable wagers.

Getting to grips with the terms used within the sport can often be the difference between landing winners when betting on the racing, but some words can be more challenging than others to get your head around.

However, we have put together a useful list of some of the most common horse racing terms, meaning that you will be able to make more accurate picks with TwinSpires on the upcoming action.

Furlong

A furlong is an old English measurement that remains important in modern times. Races across Europe, but especially England and Ireland, include the metric when stating the distance of a race.

A furlong is effectively between 201 metres, or 660 feet, and it is an eighth of a mile. This could be important to consider when betting on shorter races, which could be run up to seven furlongs.

Photo Finish

A photo finish is pretty easy to understand for newcomers to the sport. This is a feature used to determine the winner of a race, should it be hard to separate the first two passed the post with the naked eye.

Races that involved a photo finish will be sent to the judge, and an official announcement regarding the winner will be made over the speaker. The first ever Photo Finish in colour in horse racing was captured in 1995.

Head Gear

One of the most confusing factors for novices to understand is the different pieces of headgear that horses can wear to get better performance.

Blinkers will limit the field of vision from the sides, and are used to help runners focus on what is in front of them rather than horses to the side. Cheekpieces can also be used on either side of the bridle to help a horse to concentrate.

A noseband can also be used. This will go over the horse’s nose and it will prevent a runner from getting their tongue stuck, which could impact their breathing.

Exotics

For experienced bettors, the Exotics are the most common type of betting market to utilize. Exotics are a range of betting options available, which includes the Exacta and Trifecta.

Unlike single bets, to land an Exotic, bettors must accurately predict the exact finishing order.

To land an Exacta, a bettor should wager on the runners that finish first and second in the correct order, while a Trifecta is slightly more challenging, as a bettor must also find the runner that will finish the race in third place.

Ground

An important consideration that all bettors should consider before making a bet is the ground. Ground conditions can have a huge impact on the chances of a runner, with the weather ultimately determining how the terrain runs.

The ground pretty much indicates how the surface travels. Good ground indicates that it is largely dry, which will suit faster horses, while soft means that there is water in the ground.

Heavy indicates that there has been a lot of rainfall, meaning that only specialists on the surface may be able to deal with such torrential racing ground.

Parlay

A popular betting market when wagering on horse racing can be found in the form of Parlays. Here, instead of betting on one horse to win a race, a gambler is able to combine two or more selections to create a longer-formed wager.

However, while the odds may be increased, it does come with its own issues, as the bet is lost if just one selection fails to win. Therefore, it is often a preferred strategy when combining a number of short price favourites to get the best odds possible.

Handicap

Some of the world’s most famous races are handicaps, including the Grand National and the Melbourne Cup. However, understanding how they work can often be confusing for newcomers.

Basically, a handicap will level out the playing field, with horses with higher overall ratings having to carry more weight, thus giving lower rated horses less to carry. A handicapper determines the weight that a runner must carry, and the weights for big races are typically revealed moths in advantage.

Gelding/Mare/Colt/Filly

Understanding the sexes of horses is also important to consider before making a bet. This can be found on the racecard, with a ‘C’ indicating a colt. This is a horse aged four or younger. A Filly is a female horse aged four or younger, while mares are older horses.

These can be found on racecards with letters ‘F’ and ‘M’ respectively. Geldings are horses that have been castrated to improve their temperament. Furthermore, a Dam is a mother of a horse, and a Sire is a father of a horse; both can be important when it comes to reading through a runner’s progeny.