Accumulator: bet involving two or more selections in different races: winnings from one are placed on the next.
Allowance: is the weight concession the horse is given to compensate for its rider's inexperience.
All Weather Racing: flat racing which takes place on an artificial surface.
Amateur (rider): on racecards, their names are prefixed by Mr, Mrs, Captain, etc, to indicate their amateur status.
Ante-Post: betting (usually on the most important races) days, weeks and even months before the race is due to take place.
Apprentice: a young jockey tied by annually renewed contract to a licensed trainer while he or she is learning the business of race-ridingon the flat.

Backward: used of a horse which needs time to mature or is not fully fit.

Claimer:of a race: a claiming race; of a jockey: an apprentice.
Clerk of the course: official in charge of all aspects of running the actual raceday
Colours: the racing silks worn by the jockeys.
Colt: male, ungelded horse up to four years old.
Conditional Jockey: the jumping equivalent of an apprentice.
Connections: the owner(s) and trainer of a racehorse.
Course Specialist: horse which tends to run well at a particular track.

Dam: mother of a horse.
Distance: the length of a race: 5 furlongs is the minimum and the 4 1/2 miles of the Grand National the longest. Also, the margin by which a horse wins or is beaten by the horse in front: this ranges from a short head to 'by a distance' (more than 30 lengths); a 'length' is measured from the horse's nose to the start of its tail.
Distance, the: an unmarked point 240 yards from the winning post (thus 'below the distance' means closer home than that point)
Draw: for flat racing only, describes a horse's position in the starting stalls, drawn randomly the day before.

Evens or Even Money: when your stake exactly equals your winnings - thus £5 at evens wins a further £5

Filly: female horse up to four years old.
Foal: horse of either sex from the time of its birth until 1 January the following year. All racehorses are given the nominal birthday of January 1st. Thus a "two-year-old" born in June and one born in January of the same year are considered to be of the same age for the purposes of satisfying the conditions of some races re: weight carried. In reality, the January horse may be considered to have a significant advantage in terms of  physical development at this early stage in its career.
Furlong: 220 yards (one eighth of a mile)

Gelding: castrated horse.
Going: the description of conditions underfoot on the racecourse. Official Jockey Club going reports progress as follows: Heavy - soft - good to soft - good - good to firm -firm.
Green: (of a horse) inexperienced. If a horse, usually a two-year-old is said to have "run green", the suggestion is that its level of performance may improve significantly for any subsequent experience of taking part in a race.

Hand: unit of four inches in which a horse's height is measured, at the shoulder.

Jolly: betting parlance for the favourite in a race - the horse with the shortest odds.
Judge: official responsible for declaring the finishing order of a race and the distances between the runners.
Juvenile: two-year-old horse.

Maiden: horse which has not won a race.
Mare: female horse five years and over.
Monkey: betting parlance for £500.

Objection: complaint by one jockey against another regarding breach of rules during a race.
Odds On: odds where the winnings are less than the stake (which is of course returned to you): thus a winning £2 bet at 2-1 on wins you £1.
Off the bit / Off the bridle: describes a horse being pushed along by his jockey, losing contact with the bit in his mouth.
On the bit / On the bridle: describes a horse going well within himself, still having a grip on the bit.
Open Ditch: steeplechase fence with an artificial ditch on the take-off side.
Over the Top: where a horse is said to have gone if he has passed his peak for the season.

Pace: the speed at which a race is run at different stages. The expression 'up with the pace' means close to the leaders; 'off the pace' means some way behind the leaders. The quality of the form for a race is often considered in relation to the pace at which it was run, particularly in the early stages.
Paddock: area of the racecourse incorporating the pre-parade ring, parade ring (where horses are paraded before each race) and winner's enclosure.
Pattern: the elite races, divided in Flat racing into Groups One, Two, Three and Listed, and in jumping into Grades One, Two and Three.
Penalty: weight added to the allotted handicap weight of a horse which has won since the weights were originally published.
Photo Finish: electronic photographic device which determines which horse has won a close finish.
Plate: shoe worn by horse for racing.
Plater: horse which usually runs in selling races (selling 'plates').
Pony: betting parlance for £25.

Rule 4: betting rule covering deductions made from winning bets if a horse is withdrawn after the betting market has been formed but before the 'Under Starter's Orders' signal; the amount deducted depends on the price of the withdrawn horse.
Run Free: describes a horse going too fast, usually early in the race, to allow it to settle.

Schooled: trained to jump.
Scope: the potential for physical development in a horse.
Short runner: a horse who barely stays, or doesn't stay, the minimum distance - five furlongs on the flat, two miles over jumps.
Sire: father of a horse.
Spread a plate: when a racing plate or horseshoe becomes detached from an animal's hoof, this sometimes causes a delay while the horse is re-shod.
Springer / steamer: a horse which shortens dramatically in the betting.
SP / Starting Price: the official price of a horse at which bets are settled in the betting shops. The starting price is an estimation of the odds generally available at the moment the race starts.
Stewards: the panel of men and women - usually a total of four - who are responsible for ensuring adherence to the Rules of Racing.
Stewards Enquiry: enquiry by the stewards into the running of a race.

Tic-Tac: the bookmaker's method of relaying odds information on the racecourse, by means of hand signals.

Under Starters Orders or Under Orders: occurs when the race is off; an announcement that the horses are 'Under Starter's Orders - they're off' is made as the horses leave the stalls (or start in jump races): if a horse is withdrawn by the starter all bets are refunded.

Walkover: 'race' with only one runner.
Weigh In / Weigh Out: weighing of jockey before and after a race to ensure that the correct weight has been carried; the announcement 'weighed in' signals that the result is official, and all bets can be settled.

Yankee: combination bet involving four selections in different races: six doubles, four trebles and one four-horse accumulator -eleven bets.
Yearling: horse of either sex from 1 January to 31 December of the year following its birth.