What does that mean

For horses that have never won a race before.

The level of race just below Group races.

The owner of a mare at the time she gives birth to a foal.

The official whose duty it is to make sure the jockeys carry the allocated weights on horses in races, weighing them before and afterwards.

A trained professional who carries out work on the preparation or treatment of the foot of a horse and fits shoes on each horse. The fitting of a shoe is mostly done through nailing, although shoes can also be glued on to a horse’s foot. Every horse will train and race in shoes. Racing shoes, also called plates, are made of aluminium, although some horses may train in steel shoes.

A person qualified to medically treat horses.

An official who assesses how a horse should be rated, taking into account its past performances. The handicap rating that is allocated to each horse determines the weight it will carry in a handicap race and also sometimes the races that it is eligible to run in.

Official at the racecourse who determines the finishing position of each horse in a race, the distances between them and usually the winning time.

A person owning part or all of a horse. An owner may be a single person, a group of people (often referred to as a syndicate) or a company. Each owner has their own set of colours which are registered with the relevant turf authority and are worn by the jockey riding their horse in a race.

The official responsible for formulating the types of races that are run on each raceday which will ideally produce competitive racing with a good number of runners in each race.

The group of people in overall charge of a race meeting. They are responsible for ensuring adherence to the rules of racing.

Person responsible for looking after a jockey's equipment and assisting him between races with his equipment and silks.

A type of hood fitted to a horse's head that limits its field of vision, mainly from each side. Blinkers are used to help horses concentrate in races or to encourage them to run straighter.

Trousers worn by jockeys when race riding.

Pieces of sheepskin that are placed on each side of the bridle that perform a similar job as blinkers in helping the horse to concentrate and run straight through a slight restriction of its vision.

Pieces of sponge that are put in a horse’s ears to muffle the noise of a raceday which can prove effective at keeping a horse relaxed before and during a race.

Strip (usually made of leather and elastic) put under a horse's belly to which the saddle is attached. The girth keeps the saddle in place.

A hood fitted over the horse’s head that covers its ears so to muffle the noise of a raceday to help keep the horse relaxed.

Thoroughbreds in many countries nowadays have a tiny microchip inserted into their neck at a young age which can be scanned for the rest of their life to prove their identity.

Strap that goes over a horse's nose in order to secure the bridle. A variety of nosebands are used on racehorses to provide differing degrees of control and restraint and to sometimes help prevent the horse from getting its tongue over the bit which can obstruct its breathing.

Mesh eye-covers used to calm horses down.

The equipment that takes an automatic picture as the horses cross the finish line, which allows the judge to consult a photo to determine the placings should two or more horses finish close together at the end of a race.

Piece of riding equipment on which the jockey sits on the horse. It is placed on the horse's back and usually has a cloth or pad placed underneath (known as the saddle cloth) to protect the horse's back and absorb sweat.

Helmet with certain specifications that all riders are required to wear for head protection when riding.

Strap placed over the saddle and girth to prevent them from moving.

A type of hood, much the same as blinkers, which limits a horse's rearward vision to aid concentration. A visor differs from blinkers as it has a small slit in the eye cups which allows a certain degree of light and vision for the horse in comparison to blinkers.

Lead placed in a weight cloth or lead bag to bring the jockey and tack up to the correct handicap weight.

When a horse has to extend itself fully to win.

Horse at the back or at the tail of the field during a race.

A horse that is not fit or fully developed.

Term used to show that horses have won or been placed in races of note, usually Group or Listed races. The term comes about because such races will always be written in a bolder, black type in a sales catalogue.

Describes a horse that has experienced a rupture of some of the small blood vessels in the lungs, with resultant bleeding into the airway and appearance at the nostrils. Bleeding is often associated with poor racing performance and many regulatory authorities embargo such horses, often with a requirement to perform a gallop in front of officials before being allowed to race again.

When a horse is given a final sharp (short) workout a few days before a race.

When a horse is unable to obtain a clear run during a race, due to other horses being in the way.

Giving a horse in a race a chance to conserve some energy by easing off briefly to allow a concerted effort later in the race.

When a horse sustains an injury generally to the legs.

A horse may be described as having “choked down” in a race if its breathing has been obstructed in some way. Commonly, an abnormal displacement of a horse’s soft palate will compromise the airway and impair racing performance.

Colour

The body of colour Thoroughbred racehorses can be described as:

Black
Coat, limbs, mane and tail are predominantly black.

Brown
A mixture of black and brown in the coat. Black limbs, mane and tail.

Bay/Brown
Coat is mainly brown with a bay muzzle. Black limbs, mane and tail.

Bay
Any shade of brown between bay/brown and chesnut. A bay's limbs, mane and tail are always black however.

Chesnut
Various shades of yellow/ginger hair on the body, ranging from an intense red-yellow through to a subtler golden yellow. Mane, limbs and tail may be any shade of coat colour or flaxen.

Grey
A mixture of black and white hair all over.

Roan
A mixture of red and white, or brown and white. Limbs, mane and tail may be black, roan or chesnut.

The published book that outlines the races that will be run on any particular raceday.

People involved with a horse including the owner, trainer, jockey and stable staff.

The person offering a horse for sale through an auction either as or on behalf of the owner or vendor of the horse.

Mother of a horse.

When a trainer formally notifies the authorities that he/she intends to run a horse in a certain race. The runners and riders for each meeting are "declared" at least two days before the race in the UAE.

When a horse is disqualified from a race by the stewards due to a serious rule infraction such as testing positive for a prohibited substance.

A Flat racing term denoting a horse's position in the starting stalls.

A slow start by a horse in a race.

Qualified to run in a particular race.

Horses must be entered for a race before they can be declared and then run. The process of entering horses can have several stages, although these vary from country to country. Some important races, such as the races at the Dubai World Cup, have their first entry stage months before the race.

A female horse four years old or younger.

An imperial unit of distance measurement in horseracing. One eighth of a mile or 220 yards or 200 metres.

The starter or stewards may request that a horse undergoes gate schooling at the starting stalls under their observation a few days prior to an intended race start, should the horse be new to the UAE and unknown to them or if it has behaved badly at the start in its previous race. Horses will often need to behave to the satisfaction of officials before they will be permitted to race.

Usually said of a horse that stays the particular distance of the race.

A horse is described as "green" or "running greenly" when it shows signs of inexperience.

When two or more horses share their dam but not their sire.

The unit of measurement for assessing the height of horses. One hand is equal to four inches (just over 10cm). Horses are measured from the ground up to the withers and racehorses usually measure between 15 and 17 hands. A horse standing 62 inches would be described as 15.2HH.

When a horse is shifts or deviates inwards or outwards during the running of a race.

The final bend leading into the straight which has the finishing line on it.

Generally speaking, when a horse finishes in the first three or four. This term refers to the fact that in most races prize-money is available only to horses that occupy these positions, though increasingly prize-money is awarded further down the field these days in valuable events, often to sixth place and sometimes beyond.

A medical condition affecting the locomotor system of a horse due to disease or injury. Horses adjudged as lame by the racecourse vet will not be allowed to compete in a race.

A horse that has not yet won a race or a female horse that has never had a foal.

The distance between the horses at the finish of a race. In ascending order, they are: Nose, Short Head, Head, Neck, ½ Length, ¾ Length, 1 Length, 1 ¼ Lengths, 1 ½ Lengths etc…

Left-hand side of a horse, from where riders are usually mounted.

After a race, the rider of a beaten horse can claim a foul by the winner or another horse in the race. This objection is then heard by the stewards. An objection can also come from racing officials, such as the clerk of scales if a rider fails to weigh in or has carried the wrong weight.

Right-hand side of a horse.

A horse past its peak for the season.

The speed at which a race is run. Up with the pace means close to the leaders, off the pace means some way behind.

The area of a racecourse where horses are paraded before each race. Can also be called the parade ring. In the UAE, horses parade anti-clockwise.

Additional weight carried by a horse on account of previous wins. In a handicap, penalties are added to the allotted weight of a horse if it has won since the weights for the race were published.

A marker pole to denote distance around a racetrack. They are usually placed at every 200m.

Each racing authority around the world sets strict guidelines as to medications that may be in a horse’s system when it races. A zero tolerance approach is taken in many countries, including the UAE. Severe penalties are imposed should a horse be found to have raced with any prohibited substance in its system.

A process whereby horses going to other countries have to spend a certain period in isolation, either before or after arrival or both, to ensure that they are free from disease. This is enforced for all horses that fly to or from the UAE from overseas to compete in races.

A horse selected as a standby runner in a race, in case an entry drops out.

A term used to describe a horse that runs in one race and then “runs back” or “backs up” by running in another race a few days later.

A horse taking part in a race.

The piece of medical diagnostic equipment that veterinarians use to visualise the airway of a horse. A “dirty scope” describes a horse with an airway infection.

Several racetracks around the world including Nad Al Sheba have an electronic sectional timing system, where the time of the each horse is taken at every furlong marker to give an indication of the speed of the race. Each horse carries a small transponder in its saddle cloth which is picked up by sensors at each furlong pole to produce the individual sectional time for each horse. The time of the leading horse will usually appear on television screens around the course during and after the race.

The father of a horse.

When a racing horseshoe, also known as a plate, comes off, sometimes causing delay as the horse is re-shod.

The most important races contested by the best horses, principally Group and Listed races.

Horses who have a lot of stamina and are more likely to show up best over races of 2400m and further.

The book that lists and registers every thoroughbred horse that is born. Every major racing nation has their own stud book that is co-ordinated with the stud book of all other racing nations.

Punishment for breaking the rules imposed by stewards on jockeys, but also applicable to trainers, owners and horses. Suspensions can be as short as one day, up to years in very serious cases.

The barn located in a secure area at every racetrack where forensic samples are taken from horses at the request of the stewards often referred as a Swab Box. The sampling procedure is supervised by the racetrack veterinarian.

Generally a narrow track with tight turns that suits smaller, nippier horses.

Every horse must have up-to-date vaccinations before it will be allowed to run. Different jurisdictions may require horses to have different vaccinations, for example, all horses must have an equine influenza vaccination before they are allowed to run in the UAE.

A regulatory imposition placed upon a horse by the stewards, whereby a veterinary medical clearance must be issued before a horse can enter to race again.

Weighing the jockey before and after the race to make sure the horse carried the right weight. The ‘weighed in’ announcement means the result is official.

Fixed scale of weights carried by horses in races according to their age, sex, time of year and the distance to be run.