Thoroughbred Racing Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll hear around a thoroughbred barn, sale ring, and racetrack — written by people who do the work. Several entries connect to the kind of horses ML Thoroughbreds breaks and runs.
Breaking & Early Training
- Breaking
- Breaking is the process of teaching a young, unhandled thoroughbred to accept tack, a saddle, and a rider, and to be ridden at the walk, trot, and gallop — usually in the fall of its yearling year. Read more →
- Gate Schooling
- Gate schooling is training a horse to walk into, stand quietly in, and break cleanly from the starting gate — a step every horse must pass before it is allowed to race. Read more →
- Ponying
- Ponying is leading a racehorse alongside a calm, experienced 'pony' horse and rider — to warm up before a race, to settle a nervous young horse, or to control a horse during exercise. Read more →
- Breezing
- Breezing is a timed workout in which a horse is asked to run at or near racing speed over a set distance — used to build fitness and, at two-year-old sales, to show buyers what the horse can do. Read more →
- Gallop
- A gallop is a horse's routine daily exercise — ridden a set distance at a steady, controlled pace well below racing speed — the bread-and-butter work that builds and maintains fitness. Read more →
- Set (Training Set)
- A set is a group of horses taken out to train at the same time, under one trainer or assistant — a barn's morning is organized into successive sets. Read more →
Sales & Bloodstock
- Pinhooking
- Pinhooking is buying a thoroughbred at one stage — as a weanling or yearling — with the intention of reselling it at a profit at a later sale, after the horse has grown and been prepared. Read more →
- Yearling
- A yearling is a thoroughbred in the calendar year after the year it was born — every thoroughbred shares an official January 1 birthday for record-keeping. Read more →
- Two-Year-Old in Training Sale
- A two-year-old in training sale is a public auction of 2-year-old thoroughbreds that have already been broken and put into training; buyers watch each horse breeze a short timed work at an under-tack show before bidding. Read more →
- Under-Tack Show
- An under-tack show is the preview held a few days before a two-year-olds in training sale, where each horse is breezed an eighth or a quarter mile so prospective buyers can see — and time — how it moves. Read more →
- RNA (Reserve Not Attained)
- RNA stands for 'reserve not attained' — at auction, a horse that went through the ring but did not reach the seller's confidential minimum ('reserve') price, so it did not actually sell. Read more →
- Stud Fee
- A stud fee is the price a breeder pays to breed a mare to a particular stallion — ranging from a few thousand dollars for a regional sire to six figures for a leading one. Read more →
- Homebred
- A homebred is a horse bred and raced by the same owner, rather than bought at public auction. Read more →
- Weanling
- A weanling is a foal that has been separated ('weaned') from its dam — generally from around four to six months old until January 1, when it becomes a yearling. Read more →
Horse Types & Soundness
- Colt
- A colt is an intact (un-castrated) male thoroughbred under five years old. Read more →
- Filly
- A filly is a female thoroughbred under five years old. Read more →
- Gelding
- A gelding is a male thoroughbred that has been castrated. Read more →
- Mare
- A mare is a female thoroughbred five years old or older; a 'broodmare' is a mare used for breeding. Read more →
- Stallion
- A stallion is an intact male thoroughbred used for, or retired to, breeding — 'standing at stud.' Read more →
- Sire
- A sire is the father of a particular horse. Read more →
- Dam
- A dam is the mother of a particular horse. Read more →
- Foal
- A foal is a thoroughbred in its first year of life — it becomes a 'weanling' once separated from its dam and a 'yearling' the following January 1. Read more →
- Soundness
- Soundness is a horse's freedom from injury or mechanical fault — the condition of being able to train and race without pain. Read more →
- Bowed Tendon
- A bowed tendon is a strain or tear of the flexor tendon at the back of a horse's lower leg, producing a visible 'bow' — one of the more common and serious soundness problems in racehorses. Read more →
Racing & Conditions
- Maiden
- A maiden is a horse that has never won a race; a 'maiden race' is restricted to such horses, and a horse that wins one has 'broken its maiden.' Read more →
- Claiming Race
- A claiming race is a race in which every horse entered is for sale at a set 'claiming price' — any licensed owner can 'claim' (buy) a horse by filing a claim before the race. Read more →
- Allowance Race
- An allowance race sits above claiming level — the horses are not for sale — but below stakes level, with weight 'allowances' adjusted by each horse's recent record. Read more →
- Condition Race
- A condition race is written for horses meeting a specific eligibility 'condition' — most often 'non-winners of N races other than maiden or claiming' (abbreviated N1X, N2X, N3X) — and a horse 'uses up its conditions' as it wins through them. Read more →
- Stakes Race
- A stakes race is the top tier of racing: owners pay nomination and entry fees that are added to the purse, and these races carry the most prize money and prestige. Read more →
- Graded Stakes
- Graded stakes are the most prestigious stakes races, ranked Grade 1 (highest), Grade 2, and Grade 3 by a committee based on the quality of horses they attract; placing in one earns boldface 'black type' in sales catalogs. Read more →
- Furlong
- A furlong is a unit of distance in racing equal to one-eighth of a mile (220 yards, about 201 meters); race distances and workout times are quoted in furlongs. Read more →
- In the Money
- 'In the money' means finishing first, second, or third in a race — the positions that traditionally collect a share of the purse; a horseman who runs 'a high percentage in the money' gets a paycheck from most starts. Read more →
- Scratched
- A horse is 'scratched' when it is withdrawn from a race after entries are taken but before the race is run. Read more →
- Also-Eligible
- An also-eligible is a horse entered in a race that drew more entries than starting spots — it gets in only if another horse scratches. Read more →
- Post Position
- The post position is the numbered starting-gate stall a horse is assigned, drawn at random — from the rail (post 1) outward. Read more →
- The Wire
- 'The wire' is the finish line of a race — historically marked by a wire strung across the track above the line. Read more →
People & Roles
- Trainer
- A trainer is the licensed horseman responsible for the daily care, conditioning, and race-day management of a stable of racehorses — deciding workouts, treatments, equipment, and which races to enter. Read more →
- Jockey
- A jockey is the licensed rider who rides a horse in a race — controlling pace, position, and timing under a strict weight limit. Read more →
- Exercise Rider
- An exercise rider is the person who rides a racehorse during its morning training — gallops, breezes, and gate work — but not in actual races. Read more →
- Groom
- A groom is the person responsible for the daily hands-on care of a small string of horses — feeding, mucking stalls, grooming, bandaging, and holding for the vet and farrier. Read more →