call
Running position of horses in a race at various points.
CARRERA DE NO GANADORES
Una carrera para los no ganadores.
chalk
Wagering favorite in a race. Dates from the days when on-track bookmakers would write current odds on a chalkboard.
chalk player
Bettor who wagers on favorites.
chart
A statistical “picture” of a race (from which past performances are compiled), that shows the position and margin of each horse at designated points of call (depending on the distance of the race), as well as the horses’ age, weight carried, owner, trainer, jockey, and the race’s purse, conditions, payoff prices, odds, time and other data.
check(ed)
When a jockey slows a horse due to other horses impeding its progress.
chestnut
A horse color which may vary from a red-yellow to golden-yellow. The mane, tail and legs are usually variations of coat color, except where white markings are present.
chute
Extension of backstretch or homestretch to permit a straight running start in a race as opposed to starting on or near a turn.
claim
The process of a licensed person purchasing a horse from a designated race for a predetermined price.
claiming race
A race in which each horse entered is eligible to be purchased at a set price. Claims must be made before the race and only by licensed owners or their agents who have a horse registered to race at that meeting or who have received a claim certificate from the stewards.
clerk of scales
An official whose chief duty is to weigh the riders before and after a race to ensure proper weight is (was) carried.
climbing
When a horse lifts its front legs abnormally high as it gallops, causing it to run inefficiently.
closer
A horse that runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.
clubhouse turn
Generally, the turn on a racing oval that is closest to the clubhouse facility; usually the first turn after the finish line.
colors
Colors accepted by The Jockey Club are bay, black, chestnut, dark bay or brown, gray, roan and white. See individual entries for definitions.
colt
A male horse or altered/gelded male horse 3 years of age or younger.
colt
An ungelded (entire) male horse four-years-old or younger.
commingle
Combining mutuel pools from off-track sites with the host track.
company
Class of horses in a race He last ran in stakes company.
Comparable Index (CI)
Indicates the average earnings of progeny produced from mares bred to one sire when these same mares are bred to other sires. A CI of 1.00 is considered average, 2.00 is twice the average, 0.50 half the average, etc.
condition book(s)
A series of booklets issued by a racing secretary which set forth conditions of races to be run at a particular racetrack.
conditions
The requirements of a particular race. This may include age, sex, money or races won, weight carried and the distance of the race.
congenital
Present at birth.
consolation double
A payoff to holders of daily double tickets combining the winning horse in the first race of the double with a scratched horse in the second.
county fair
A race meeting that is less than 10 days in duration, with or without pari-mutuel wagering, held in conjunction with an agricultural fair.
coupled (entry)
Two or more horses running as an entry in a single betting unit.
cover
A single breeding of a stallion to a mare For example, “He covered 70 mares.”
crop
1) The number of foals by a sire in a given year. 2) A group of horses born in the same year. For example, “An excellent crop of three-year-olds.”
cuppy
A dry and loose racing surface that breaks away under a horse’s hooves.
cushion
Top portion of a racetrack.
