Box bet
When placing common bets such as exacta, trifecta or superfecta you can box your numbers. This allows for the horses you chose to run 1st, 2nd in any order. They just must be in top position, the order is not particular for you to be a winner.

Bullet work
All morning workouts are officially timed and to have a bullet or black letter work means that for a particular distance that horse recorded the fastest time.

Carryover
When there is no unique ticket for an exotic bet such as Pick 5. The money that was bet into that specific pool is then a “carry-over” to the next live race day and the potential winnings continue to grow.

Clubhouse turn
Named for its proximity to the clubhouse (grandstand and restaurant) this turn marks where the competing horses have a half mile left to run. Excluding marathon race series.

Entries
Submission by trainers for eligible horses to run. Entries are taken 48-72hrs prior to each live race day. 

Exotic bets
The betting types choosing more than one horse. Examples of these types of bets are Daily double, where you must have the winner out of two separate races picked correctly. Pick 5 or 6 is where you must have the winner from 5 or 6 consecutive races. Superfecta is the top 4 horses in any one race, typically offered in fields over 8 horses.

Front runner
A horse that prefers to get an early lead and does not look back. Typically, these hoses are ridden aggressively from the gate and tend to like to be left alone on the lead to be victorious.

Handicap
To handicap a race, you are essentially studying the horses’ past performances, morning works, pedigree, as well looking to see just how the race will set up studying all horses on the race that day.

Handle
The total amount of money wagered. It is broken down between for each wager as well as a daily review of the total amount wagered.

Inquiry
Stewards, Jockeys, and trainers are granted the ability to call an inquiry. Most common causes, if they feel a horse in the race was interfered with, given an unfair start, caused to alter course or a rider is unseated.

Odds
The betting odds are determined by how much is bet on each horse. The morning line odds are set based on the horse’s previous performance and projected by a racing official.

Pedigree
The horses’ bloodlines. We refer to the dad as the sire and who the horse is “by”. The mom is known as the mare and who, in racing terms, the horse is “out of”. 

Pick 5
This bet is hard to win but can potentially be a nice payout. To win big, you must be the only unique ticket to have the winner of 5 consecutive races. Typically this bet starts in race #3 ending with the final race, race #7.

Post
The approximate start time to each race. Once the track announcer calls “they are at the post” all parimutuel wagers must have been completed in and the horses are standing at the gate awaiting the start of the race.  

Purse
Each race has a designated purse. The purse is the amount the horses are eligible to win. The purse or money is divided amongst the top finishers with 60% of the total purse going to the winning horse.

Scratch
A horse can be removed from the race for multiple reasons. There are two common types of scratches. A vet scratch which can occur early in the morning during pre-race examination or if something is to go astray leading up to the starters call to post. The other common one is a steward’s scratch made by the officials.