Greyhound Racing Glossary

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Greyhound racing glossary

Greyhound racing betting terms

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Actual running time – it means a greyhound’s finish time in a particular greyhound race.

Average early speed – the average early speed in the last 6 races measured in seconds. The smaller this number is - the faster the speed of a greyhound.

Back runner – a greyhound’s racing style where a greyhound likes to run behind the pack.

Backstretch – the straight part of the racing track that is opposite to the homestretch; it is the farthest part from the finish line.

Bankroll – the amount of money allocated for gambling.

Bertillion card – a document that describes scars, marks, wounds and which is used for positive identification of the greyhound.

Bitch – a female greyhound dog.

Box bias – it’s an advantage or a disadvantage in win percentage of a specific starting position.

Box position – a greyhound’s starting point before the racing begins.

Break call – the call made when the greyhounds leave their starting boxes.

Breaker – a greyhound that is the fastest out of the box at the start of the racing.

Breeder – a person that is in business of breeding and raising greyhounds.

Breeders Awards – reward monies paid to the breeder of the winning greyhound.

Class – it’s same as effective grade.

Closer – the same as finisher.

Closing ability – it’s an ability of the greyhound to show the best speeds at the end of the race.

Commission – monies paid to cover the expenses of the racetracks.

Contender – a greyhound with the good chances to finish first, second or third.

Cool Out – a process necessary to prevent stiffness and soreness in greyhounds after the racing. It involves bathing and walking the greyhounds.

Coursing – the sport which is a predecessor of greyhound racing. The dogs used to chase a live prey over an open country.

Daily Double – a bet that two selected greyhounds will finish first in the first two races.

Dead heat – a tie between few greyhounds in the race.

Dog – a mage greyhound dog.

Early speed – means the tendency of a greyhound to run its best at the early stages of the racing track.

Effective grade – a greyhound’s current racing ability.

English Derby – it’s the most prestigious greyhound racing competition in UK.

Exotic pools – these are the mutuel pools, which involve more than one entry. The examples of exotic pools are daily doubles, quinellas (quinielas), exactas, trifectas, superfectas etc.

Favorite – a greyhound with the best chances to win, lowest odds against it and the most amount of money bet on it.

Final call – the same as finish call.

Final line – greyhounds’ win odds established after the betting has ended for the specific race.

Finish call – the greyhound’s position at the finish line at the end of the racing.

Finisher (Closer) – the greyhound, that shows the best speed and time at the end of the racing.

First turn – the first turn after the race has started.

Fractions – time intervals spent on running different portions of the racing track.

Fresh – a greyhound that has not participated in the racing for some time.

Fresh Money – money wagered on the race, which do not include money from the winnings in the previous races.

Front runner – a racing style, which applies to a greyhound with a tendency to run in front of the pack.

Futurity – a race which gets the money for the purse from periodic deposits by the owners.

Grade – an alphabetic identification of the greyhound’s class – A, B, C, D, E etc…

Ginny Pit – the same as paddock; the area where the greyhounds are held before the start of the racing.

Greyhound – a breed of dog used in dog racing.

Handicapper – a professional bettor who analyzes the record of past performances to make an educated bet.

Handle – the total volume of money wagered.

Hot Box – the race made of best greyhounds at the racing track.

Inside runner – a racing style of a greyhound, which likes to run close to the inside rail of the racing track.

Interference – a case when one greyhound bites, bumps, fights or interferes with another greyhound during the race.

Irish Derby – it’s the most prestigious greyhound racing event in Ireland.

Kennel – an organization that takes care of the greyhound dog.

Leadout – a person, at the greyhound track, that leads the dog from the ginny pit to the starting box.

Limited wheel – it’s a betting rotation system that produces combinations of one favorite dog (key dog) and the rest of the contenders.

Long Rabbit – the lure that is kept at a long distance from the leading greyhound during the race.

Long Shot – a greyhound that has poor chances to finish first, second or third in the race and has high payoffs if it will finish in the money.

Maiden dog – it’s a greyhound, which has never won yet.

Match Race – a race between the two best greyhounds under the rules that are not subject to the guidelines of the racing commission of the state.

Matinees – the races in the day time at the racing tracks, which usually operate at the night time.

Multiple betting – means buying few exotic bets for the same race.

Muzzles – the devices worn by the greyhounds to prevent them from injuring each other because of the possible fights during the race.

Odds board – the board visible to the public with the odds and payoffs information.

Off track betting (OTB) – the legal wagering outside of the racing track, which follows the rules and regulations of the state.

Open race – the race which any greyhound can enter regardless of its performance record.

Outside runner – a racing style of a greyhound that prefers to run close to the outside of the racing track.

Out tickets – the winning tickets that were not cashed before the end of the business hours.

Overlay – an entry into the race with the odds worse than handicappers’ estimate.

Overpay – it happens when the money paid for the ticket is higher than the correct price because of the human or computer error.

Overweight – a greyhound that weighs more than their usual racing weight.

Paddock – the same as ginny pit. This is the area where the greyhounds are taken to before the races for the final identification. The greyhounds are blanketed and handed to leadouts for a walk to the starting boxes.

Pari-Mutuel – a modern system of betting, which literally means wagering among ourselves. The winning tickets are paid according to the established final odds.

Past Performance – a record of the previous results of the greyhound.

Per capita – an average amount of money wagered by customers.

Pigeon – an invalid ticket paid by mistake.

Place bet – it’s a bet that a greyhound will come first or second.

Program – it’s official information for all greyhounds in each race with the records of the previous greyhounds’ racing performances.

Post Parade – the walk of the greyhounds from ginny pit to the starting boxes.

Post Time – the time of the start of the race.

Purse – prize money.

Racing Commission – the commission appointed by the governor of the state to establish the rules, grant licenses and supervise the greyhound racing in the state.

Racing dates- the dates for the greyhound races established by the Racing Commission.

Rail Runner – a greyhound that likes to run close to the inside rail of the racing track.

Recent form – a greyhound’s racing performance in the last 6 races.

Schooling races – the greyhound races with the real conditions but without wagering.

Scratch – the greyhound withdrawn from the races because of illness, injury or other reasons.

Second call – it is the position of a greyhound at 1/8th of mile mark.

Shipper – a greyhound, which ran previous race at a different racing track.

Short Rabbit – the lure that is kept at a short distance from the leading greyhound during the race.

Show bet – a bet that a greyhound will finish first, second or third.

Spooks – means very timid greyhounds.

Sprinter – a greyhound that is at its best in the early stage of the race.

Start call – a position of a greyhound after coming out of the starting box.

Stewards – the track officials supervising the greyhound racing according the rules of the Racing Commission.

Stooper – a person who searches for valid tickets thrown out by other bettors by mistake.

Straggler – a ticket that is not cashed before the next race but before the end of the business day.

Straight bet – it’s a win, place or show bet.

Stretch – the straight part of the track from the last turn to the finish line.

Stretch call – a greyhound’s position before the straight portion of the racing track leading to a finish line.

Strike – a greyhound receives a strike against it when it interferes with another greyhound during the race. A certain number of received strikes prevents the greyhound form further racing competitions.

Tip Sheets – the recommendations by professional handicappers for sale to a public.

Trainers – the people who train and prepare greyhounds for the official races.

Trifecta – a bet that three selected greyhounds will finish first, second and third in the same race and in exact order.

Tote board – the board at the racing track displaying the odds.

Track – the racing course.

Track condition – it can be F – fast; M – muddy or S – slow.

Track rating – the quality of the racing track, which can be 5 – excellent; 4 – good; 3 – average, 2 – substandard or 1 – poor.

Track take – the money taken out of the betting pool by the racing track to cover the expenses.

Underlay – a greyhound that has the odds against it lower than handicappers’ estimates.

Upper turn – it is the last turn before the finish line.

Win bet – a bet that a greyhound will finish first.

Winner’s time – it’s the racing time of the winning greyhound.

Copyright Progress Publishing Co. 2006

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