Racing Glossary 'G' & 'H'

An alphabet of racing terms

We hope you find this glossary useful and informative. With this knowledge we hope you find that you can pick winners that little bit easier.

Gelding: a colt or male horse that has been castrated. There are several reasons for castrating horses they become easier to train and in the case of National Hunt horses they suffer less when jumping stiff fences.

Going: a term used for the state of the ground at race meetings there are several official categories these are: Hard, Firm, Good to Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, Heavy, in muddy conditions the form book may state soft with heavy patches

Good Walker : a horse that walks well will usually gallop well, something to check for in a pre race paddock inspection.

Greys: All thoroughbred grey horses trace back to the Alcock Arabian, foaled in 1704 and imported to England via Constantinople by Sir Robert Sutton.

Group Races: Races are divided into groups group one includes the classics group two are races below championship standard, group three only have domestic significance

 

 

 

Handicap : an handicap is a race in which horses are allocated different weights in order to give them an equal chance of winning.

Handicappers : generally the official BHB team who frame handicaps and also refers to horses that run in handicap races.

Head Lad : doesn't actually refer to a lad but the second in command of a racing stable who is responsible for organisation, feeding the horses and running the yard.

Hanging: tired horses in a finish sometimes 'hang' in towards the rails or worse towards an opponent should be corrected by the jockey showing them the whip..

Hobdayed: an operation of the larynx for horses which are unsound in wind. Timeform will say if an horse has had this operation. (named after Sir Frederick Hobday who pioneered the treatment.)

Homebred: a horse that has been bred at the owners stud..

Hunter-Chases: these are races confined to horses which have been regularly hunted during the season in which they compete in hunter-chases, they must have a certificate signed by a master of foxhounds to that effect.

Hurdles: Horses starting out in the national hunt scene usually begin over hurdles no horse can race over hurdles until the July of the year in which he or she is 3 years old.