Top 5 Over-used Racing Terms

Published: 21 Sep 2014

Not many sports have as much colour as Horse Racing. Whether it is the excitement of the social events, the exhilaration of each race or the competition of the bookies ring, a day at the races is always full of stories.

And the stars of the show are the gallopers that tear along the turf at breakneck speed. They each bring their own characters to the track, with varied strengths that make them perform to their best. Some are genuine types that make the most of limited physical gifts, while others are big, strong and dominant, but struggle to deliver consistent results.

So in a sport with so much colour, and so many angles to take, why are a few terms so over-used each weekend?

A list of the Top 5 Over-used Racing Terms is shown below:

1 – “Turn-of-foot”

Easily the top of the list, a good "turn of "foot" is freely dished out to any horse that has run on in their career. Strong staying types like Junoob (finishes hard, but takes a while to pick up) and Multilateral (strong stayer, bit one-paced) have been described as having what is essentially great acceleration in recent days. Horses like Terravista and Cluster might have something to say about that.

Junoob - lacks acceleration and needs to be stoked up early to get him rolling

2 – “Nice type”

When some analysts turn their eye from the form book to the mounting yard they are often lost for words. The result is an almost comical over-use of the description “Nice Type” - a term replaceable with “Not a Bad Horse”. About as helpful as a Gai Waterhouse tip.

This Is Australia - Long, strong and athletic... or just a "nice type"

3 – “Ready to win”

Looking back through the Race Guides, our team often falls foul of this one. A comment about the horses readiness to win is not the most helpful when punters are wondering if they’re good enough. With so many Factors to take into account in each race, being "ready" doesn't mean much.

4 – “Each-way chance”

Usually used when the writer isn’t sure about a horse and they want to cover their bases. Unreliable horses that either win or come nowhere are often described as each-way chances, even though they are no value for a place bet. 

Either wins or is unlucky - Boban is often described as a good each-way bet - he isn't (record 26 starts, 9 wins, 2 seconds, 0 thirds)

5 – “Will improve for the run”

Right at the moment you think a trainer will tell you why a horse has failed, whether it was a lack of fitness, a pre-race injury or the like, this line always gets pulled out as a cover. “She went ok, will improve for the run” could actually mean, “it was a terrible run, she hasn’t done a yard of work all week and wasn’t ready for today.” We can only hope trainers start giving us leg-ups like that!.

"Will improve" - La Amistad just wasn't fit enough to win on 13th September, a point not mentioned in early media despite her being short in the market