1. Manage your money. As stated above, we gamble in the hopes of making more money rather than losing money. You need to set aside a specific amount as your bankroll and commit to yourself that you will never spend a cent more than what you have allotted. To make this bankroll last longer, you should bet moderately and to keep yourself from making too many high-risk wagers. Also, do not throw every cent you have in one round of betting, or you will only be setting yourself up for disappointment.

2. Think your wagers through. It is so easy to get carried away with gambling. Sometimes, it is just too tempting to put in big amounts of money in the hopes of just winning. However, instead of just hoping, use your head. Think first before you make any wagers and do not just bet for the sake of betting. Make every decision you make count in your favor. Avoid betting on probabilities that seem to be impossible to pull through.

3. Use a strategy. There are lots and lots of resources on the Internet that offer various strategies for winning various casino games. If you are serious on wanting to win some money, take advantage of these resources and learn a few strategies for carrying out your game. Practice what you have learned and see how it works for you. Having a plan on how to play a casino game and implementing it correctly will help a lot towards you winning some decent cash at the casino.

4. Learn when to walk away. The best time to walk away from a live webcam casino game that you have been playing is when your winning streaks is hot. As the saying goes, quit while you are ahead. Otherwise, the mathematical odds of any game you play in the casino will rear its ugly head and start working against you. Soon enough, it will siphon away all your winnings and even some of the money you started out with in the first place.

5. Focus on just one kind of game. While it is nice to play many kinds of games in an online casino, it would be best for you to specialize on just one game if you are playing for money. Specializing on one game would help you perfect your moves for that game. If you know the ins and outs of the game you are mastering, you would soon learn how to make the best decisions about the game in an instant.

Following these tips will help you not just have fun when playing live webcam casinos, but will also help you earn some money.

A Few Tips For Playing At A Live Webcam Casino is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

Sitka, Alaska is a major stopover for salmon heading to British Columbia, Washington, and other Alaskan waters. Fly fishermen at Sitka, have a higher fishing catch rate than any other marine area in Southeast Alaska. June is the best month for fishing this area.

The Colorado River at Lees Ferry, Arizona, is one of the best fly fishing spots for rainbow trout. The fish are comfortable all year round in a 15-mile stretch of cold water that flows from the depths of Lake Powell between Glen Canyon Dam and the upper end of the Grand Canyon. Fly fishermen can also book a guide and go flats fishing for 25 pound carp.

Saltwater fly fishing is at its best at Montauk Point, New York. Montauk Point is the easternmost point of Long Island and is best known for striper fishing. Fly fishermen have miles of beautiful shoreline in which they can cast their fly.

Gunpowder Falls, Maryland, is an excellent place to catch cold water trout. A deal was struck by the Maryland state authorities and Trout Unlimited to start cold water releases from Pretty Boy Dam. This has resulted in a combination of wild and stocked brown, brook, and rainbow trout. Most of the fly fishing is in Gunpowder Falls State Park.

Fishing Creek, Pennsylvania, is one of the states top wild trout streams. It generally stays cool throughout the summer. There is a five-mile stretch called the Narrows, near Lamar, that is a very popular area for fly fishing.

Driftless Area, Wisconsin, has many excellent fly fishing streams loaded with brown trout. There is excellent access to all of southwestern Wisconsin’s eight counties. There are 68 streams in Vernon County alone, including Kickapoo River and Timber Coulee Creek. Most fly fishermen in this area use mayfly and caddis imitations.

Laguna Madre, Texas, is full of rivers and lakes that are excellent fly fishing locations. Texas also has its southern coast, which is among the world’s greatest saltwater fly fishing areas. The saltwater flats of Laguna Madre, next to Padre Island, are full of all different kinds of fish that make for a great fly fishing experience.

Henry’s Fork, Idaho, is a great destination for rainbow trout. If you are fishing the Island Park area, it is better to fish in runoff conditions.

Lake C. W. McConaughy, Nebraska, is the largest lake in the state and also has some of the best fly fishing. Another excellent fly fishing spot in Nebraska is the Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area, which is a series of twenty sandpit lakes that have been carved into the Platte River basin. Red Willow reservoir is also a favorite of fly fishermen in this area of the country.

Kauai, Hawaii, is a great spot for fly fishing largemouth, smallmouth, and peacock bass. This Garden Isle also has excellent saltwater fly fishing.

Whether you like fresh or salt water fly fishing, there are thousands of places to fish across the country that offer the fly fisherman endless opportunities and experiences.

A Few Of The Best Fly Fishing Spots In The United States is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

Imagine if you could sit with Tiger for a few minutes and pick his brain to help improve your game. Here are some great golf tips from Tiger Woods.

It’s All About Rhythm

Every player has their own natural rhythm. Some players are energetic and full of motion; others are stoic and deep in concentration.

Tiger says that when he’s playing his best, everything he does is just second nature. He just goes with the flow, and there’s little else involved. That’s because he’s found just the right groove that suits his natural rhythm.

If the rhythm’s off, Tiger misses a swing or two. When things are flowing for him, he has to work a little to get it back into a natural rhythm.

So, how do you learn to keep your natural rhythm? There are a few ways Tiger suggests to help you find your groove and keep it.

Stick To Your Routine

Rhythm and consistency are important, so how you get ready both physically and mentally for the game is essential. Tiger has a practice routine that he does before every single game. He uses the same clubs, and the last club he uses for his pre-game warm-up is the one he plans to use for the first hole.

The point isn’t to practice swinging, but to get into your groove.

The First Hole Is The Most Important

Long before he swings for that first hole, Tiger plans the whole game ahead. He prepares himself for the game mentally and emotionally. This involves relaxation, and deciding his game plan beforehand.

An awkward, uncertain first shot is a sure-fire rhythm-killer.

Keep Things Steady

To keep your rhythm going, you have to keep the tempo steady. When you get stressed, you start to speed things up. All that nervous energy makes you hurry to the next hole, and you end up making silly mistakes you wouldn’t have made otherwise.

The next time you watch Tiger play, pay attention to the way he walks to the next hole. Even after a great shot, you’ll never see him rush on to the next one. He’ll pump his fist, smile, and stroll to the next hole with the same leisurely pace.

Tiger recommends a good pre-routine warm-up that helps you get into a relaxed frame of mind. This will get you started on the right foot. For more info see http://www.getgoodatgolf.com/ on golf course.

Posture Means Perfect

When asked for practical golf tips, Tiger Woods always mentions posture. Tiger always stands straight and tall, a decent distance from the ball so that he can keep his chin up. Lots of golfers (including Tiger when he was a beginner) put their address position too close to the ball, and end up having to bow their head down too much. Tiger says to keep a good distance away so you don’t have to lean over the ball.

Tiger Woods is not only one of the best players, he’s also one of the most reflective. Perhaps the key to his success is his ability to look at his mistakes and shortcomings, and work to improve them, instead of getting frustrated. This is why his golf tips are so helpful to his fans. When you blow it, think about why you did it. Then, correct it next time, and you’ll see improvement.

A Few Golf Tips From Tiger Woods is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

1. Be a smart shopper. As with anything, it’s buyer beware. Shop around and know what you’re getting for your money. You could consult with a travel agent to find a great cruise deal. Or, you could be your own travel agent. Some online companies will have oods is a freelance writer and radio talk show host with a focus on healisecured a collection of staterooms at a group discount and then can pass along the savings to you. Travel agents can usually add bonuses like free upgrades, free travel insurance, shipboard credits or coupons for on board discounts.

2. Compare, compare, compare. Allow yourself enough time to analyze the kind of cruise deal that different companies offer in terms of perks and base pricing. Some websites provide a handy price comparison tool that enables you to put various offers side by side and see which represents the best value for you.

3. Take advantage of industry competition. There are many cruise lines around and each has several ships. With so much business to offer, your vacation dollar is valuable to all of them. Be an opportunist. Put up your hand and say: “I want to buy a cruise” and let them all vie for your attention. Try one of the websites where you can list your requirements. These are then passed on to competing cruise line companies. It’s the same as those websites that look for the best price on electrical goods and new or used cars. The result will be a cruise deal that’s best for you, based on your criteria.

4. Consider a one-way cruise. A fabulous cruise deal can be found if you can take advantage of a one-way sailing. When a cruise company dispatches a vessel to a new destination (ending a season or beginning a new one), it’s called a “repositioning” sailing. They are often longer than usual; feature fewer ports of call and more days at sea, so a different kind of passenger takes these trips. As such, the rates per day are often cheaper than those of normal sailings.

5. Don’t cruise alone. If you travel alone, the cost of cruising skyrockets. To have a cabin all to yourself, you will be required to pay in the vicinity of one and a half times the regular single fare. So why not take along a companion? And if you bring along nine of your closest friends, you’re likely to score group rates on your cruise deal, with a satisfying discount.

You work hard all year to save up for your vacation. Do a little homework and it will pay off. Plus, you’ll enjoy your trip so much more if it doesn’t put you into debt!

A Fabulous Cruise Deal? How To Find One! is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

You don’t have to sacrifice quality for price. You may not get the flaming orange model that you like, but what are you looking for? Creative and fancy packaging or the quality found inside? So, after you’ve given up your desire for that outrageous hot pink case, and your realize that your color options may be limited, then what? Well, make sure that the discount MP3 player you’re considering will play the format that you want. Most MP3 players now operate on a flash drive system. Because of the low cost per megabyte for hard drive players, look for a format that can accept up to 30GB. That will be more than adequate for your needs, and at a fraction of the cost of an iPod.

Also make sure that you check the battery life when comparing different MP3 player models. You don’t want to be caught on a long flight without enough juice in your MP3 player to play your favorite tunes or listen to your special programming. Compare discount MP3 player models available either at local stores or on the Internet. Search online forum and discussion boards to see what others are saying about the discount model you’re considering. Make sure that you’re willing to do without the bells and whistles if you purchase a discount MP3 player, but also realize that basically, they’re all pretty much created equal.

Priced between $40 – $60, most discount MP3 player models come with as many of the basics as the more expensive models, including headphones, driver, standard carrying case and LCD screens. Most also come with USB cable and batteries and, of course, the user’s manual. Many discount MP3 players also have compatible accessories, such as voice recorders and PCI adapters. Sure, color selection many be limited, but the gadget’s in your pocket most of the time anyway, isn’t it? And it’s not about looks, it’s about listening, and whatever brand you choose should be based on sound quality and nothing else.

Many discount MP3 players offer you just as much music listening capability as the other more popular, and expensive brands, but if you’re not a brand-name junkie, then you probably won’t care. A discount MP3 player doesn’t have to mean a cheap MP3 player. By doing your homework and shopping around, you can find a discount MP3 player that will suit your needs. And then, you too can say that you came, you saw and you conquered the world of MP3 players.

A Discount Mp3 Player? You Bet! is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

When horses in a race are allocated different weights to carry, in order that each horse has an “equal” theoretic chance of winning, it is called a “Handicap” race.

Similar to the animals in George Orwell’s books, some horses are more “equal” than others. Horses vary slightly between races and their form on any given day is somewhat variable, meaning that thankfully, there is usually a clear cut winner in all handicap races.

Horses just like human beings are not always feeling their best.

Handicapping is based on the fact that horses are “allowed” weight against other horses on a “Weight for age” basis and according to the distance by which one horse beats another, with consideration being made for the state of the “going” amongst other factors including the pace of the race.

Weight assessments are roughly based on finishing distances as follows:

• From five furlongs to seven furlongs, 3lb per length;
• From one mile to eleven furlongs, 2lb per length;
• From one and a half miles to 2 miles, one and a half pounds per length;
• More than two miles, 1lb. per length;
• National Hunt races: 1lb. per length.

Over a sprint distance:

Horse A carrying nine stone beats horse B. carrying the same weight by a length;
Horse B is therefore considered 3lbs. inferior to horse A;
In a subsequent race, the handicap therefore should read
Horse A nine stone, Horse B eight stone 11lb.

Official British Horseracing Board (BHB) handicappers carry out handicapping for all races using a central database of information which is very regularly updated.

The computers provide a handicap rating for all horses which are qualified to run, based on a scale from zero upwards for the graded handicaps prevalent in recent times, these ratings give more equal opportunities all round for handicapped horses.

Further down the scales, handicaps may be designed only for horses rated between zero and 70 meaning horses rated above this mark would be ineligible to compete. Handicaps are often organized in this fashion in order that lesser horses can compete against each other.

The really big handicaps like the Cambridgeshire and the Ebor are open to all handicap horses between 0-115

Each week, ratings are revised with significantly changed ratings being published in the sporting literature. It is good practice to keep track of these changes.

Flat race handicap weights vary between 7 stone 7lb. to no less than 10 stone; National Hunt race weights are between 10 stone and 12 stone with the exception of handicaps over 3 miles where the top weight is 11 stone 10lb.

When a handicapper attends to the entries for a race, despite the restricted range, he will allocate weights below the allowed lower limit, as often the top weight is withdrawn, meaning weights must then be duly raised.

The first Jockey Club handicapper was Admiral Rous, generally acknowledged as the best who ever lived. Having finished an especially difficult bit of handicapping he remarked famously “there, now none of them can win!”

Handicaps are “created” instinctively, by good handicappers; they are balancing acts resulting from an array of intelligent best guesses.

Private handicap’s sometimes published in newspapers as “ratings” as well as in the literature such as the Racing Post, give an indication of how a private handicapper’s assessment differs from the official assessment of a horse’s chances and its ability with respect to the other horses in a given race.

HANDICAPPERS

There are 2 definitions:

• The official BHB team who frame handicaps.
• Horses that run in handicaps, sometimes in a “stuffy” sort of way as in “he’s only a handicapper”

HEAD LAD

Second in command of a stable, generally not a “lad” at all.

Head Lad is in fact a very responsible position with duties which include feeding the horses and running the yard.

A competent head lad can mean the difference between success and failure.

There is usually a traveling “head lad” whose main duties include accompanying horses on their journeys between racecourse and stables.

Clive Britton, a highly successful trainer was once a head lad, similarly Barry Hills another top trainer, was once traveling “head lad” to John Oxley.

An example of a highly successful trainer who was once a head lad is Clive Britton while another top trainer is Barry Hills, once traveling head lad to John Oxley.

HANGING

Not as terminal as one might assume. Fatigued horses often “hang” in towards the end of a race, either towards the rails or more dangerously towards an opposing horse.

The jockey will usually show a horse the whip to correct the situation.

HOBDAYED

If a horse is unsound in wind then it may have a hobday operation. This operation was pioneered by Sir Frederick Hobday, an eminent veterinary surgeon at the time.

HOMEBRED

A horse bred at its owner’s stud, rather than through a public auction.

HUNTER CHASES

Horses regularly competing in hunts used to be able to get a certificate signed by the master of foxhounds allowing them to compete in Hunter Chases.

Famous Hunter Chases from the past include horses such as “Baulking Green” who won 22 Hunter Chases in his career.

Anti hunting legislation has put this format of racing firmly on the decline.

HURDLES

Horses at the start of their National Hunt careers usually start over hurdles with the intention of later putting them over fences.

Horses must be 3 or over in the July of a given year to begin hurdling, most however are flat racers over four whose flat career is deemed to be coming to an end in the autumn of that year.

With hurdles races tending to be over 2 miles and longer, horses chosen as hurdlers are taken to have a fair ability for “staying” on the flat.

These long hurdles races often represent excellent Betfair “in-play” betting opportunities.

If a horse has never won a hurdle by the start of the current season, then at 3 years old it may start in the juvenile, or novice hurdles.

The rules lay down the specification for hurdles as follows:

• That they must be not less than 3 foot 6 inches in height from the bottom bar to the top bar;
• That they consist of bars of wood, such as willow or oak interspersed with the rich, broom or gorse, and are driven in sections across the hurdles course at an angle sloped from the takeoff side.

The upper part of a modern hurdle is cushioned so that horses do not bang themselves too badly when hitting it; this has reduced the clattering that used to be heard like gunfire around a racecourse during the hurdles race.

Hurdles races are however always spectacular, with noise and danger and the riders often set a furious pace.

Hurdles can sometimes swing back when they have been somewhat flattened causing great danger. Falls are common but less frequent than in the Chase’s, but the hurdlers are often tightly bunched and set a fast pace.

Racing law determines there must be at least 8 flights of hurdles in a 2 mile race, with more flights for each quarter mile over that distance.

Hurdlers and chasers throughout history are always firm favourites with the public and carry great affection.

A Dictionary Of Horse Racing Terms – H is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

After being castrated a male or colt horse is said to have been “gelded”. There are a variety of reasons behind this seemingly rather harsh practice.

By taking a horses mind off sex it becomes more amenable, and calm. A horse becomes less temperamental due to the shift in hormonal balance, which occurs with all neutered animals, including humans.

After gelding, horses are generally regarded as being easier to train and concentrate more readily on their racing.

Even more practical for National Hunt, gelding can prevent the extreme discomfort experienced by “entire” horses when jumping over hard fences, historically made from birch.

Irish horses intended for chasing are gelded automatically at an early age.

Most chasers are in fact geldings.

For a long time, many big flat races were not open to geldings, but this has now changed with most of the classics now being opened up to them.

One obvious financial argument against gelding is that after winning a major, a colt is instantly worth millions to big stables or stud syndicates.

Whereas “The Arkle” who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1964, 65, and 66, was valued at the same price the day after the races as he was the day before.

National Hunt racing would not work without geldings, who are much admired by racegoers, regardless of stud decisions made by prejudiced breeders.

GOING

Advance forecasts in newspapers and the formbook advertise the state of the ground for a race meeting.

• Hard
• Firm
• Good to Firm
• Good to Soft
• Soft
• Heavy

“Soft with heavy patches” in the formbook indicates muddy patches.

Sometimes differences are noted on different parts of the course I.e. Going: Round course, soft. Straight course, good to soft.

The outcome of a race is significantly dependent on the state of the going. It is arguably THE most important factor in determining a race day favourite.

Comments including “likes some cut on the ground” or “likes some give underfoot” should be carefully noted.

Other horses prefer to race when the mud is flying and the formbook will note such horses as being a “confirmed mudlark”.

Still other horses don’t like soft conditions at all and need good going, the formbook will state “needs the top of the ground”, while some prefer really firm going eliciting descriptive comments such as “likes to hear his hooves rattle”.

Assessing the state of the going falls to the Clerks of the Course, who are open to severe criticism when their assessment is questionable.

Recent advances in science have allowed the art of poking the ground with a stick to become far more scientific with the introduction of a dubiously titled device known as the “penetrometer”.

One should always examine the weather forecast for a meeting as an essential adjunct to basic form study, and one should know a horse’s preference for a particular type of going.

For example at the time a newspaper or formbook is printed the going for any given race may indeed be good, but by the time of the race, heavy rainfall may have changed it to soft or heavy.

In many cases where the going has changed dramatically at the last minute, then a horse with a differing preference to the current going may be withdrawn.

However, it may be seen that vice versa, a late change of going can transform certain losers into possible winners.

The “going” is therefore uniformly accepted as essential by trainers, and their running intentions for their horses.

Timeform, the Racing Post, and the newspapers publish plenty of good information about the going. Comments such as “we will only run if we get that”, or “he will only run if its soft” and “he’s only good on good ground” are all well worth noting.

Finally it’s important to note that some courses hold rainwater better or worse than others.

For example at Newmarket the ground rarely reaches worse than soft. Good ground or good to soft are almost always the state of the going irrespective of rainfall on the Rowley mile in spring through to autumn.

GOOD WALKER

If you have access to the pre-race paddock inspection you should try to note whether the back or “hind” hoof coincides or overlaps with the point where the front hoof has been.

This feature is a sign that a horse will gallop well, and the horse is referred to as a “Good walker”

GREYS

A remarkable front running Grey, Desert Orchid, was an outstanding public hero between 1983 and 1991, dominating the jumps arena with 34 wins from 70 starts.

Greys account for only 3% of the entire horse racing population, but this ratio gives no indication of their overall popularity, particularly in the National Hunt theatre.

Foaled in 1704 and brought to England via Constantinople by Sir Robert Sutton, all thoroughbred “grey” horses can be traced back to the original “Alcock Arabian”.

A Dictionary Of Horse Racing Terms – G is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

The practice of staking equal amounts for a place and for a win is known as making an “Each Way Bet”.

Bookmakers used to be reluctant to take each way bets from everyday punters except in the big events like the Grand National and the Derby, however this is not the case nowadays, with most bookies taking each way bets and advertising the fact on their boards with the odds on offer.

Credit bookmakers, on and off course bookmakers, betting shops, Betfair and the other exchanges, all now take each way bets.

EBF

The European Breeders Fund originated in June 1983. Breeders in France, GB, and Ireland signed an agreement to start a fund for stallion owners to contribute annually a sum equal to the median covering fee for all sires nominated to the scheme.

Only the offspring of participating stallions being allowed to benefit.

In relation to the British side of the scheme, proceeds are channeled into prize money, breeder’s prize money for horses sired by British stallions, veterinary research, and owner’s premiums for selected listed and patented flat races.

ENTIRE

An “entire” horse is in the lucky situation of having not been castrated, or “gelded”.

ENTRIES

Five days before a race, most entries are made to Weatherbys.

Weights for these races are allocated the day after, based on the published race conditions. If the race is a handicap then weights are allocated by the official handicapper.

At any time up to the day before the race, entries may be withdrawn, or “scratched”, at which time the horse must be declared to run, if the intention is to compete. The next stage is known as the overnight declaration stage whereby trainers have to telex or fax Weatherbys with odecs (overnight declarations)

Acceptors

Sometimes one can see the title “big race acceptors” in newspapers. Below this will be a list detailing the remaining horses in a race, after the forfeit stage.

FAVOURITE

Where a horse is allocated the shortest price in the betting it is known as the “favourite”. Two horses having equally short prices are known as joint favourites. More than two horses with equally short prices are known as co-favourites.

Of significant interest to Betfair punters, favourites account for the largest single number of different betting methodologies. For more information please visit:

http://www.Betfair-Trade.com/articles

FIELD

Multiple meanings:

1. The main use of this term relates to the number of runners for a race. For example “The field for the Derby this year is the smallest since Nijinsky beat ten opponents in 1970”, does NOT mean that a particularly cramped alternative to the Epsom racecourse has been found.

2. From a punters perspective, it means the shortest priced horse in the field, for example when the bookie shouts “six to four the field”, he is basically saying the favourite is at 6/4!!

3. A bookmaker’s record of bets taken on the course is known as a “field” book. This used to be just a large clipboard with specially ruled paper, but is just as likely to be a handheld electronic device or a laptop nowadays. The field book records bets taken, what prices are laid and to whom. The total liability is calculated, known as the “take out”. Most of this calculation is now eased for the bookmaker’s clerk with the introduction of computerization and laptops.

4. The total amount of money staked on a race, from which a bookmaker will take his profit or loss is known as “field” money.

5. The common Betfair and general betting exchange practice of “laying” a favourite, was historically known as “fielding” against the favourite, i.e. with the expectation of the favourite NOT winning.

FILLY

Between the ages of two and four a female thoroughbred is known as a “Filly”.

Race goers have always had a fond affection for good fillies and mares. A filly becomes a mare officially at the age of five.

FORM

The sum total of a horse’s achievement on the racecourse, is known as its “form”, and is recorded as such in the “formbook”. This information is then extracted for use in the sporting press, and compressed for other presentations in newspapers.

If a horse has no winning chance in a future race it is said to have “no chance on the book”.

To form a suitable analogy, music is simply a series of notes on a page, and similar fashion the formbook provides mere facts about a horse for analysis.

One can see that the interpretation of a piece of music from the same sequence of notes can create a completely different experience for each musician.

The phrase “The Coventry Stakes form is working out rather well” relates to the particular race in question, meaning that horses running in this race are doing so consistently with the form advertised in the formbook, and the favourite may have gone on to win.

It would be said that the horses have “advertised the Coventry Stakes form” or conversely “Let the Coventry Stakes form down”.

FRONT RUNNER

Some horses like to go straight out in front and stay there, “cutting out the running”.

Preference for this style of running will be advertised in Timeform, the Racing Post, and the formbook.

Sometimes horses that take the lead early tend to idle later in the race, and these horses may require “covering up” until the last minute, when they can be pushed to the front. Timeform and the Racing Post are, again, your best bets for this type of information.

Chester and Sandown are well known tracks where front running pays dividends. Desert Orchid, and Reference Point, (the 1987 Derby and St Leger’s winner) were both classic front runners.

FULL BROTHER, FULL SISTER

A horse sharing the same dam and also the same sire with another, is known as a “full brother” or “full sister”. Ability on the racecourse is rarely guaranteed between direct siblings.

Horses sharing the same dam are referred to as “half brother” and “half sister”, but this is not so for horses that share the same sire but not the same dam.

A Dictionary Of Horse Racing Terms – E And F is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

When there is a photo finish and the judge still cannot determine the winner – this is said to be a “dead heat”. Frequently before the days of photo finish, there would be mayhem when a dead heat was declared by a judge but everyone else could see there was an outright winner.

Often it would be the angle of the finishing line that gave an impression of an outright winner, meaning the mayhem was not justified. However oftentimes it would be the judge who had got it wrong and the chaos was entirely justified.

Punters, trainers, owners would all be outraged by the judge’s poor decision and eyesight (or lack of it); obviously where there is a dead heat the prize money about a horse is substantially reduced.

The first record of a decision being determined by a “dead heat” was at Doncaster in October, 1947, between the horses Phantom Bridge and Resistance. More dead heats occur in Sprint Handicaps than in any other race, this is as one would expect, i.e. short unpredictable races with weights set to reduce advantage. These races often have “blanket finishes”

DISTANCE

• This is generally recognized as being a point 240yds from the winning post. Not officially marked on the racecourse, but always referred to in form summaries and the formbook i.e. went well clear after leading at the distance. Courses are all marked with furlong markers indicating how far one is from the finishing post, so it can be seen that the distance is 20yds before the final furlong marker is reached.

• Sometimes horses may be judged to have won by a distance (more often at jumps meetings rather than flat). Although this is supposed to be 240 yards it usually means that the distance is so large that the judge cannot be bothered to estimate it.

• The actual distance of a race. The shortest distance for a race is 5 furlongs. The longest flat races are around 2 miles in practice. The longest event of the racing calendar is the Queen Alexander stakes at Royal Ascot over 2.75 miles. National Hunt races are much longer with no chase or hurdle being less than 2 miles, with the longest jumps race being the Grand National at 4 miles 856 yards.

• Winning distance. This can be defined as a “short head”, the finest of margins on a photo finish, then a “full” head, then a neck , then half a length etc etc.

DOLL

This is a hurdle whose primary purpose is to signal direction during a national hunt race, for example when a section of the course is waterlogged, that part of the course would be said to be “dolled off”.

DRAW

Before a flat race there is a “draw” to decide which place in the stalls each horse will occupy. The draw is made the day before the race at the overnight declarations office by lots. National hunt races don’t draw for places.

The extreme left position is number one, with the number being indicated over the stall front, horse two takes stall two etc. Punters should consider stall position as part of their form study, as certain stalls are known to have advantage or disadvantage at certain courses, at certain times of year, especially in big fields.

Punters had to lobby hard to get access to the draw information which is now widely available in newspapers and the numbers board and on Betfair. The information has proved very valuable to trainers and jockeys in determining race strategy.

Making the draw overnight allows various aspects of the race to be considered, and has made considerable difference in flat racing, particularly to off course punters.

DRIFTER

When a horses price moves out considerably in the market i.e. starts at 3/1 and moves out to 8/1 it is called a “drifter”. The bookies may have expected it to be backed; possibly they heard rumours from trainers or stablehands. However the money never came and the short price gradually “drifts” out to longer odds.

Usually this is bad sign for the punter, although recent evidence has suggested that this may not always be the case, with some smaller stables often coming good on their original “rumour”.

On the other side of the coin are “springers” or the more recent term “steamers”. These may for example start out at 7’s or 8’s, and when the money starts to roll may return 6/4 favourite.

There is a huge market that has developed on Betfair and the other exchanges, trading on steamers. The theory being that these horses can be backed early on at a long price and laid to lose later on as the price steams, locking in a guaranteed profit. Trading is explored meticulously on my website.

It is a hopeful sign for the punter as prices move in and the momentum can produce some dramatic shifts which make FSTE movements look like gentle gradients.

The best steamers are in two year old races, especially ones who haven’t been raced before.

The worst steamers are in poor or small fields, where there is a weak betting market and small amounts of money can be presented by heavyweight traders attempting to cause dramatic price fluctuations to their own advantage.

Even with the advent of exchange trading, it will normally be the case that in a strong market, when the price about a horse steams in, that the horse has a good chance of winning, but this is by no means guaranteed.

However, you can be sure that it is generally fancied by its owners and trainers and other experts, and the money is actually coming in.

DWELT

A horse is said to have “dwelt at the start” when it falters in the stalls. It becomes less important to the final outcome of a race if the race is a long one.

A Dictionary Of Horse Racing Terms – D is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org

Flat race classifications are from Class A through to Class G. This determines the methodology for framing conditions races.

CLASSICS:

Reference to a horse race that has been around for a very long time. These races of longstanding tend to attract the best horses and have become regarded as the highest quality of racing. The classics are open only to 3 yo’s and above and there are 5 of them in England.

The Classics are currently:

New market, spring, 2000 guineas colts and fillies, first run in 1809
New market, spring, 1000 guineas, fillies only, first run 1814
Epsom 1.5 miles, summer, derby colts and fillies, 1780
Epsom 1.5 miles, summer, oaks, Fillies only, first run 1779
Doncaster 1 ¾ miles, autumn, st ledger, Colts and Fillies, first run 1776

Fillies rarely contest the 2000 guineas or the oaks nowadays with trainers tending to run them only in the classic equivalents for Fillies only: the oaks (fillies) and the 1000 guineas.

Originally nobody set out to establish a set of classic races, they merely evolved, and became universally acknowledged as a pattern sometime around the middle of 19th Century.

Classic winners have had a major impact on the overall development of the thoroughbred. They have achieved high prestige and have proved that they are best of their breed and age.

The classics tend to provide excellent betting opportunities, as the form advertised tends to work out quite accurately; horses which are well backed tend to do very well, and given the strong ante post markets there are opportunities for overly long prices.

CLEVERLY:

When a horse wins more easily than the winning distance suggests it is said to have won “cleverly”. Alternatively he or she may be said to have won with “Something in hand”.

Often flat jockeys will do just enough in order that their charge wins. This means that the full distance by which a horse would have won is never actually known to the public or the handicapper, who then has no real way of judging a horse’s true capability.

Professional punters and Betfair professionals can benefit from making notes regarding this sort of evidence. It will be noted in the form book and in the detailed comments in Raceform and Chaseform. Other analysis worth noting will be in the Racing Post and Superform or Timeform.

Other comments worthy of note may include “not extended” or “won with his head in his chest”

COLT:

Thoroughbred males between the age of two and five.

CONDITIONS RACES:

Any race that is not a handicap.

The weight each runner is assigned to carry is determined by the conditions of a race. These “conditions” may be based on value, age, sex and status of previous winning races, and various other factors. Weight allowance being made, for example, for never having won a race in the past.

The weight for age races are the most important categories. An older horse has to concede less and less weight to a younger horse as the flat and national hunt season progresses.

Application of the weight for age scale determines the precise weights, but overall there are various other kinds of conditions races.

CONDITIONAL JOCKEY:

National Hunt riders with little experience, who are under the age of 26, are called conditional jockeys. They may claim allowances as follows. 7lbs until he has won 15 races, then 5lbs, up to a total of 30 races, thereafter 3lbs until 65 races have been won.

COURSES

Racing in the UK has an outstanding reputation largely due to the huge diversity and variety of its racecourses which provide entirely different tests of horse’s abilities both over flat and jumps, and this variety provides constant pleasure and opportunities for enthusiasts and betting professionals alike.

There are 15 courses that stage flat racing and jumps, 17 stage only flat races and 24 cater purely for jumps.

Lingfield and Southwell have racing on turf and artificial surfaces, and Wolverhampton has a purely artificial surface. The Racing Post has full descriptions of relevant course details with maps and statistics.

Many courses particularly the jumps only courses are small friendly country courses, as oppose to the large principal flat places. This adds hugely to the diversity and variety of the racing with entirely different atmospheres ranging from the National Hunt Mecca at Cheltenham to the pomposity of Royal Ascot to the tiny little flat only course on the downs above Bath.

From Perth and Kelso in Scotland to Bangor in Dee in Wales, Sedgfield in County Durham to Plumpton in Sussex, Market Rasen in Lincolnshire to Newton Abbot, Devon, Exeter and others in the West Country, the entire land is never far from a day at the races.

There are right handed courses, left handed ones, many are actually oval, and there is huge variation in shape:

Windsor and Fontwell are figures of eight while Ascot is triangular; Chester is circular while Brighton is in a big U shape with a kink at the bottom; Epsom, suitably, is like a big horseshoe with one straight side; Goodwood resembles a bent hairpin, while Salisbury is like a straightened one; Hereford is almost a square while Carlisle is totally pear shaped.

Most UK race meets last between 1 and 3 days with the longest race meet being Ascot in June and Goodwood in July/August with both meetings carrying on over 5 days.

A Dictionary Of Horse Racing Terms – C – Part 2 is a post from: Sports Blogs | The People's Sports Network | Longestbaseballgame.org