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| Fade |
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This is when a horse tires and drops out of contention.
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| False Favorite |
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Horse that is a race favorite but you consider the horse does not have as much chance of winning as other runners in the race. See underlay.
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| False Quarter |
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Horizontal crack in the hoof caused by injury to the coronet.
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| False Start |
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The race starter will declare a false start and order a restart if one or more of the barrier tapes fail to release in a standing start event, or if in a mobile event, a runner, through no fault of its own, has been denied a fair start.
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| Falter |
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This is when a horse tires badly.
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| Faltered |
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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.
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| Farrier |
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Horseshoer, blacksmith. Also called a "plater."
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| Fast |
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A racing surface that is dry and hard, on which the footing is even and the race animals can run their best.
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| Fast (Track) |
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Optimum condition for a dirt track that is dry, even, resilient and fast.
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| Fast Track |
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Dry, hard strip on which horses run fastest; a track at which typical running times are relatively fast by comparison with most other tracks.
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| Fault |
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Weak points of a horse's conformation or character as a racehorse.
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| Favorite |
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The most popular horse in a race, which is quoted at the lowest odds because it is deemed to have the best chance of winning the race.
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| Feather |
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Light weight. Usually refers to the weight a horse is assigned to carry in a race.
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| Feature Race |
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While usually found to be a Stakes event, the feature race is usually the race of the day that presents the highest quality horses of the day.
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| Fee |
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1) Amount paid to a jockey for riding in a race. 2) The cost of nominating, entering or starting a horse in a stakes race.
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| Fees |
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Amount paid to rider or the cost of nominating, entering or starting a horse in a stakes race.
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| Fence |
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The inside fence is the inside running rail around the race track, while the outside fence is of course, the outside running rail.
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| Fetlock (Joint) |
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Joint located between the cannon bone and the long pastern bone, also referred to as the "ankle."
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| Field |
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1) All the runners in a race. 2) Some sportsbooks or bookmakers may well group all the outsiders in a competition under the banner headline of 'Field' and put it head to head with the favorite. This is known as favorite vs the field betting and is common in horse and golf betting.
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| Field Bet |
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When more than 12 horses are entered in any race, the horses numbered 12 and over will be grouped together in the mutuel field, a wager on any one of them in the Win, Place or Show, Perfecta or Trifecta is a wager on all of them. Any ticket on the Mutuel Field will be numbered 12.
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| Field Horse |
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Two or more starters running as a single betting unit, when there are more entrants than positions on the totalisator board can accommodate.
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| Field Horse (Or Mutuel Field) |
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Two or more starters running as a single betting unit (entry), when there are more starters in a race than positions on the totalizator board.
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| Fig |
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Slang for speed figure.
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| Filly |
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A female thoroughbred age two through four, is known as a filly.
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| Film Patrol |
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The crew that records the running of each race on video for possible review by the stewards when questions arise about behavior of the horse or rider.
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| Finish Line |
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The final point of the race equipped with a photo finish camera.
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| Fire |
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A burst of acceleration by a horse in a race The horse did (didn't) fire when asked.
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| Firing |
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This is an old method of treating chronic pathologies found in the legs of thoroughbreds. It consists of inserting red hot pints through the skin (pin firing) over the area involved. Line firing consists of burning in a bar pattern through the outer layers of the skin. Firing creates an acute inflammation which is said to hasten healing.
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| Firm |
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The optimum condition for a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track.
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| Firm (Track) |
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A condition of a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track. A firm, resilient surface.
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| First Four |
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You have to correctly select the first four horses in the correct order in the nominated races. There are some big collects on this bet.
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| First Turn |
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The bend in the track beyond the starting point; also, the clubhouse turn.
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| First Up |
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The first run a horse has in a new campaign or preparation.
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| First-Up |
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The first run a horse has in a new campaign or preparation, usually after having a spell.
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| Fistulous Withers |
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This is an infection of the withers coupled with fistulas that develop because of the poor drainage in the area. It is usually caused by a saddle that doesn't fit properly.
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| Five-Eighths Pole |
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The pole at the inside rail, exactly five furlongs from finish wire.
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| Fixed Odds |
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Your dividend is fixed at the odds when you placed your bet.
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| Flag |
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Signal held by a man (referred to as a flagman) standing just in front of the gate at the exact starting point of race. Official timing starts when flag is dropped to denote proper start.
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| Flagman |
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One who drops the flag to denote official start.
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| Flak Jacket |
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Similar to a jackets worn by quarterbacks, the jockey's flak jacket protects the ribs, kidneys and back.
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| Flash |
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The change or updating of odds information on the tote board.
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| Flash (Us) |
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Change of odds information on tote board.
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| Flat |
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The conventional racing surface, contrasted with grass or jump course.
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| Flat Race |
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Contested on level ground as opposed to a steeplechase. Often used in the term, on the flat.
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| Flatten Out |
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A very tired horse that slows considerably, dropping its head on a straight line with its body. Some horses, however, like to run with their heads lowered.
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| Float |
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A weighted, flat piece of equipment used to seal and remove the water from a racing surface; also, the filing down of the sharp edges of a horse's molars.
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| Floating |
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Flat plate or wooden implement (float) dragged over the surface of a wet track to aid in draining water.
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| Foal |
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A baby horse, usually refers to either a male or female horse from birth to January 1st of the following year.
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| Foal(Ed) |
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1) A horse of either sex in its first year of life. 2) As a verb, to give birth. Also known as "dropped." 3) Can also denote the offspring of either a male or female parent She is the last foal of Secretariat.
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| Fold |
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When preceded by a number, a fold indicates the number of selections in an accumulator (e.g. 5-Fold = 5 selections).
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| Fontana Safety Rail |
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An aluminum rail, in use since 1981, designed to help reduce injuries to horse and rider. It has more of an offset (slant) to provide greater clearance between the rail and the vertical posts as well as a protective cover to keep horse and rider from striking the posts.
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| Footing |
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The condition of the track surface.
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| Forced Wide |
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A horse which is forced to move wide on the track (further away from the inside running rail), because of the action of another runner.
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| Forecast |
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A wager that involves correctly predicting the 1st and 2nd for a particular event. This bet can be straight, reversed or permed. (USA, Perfecta or Exacta).
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| Form |
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The performance history of a horse. Recent form is included in race books and form guides in an effort to help punters select the horse most likely to win. The form of a horse includes information like the number of starts it has had, the number of wins, seconds and thirds, and the amount of prizemoney it has won. Form is available on this Web site.
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| Form Player |
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This is a bettor whose method of handicapping is based on selections from past-performance records.
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| Foul |
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An action by any horse or jockey that hinders or interferes with another horse or jockey during the running of a race.
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| Foul Claim (Objection) |
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A claim by a jockey, owner or trainer that their order of finish in a race was adversely affected by rules infraction by another rider or horse in the same race. This claim is considered by the stewards and a decision rendered before a race is declared official.
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| Founder (Laminitis) |
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Laminitis is an inflammation of the sensitive laminae that are found on the inside of the wall of the hoof. It usually affects both forelegs at the same time. When the condition first occurs, the circulation in the foot is impeded and the hoses is in great pain. If the circulation is not re-established in 24 hours, the sole of the foot will usually drop and the horse will become a chronic cripple.
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| Founding Sires |
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The Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb. Every Thoroughbred must be able to trace its parentage to one of the three founding sires.
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| Fractional Time |
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Intermediate times recorded in a race, as at the quarter, half, three-quarters, etc. The "quarter time," for example, refers to the time after the first quarter-mile, not the first 25 percent of the race.
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| Fractions |
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Clockings at 1/4 mile intervals in races and workouts.
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| Fractious |
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A horse that acts up from time to time when it leaves the receiving barn for the race. Some signs are kicking, resisting being saddled, fighting it's handler or even attempt to savage it's handler. Sometimes this activity will exhaust the horse before it has a chance to run.
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| Fracture |
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A break in a bone. See comminuted; compound; condylar; fissure; metacarpal; oblique; saucer; sesamoid; slab; spiral; simple; stress. See "Fractures" subsection of "Musculoskeletal System" in veterinary supplement for a more detailed explanation.
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| Free Handicap |
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A race in which no nomination fees are required. More recently, and more commonly, a ranking of horses by weight for a theoretical race. See Experimental Free Handicap.
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| Free Lance |
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A rider not under contract to a trainer or stable.
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| Free Legged |
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A pacer which races without wearing hopples to help maintain its gait is known as a free legged pacer.
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| Free-for-All |
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A race for open class or top class horses starting off the same mark (starting from the same position).
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| Freelance Driver |
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A driver which doesn't train his or her own horses, and is engaged by other trainers and owners to drive their horses. Freelance drivers generally don't work for any one trainer or owner in particular. If they do, they are more commonly known as that person's stable driver.
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| Fretter |
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A term used for a greyhound that is unusually nervous in the lockout kennel before a race, causing a weight loss.
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| Frog |
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The V-shaped, pliable support structure on the bottom of the foot. See "Hoof" subsection of "Musculoskeletal System" in veterinary supplement for a more detailed explanation.
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| Front |
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Also known as the front mark, the front means the handicap mark allotted to those horses to race the minimum advertised distance for any race.
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| Front-Runner |
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A horse whose running style is to attempt to get on or near the lead at the start of the race and to continue there as long as possible.
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| Frozen (Track) |
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A condition of a racetrack where any moisture present is frozen.
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| Full Cover |
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All the doubles, trebles and accumulators involved in a given number of selections.
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| Furlong |
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One-eighth of a mile or 220 yards or 660 feet (approx. 200 meters).
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| Furosemide |
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A medication used in the treatment of bleeders, commonly known under the trade name Lasix, which acts as a diuretic, reducing pressure on the capillaries.
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| Futures |
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(Also, Ante Post) Bets placed in advance predicting the outcome of a future event.
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| Futurity |
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A race for two-year-olds in which the owners make a continuous series of payments over a period of time to keep their horses eligible. Purses for these races vary but can be considerable.
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| Futurity Races |
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To enter futurities, regular payments need to be made by the breeder and then the owner to keep the horse eligible to compete. (Examples of these races include the Bathurst Gold Crown and Foster's Australian Gold for two-year-olds). In the case of the Foster's Australian Gold, the horse must also be purchased at a Foster's Australian Gold Yearling Sale to be eligible to compete.
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