64→ Racing
Racing glossary
From the pool to the long-shot upset: the words you will hear at an Argentine racecourse, each explained in one line. Try the cards and see how many you knew.
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Pozo (pool)
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All the money played on one bet of a race. It is shared among the winners.
26 words in this glossary.
Bets
- Pozo (pool)
- All the money played on one bet of a race. It is shared among the winners.
- Retención (levy)
- The part of the pool that does not go back to bettors. In Buenos Aires province, at most 28%.
- Dividendo
- What each winning peso or ticket collects. It already includes the stake.
- Minimum dividend
- The floor a winning bet pays even if nearly everyone played the same: $1.10 per peso at San Isidro.
- Sport
- What a horse pays to win. “It paid a good sport” means little money was on it.
- Placé
- Betting that your horse finishes in one of the first places, not only first. The programme lists it as “Segundo” or “Tercero”.
- Base
- What each exacta, trifecta or pick 4 combination costs. It is printed in the programme.
- Combinada (box)
- Playing several horses in every possible order. It multiplies the combinations and the cost.
- Llave (key)
- Choosing which horses go in each place. Cheaper than a full box.
- Pozo vacante
- If nobody wins, the pool is not shared that day and carries over to another date or bet.
The race
- Programa
- The official list of the day's races: times, horses, jockeys, conditions and bets.
- Condiciones
- Who may run a race: sex, age, races won and weight.
- Mandil
- The saddle cloth with the horse's number. It is the number printed on the ticket.
- Partidor
- The starting gate the horses break from.
- Ratificar
- To confirm that an entered horse will run.
- Retirado
- A scratched horse. Money on it is refunded or moved under the rules.
- Cuerpo (length)
- The length of a horse. Margins at the finish are measured in it.
- Hocico (nose)
- The smallest possible margin at the finish.
- Photo finish
- The finish-line photo that decides when two or more horses cross almost together.
- Empate
- A dead heat: the photo cannot split them, so both share the place.
Racecourse slang
- Burrero
- A horse racing fan. Said with affection.
- Pingo
- A horse, usually a good one.
- Batacazo
- When a horse almost nobody backed wins and pays a huge dividend.
- Cuidador
- The horse's trainer.
- Caballeriza
- The owner or group of owners of a horse, with their colours.
- Atropellar
- To come from behind in the home straight and pass the leaders.
Keep going
Questions
What is the sport in Argentine racing?
What a horse pays to win, per peso. The less it was backed, the higher the sport.
What is the difference between a box and a key?
In a box your horses may finish in any order. In a key you choose who goes in each place, so there are fewer combinations.