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Popular Horse Racing Terms E - H (continued)
 

Early foot: Speed, especially away from the starting gate.

Eased: Having surrendered, the horse is slowed during a race.

Eclipse Awards: Named for the great undefeated champion of the 18th century and determined by a vote of the National Turf Writers Association, The Daily Racing Form and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, these are the sport's highest honors.
They're given in various divisions and represent championships.

Eighth pole: The marker or pole indicating an eighth of a mile to the wire.
Poles are set every sixteenth of a mile around the track.

EIPH: Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhaging.

Endoscope: An instrument used to examine the upper airway and stomach.

Entrapped epiglottis: An abnormal throat condition in which a thin membrane moves to cover the epiglottis and obstruct breathing.

Entry: Two or more horses, usually with common ownership, that are coupled as a betting interest.

Entry fee: Money paid to enter a horse in a stakes race.

EPM: Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a baffling neurological disease.

Equibase: The company formed by the partnership of The Jockey Club and the TRA to maintain racing records.

Exacta: A bet requiring you to select the first 2 finishers of a race in the exact order. Also known as a perfecta. 

Exercise rider: A person who rides horses in workouts and gallops.

Experimental Free Handicap: A rating of the year's top juveniles by weight assignments.

Exotic: Any multi-horse or multi-race wager.

False favorite: An unworthy betting favorite.

Fast: Official track condition when the surface is free of excessive moisture and at its best.
Other track conditions are good, slow, heavy, muddy, sloppy and wet fast, describing various levels of moisture in the surface and its liveliness.

Filly: Female horse 4 years old or younger.

Firm: Official condition of the turf course when it is free of excessive moisture.
The turf might also be soft or yielding.

First Time Starter: A horse that is racing for the first time in his/her life. Almost always running in a maiden race.

Foal: 1) A horse in its first year of life.
2) To give birth.

Founder: Common term for laminitis, which is the severe inflammation of the sensitive laminae of the foot.

Founding sires: Most thoroughbreds are descended from the founding sires - the Darley Arabian, Byerly Turk and Godolphin Barb.

Fractional times: Internal fractions of a race.

Frog: The pliable supporting structure on the bottom of the foot.

Fronts / Front Wraps: Means the horse is wearing bandages on his front legs. Often a sign that he may have some swelling or weakness in the legs.

Furlong: The increments races are measured by in North America (equal to an eighth of a mile.)

Furosemide: Commonly known by the trade name Lasix or Salix, a diuretic used to discourage bleeding in horses.

Futurity: A stakes race for juveniles that requires continuous payments by their owners to maintain the horse 's eligibility.

Game Horse: A horse that is extremely tough to get past, a runner that tries very hard.

Gap: An opening in the rail.

Garrison finish: Coming from off the pace and winning in the final jumps, so named for the jockey Snapper Garrison.

Gelding: A castrated male horse.

Get: Progeny of a stallion.

Going away: To win with an increasing margin.

Good doer: An eager eater.

Grab a quarter: An injury to the back of the hoof resulting from a horse stepping on itself.

Graded line: A handicapper's rating by odds of all the horses in a race based on his opinion of their relative chances of winning.

Graded stakes races: Selected major stakes that are classified by the North American Graded Stakes Committee as Grade I, II or III according to the quality of competition. Grade 1 being the most prestigious. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 race, so is the Breeders Cup Classic.
In Europe, such stakes are called Group races. Group 1, 2, 3 , Group 1 being the most prestigious.

Gray: A horse with white hairs in his coat.

Green: A term for a young and inexperienced horse, one still learning the ropes of racing.

Groom: A person who feeds and cares for the horses at the stable. Grooms are incredibly important to the health and well-being of race horses. Most grooms travel with their horses, often developing a special bond with them.

H next to a horse's name: This tells you that the animal is considered a male horse. A young male horse is considered a colt, like the 3 year old males that run in the Kentucky Derby. A castrated male horse is always referred to as a gelding, regardless of age. A young female horse is called a filly, while an older female horse is referred to as a mare.

Half-brothers or half-sisters: Horses out of the same dam, but by different stallions.

Half-mile pole: The marker or pole (red and white) that indicates a half-mile remains to the wire.

Hand: Unit of measurement equaling four inches and used for expressing a horse's height at the withers. A term used to measure the height of a horse, each hand being four inches. For instance the great Zenyatta stands 17.2 hands, a very tall horse.

Handicap: 1) To analyze the past performances and rate the horses in a race.
2) A race for which the racing secretary assigns weights. The idea is to give the best horses more weight to carry to make the field more competitive. (no the horses aren't handicap)

Handily: Describing a workout of some effort.

Handle: The total amount of money wagered.

Hand ride: Without use of the whip.

Hang: To fail to sustain a move or an advance.

Hardboot: A horseman of the old school.

Head of the stretch: Top of the homestretch.

Highweight: The horse assigned the most weight in a handicap.

Home and Hosed: I have heard this one from several race callers, usually in Australia. Basically the horse is a sure winner passing the post and ready to go back to the barn for a well deserved bath.

Horse: An ungelded male 5 years old or older.

Hot walker: Person who walks horses to cool them out after exercise or racing.
Popular Horse Racing Terms I - P