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| D.V.M. |
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Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
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| Daily Double |
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This type of wager is a wager on two races. You must select the winner of each race on one ticket, which you must purchase prior to the running of the first of the two races selected.
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| Daily Double Pool |
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The sum total of all money bet on the daily double in a given two races.
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| Daily Racing Form |
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A daily newspaper containing news, past performance data and handicapping information. Do not use definite article "The" when describing According to Daily Racing Form,...
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| Daily Triple |
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A wager where the bettor must select the winner of three consecutive races.
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| Dam |
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The female parent, or mother, of a horse.
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| Dark |
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A term used for a day on which there is no racing.
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| Dark Bay or Brown |
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A horse color that ranges from brown with areas of tan on the shoulders, head and flanks, to a dark brown, with tan areas seen only in the flanks and/or muzzle. The mane, tail and lower portions of the legs are always black unless white markings are present.
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| Dark Day |
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A day when no live racing is scheduled.
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| Dark Horse |
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An underrated animal that wins or has good prospects of winning.
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| Dash |
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A sprint race, versus a distance race.
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| Dead Heat |
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A situation in which the judges cannot separate two or more horses when judging the outcome of a race. These horses are declared as having crossed the finish line at the exact same time. If the position the horses finished in was first, they are said to have dead-heated, if the position the horses finished in was second or third for instance, they are said to have dead-heated for second or third. Triple dead-heats (where three horses cross the line at the same time) do occur, but are quite rare.
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| Dead Track |
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A racing surface that lacks resiliency.
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| Dead-Heat |
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When two or more race animals reach the finish line simultaneously.
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| Declaration |
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A horse withdrawn from a race. Also referred to as a scratch.
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| Declaration of Weights |
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The publication of weights allocated to each horse nominated for a race by the handicapper.
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| Declared |
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In the United States, a horse withdrawn from a stakes race in advance of scratch time. In Europe, a horse confirmed to start in a race.
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| Deductions |
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When a horse is scratched from a race after betting on that race has already started, deductions are taken out of the win and place bets at a rate in proportion to the odds of the scratched horse.
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| Deep |
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A racing surface recently harrowed or to which extra top soil has been added, increasing holding qualities.
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| Deep Flexor Tendon |
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Present in all four legs, but injuries most commonly affect the front legs. Located on the back (posterior) of the front leg between the knee and the foot and between the hock and the foot on the rear leg. The function is to flex the digit (pastern) and knee (carpus) and to extend the elbow on the front leg and extend the hock on the rear leg. Functions in tandem with the superficial flexor tendon.
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| Deep Stretch |
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A position very close to the finish line in race.
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| Degenerative Joint Disease (Djd) |
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Any joint problem that has progressive degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying (subchondral) bone. Occurs most frequently in the joints below the radius in the foreleg and femur in the hind leg. Some of the more common causes include repeated trauma, conformation faults, blood disease, traumatic joint injury, subchondral bone defects (OCD lesions) and excessive intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Also known as osteoarthritis.
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| Dehydration |
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This condition is seen in hot weather when the horse is lacking fluid in his body and in his blood. This condition is very weakening and must be corrected before a horse can train properly.
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| Derby |
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A classic race for three-year-old pacers or trotters.
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| Desmitis |
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Inflammation of a ligament. Often a result of tearing of any number of ligament fibrils.
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| Developed Print |
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If a judge calls for a developed print, it means he or she has not been able to determine who the winner and/or placegetters of a race are, because they have finished so close together. A camera is fitted into the finish post which takes a photo the minute a horse crosses its infra-red beam. The judge has this photo developed in order to accurately decide the finishing order of horses.
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| Deworming |
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The use of drugs (anthelmintics) to kill internal parasites, often performed by oral paste or by passing a nasogastric tube into the horse's stomach.
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| Dh |
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Abbreviation for dead heat.
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| Dictate Terms |
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A driver whose horse is in the lead and is running along at a pace that suits its ability, without any pressure from other runners, is said to be dictating terms. In other words they are calling the shots, and are perfectly placed to win the race.
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| Digestive System |
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See "Digestive System" in veterinary supplement for a detailed explanation.
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| Digital |
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The part of the limb below the ankle (fetlock) joint. Includes the long and short pastern bones and the coffin bone.
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| Digital Cushion |
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The area beneath the coffin bone in the back of the foot that separates it from the frog. The digital cushion serves as a shock absorber for the foot.
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| Digital Neurectomy (Heel Nerves) |
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This operation is performed on the digital nerve between the fetlock and the foot. Horses that have had their heel nerves removed can run at most race tracks.
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| Dime (Us) |
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A bet of USD$ 1,000 (also known as a 'dime bet').
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| Disqualification |
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A period of expulsion and unconditional exclusion from the harness racing industry, applied by the Stewards so as to prohibit a person from entering any course during a race meeting, from entering the stable area of any licensed person, and from registering changes of ownership of horses. A trainer or driver may be disqualified for a set period of time for breaking one or more of the rules of harness racing.
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| Disqualification (After Race Day) |
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To lower a horse's actual finishing position by official act after deciding it interfered with others during a race, or carried improper weight or was drugged. This would result in the redistribution of the purse money but the public's betting money would not be affected.
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| Disqualification (Race Day) |
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To lower a horse's actual finishing position by official act after deciding it interfered with others during a race, or carried improper weight or was drugged. In this case of disqualification, the public's betting money is correspondingly affected by the outcome.
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| Distaff |
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A stake race for female horses.
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| Distal |
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Away from a reference point. Usually refers to the limbs The injury was distal (below) to the hock.
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| Distanced |
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A horse that is out of touch with the rest of the field at the end of the race. This is often referred to as finished distanced.
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| Dividend |
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The amount that a winning or placed horse returns for every $1 bet by the bettor.
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| Division |
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When too many entries are made in an important race, the track may divide it into two races.
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| Dmso |
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Dimethyl sulfoxide, a topical anti-inflammatory.
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| Dog (Us) |
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The underdog in any betting proposition.
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| Dogs |
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Rubber traffic cones (or a wooden barrier) placed at certain distances out from the inner rail, when the track is wet, muddy, soft, yielding or heavy, to prevent horses during the workout period from churning the footing along the rail. Used in the phrase The dogs are up, or simply, dogs up.
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| Dope |
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1) Slang term for past performances. Readers of past performances are said to dope out a race. 2) Any illegal drug.
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| Dorsal |
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Up; toward the back or spine. Also used to describe the front of the lower limb below the knee (front) or hock (rear).
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| Dorsal Displacement of the Soft Palate |
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A condition in which the soft palate, located on the floor of the airway near the larynx, moves up into the airway. A minor displacement causes a gurgling sound during exercise while in more serious cases the palate can block the airway. This is sometimes known as "choking down," but the tongue does not actually block the airway. The base of the tongue is connected to the larynx, of which the epiglottis is a part. When the epiglottis is retracted, the soft palate can move up into the airway (dorsal displacement.) This condition can sometimes be managed with equipment such as a figure eight noseband or a tongue tie. In more extreme cases, surgery might be required, most commonly a "myectomy."
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| Dosage |
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Although there are actually many "Dosage theories," the one most commonly thought of as Dosage is the one as interpreted by Dr. Steven Roman. A variation of Dr. Franco Varola's work on pedigree analysis, the system identifies patterns of ability in horses based on a list of prepotent sires, each of whom is a chef-de-race. The Dosage system puts these sires into one of five categories brilliant, intermediate, classic, solid and professional, which quantify speed and stamina. Sires can be listed in up to two chef-de-race categories. Each generation of sires is worth 16 points, divided up by the amount of sires, i.e., the immediate sire is worth 16 points while the four sires four generations back are worth four points apiece.
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| Dosage Diagram |
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A diagram showing the number and placement of chefs-de-race in a horse's pedigree.
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| Dosage Index |
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Mathematical reduction of the Dosage Diagram to a number reflecting a horse's potential for speed or stamina.
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| Dosage Index (Di) |
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A mathematical reduction of the Dosage profile to a number reflecting a horse's potential for speed or stamina. The higher the number, the more likely the horse is suited to be a sprinter. The average Dosage index of all horses is about 4.0.
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| Dosage Profile |
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A listing of Dosage points by category. Used to develop the Dosage index (DI).
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| Double |
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If a driver or trainer records two winners at a race meeting, they are said to have recorded a winning double. Likewise, should they win three races, this is known as a winning treble.
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| Doubleheader |
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Two racing performances during one day, often done at greyhound racetracks.
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| Dq |
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Disqualification of a race animal for an infraction after the running of the race.
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| Draw |
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Refers to a horse's placing in the starting stalls. For flat racing only. Stall numbers are drawn at random.
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| Drench |
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Liquid administered through mouth.
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| Drift |
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(Also, Ease) Odds that 'Lengthen', are said to have drifted, or be 'On The Drift'.
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| Drive |
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All-out exertion, under heavy punishment, especially in home-stretch.
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| Driver |
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The person holding a licence or permit to drive harness horses. There are different types of licences, which correspond to differing levels of experience.
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| Driving |
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A horse that is all out to win and under strong urging from its jockey.
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| Drop |
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Give birth to a foal.
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| Drop(Ed) Down |
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A horse meeting a lower class of rival than it had been running against.
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| Drop-Down |
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A horse moving down in class or claiming price; a greyhound moving down in grade.
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| Dropdown |
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A horse meeting a lower class of rival than he had been running against.
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| Dropped Hip |
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This describes the condition where the point of the hip is "knocked down". It is due to either a fracture of the point of the hip or to the muscles being torn off the cartilaginous attachments in the area.
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| Dual Forecast |
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A tote bet operating in races of 3 or more declared runners in which the punter has to pick the first two to finish in either order.
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| Dwelt |
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A horse that is late leaving the starting gate.
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