It’s been a busy week in the world of horse racing. One of the biggest headlines is the major change at Amo Racing: owner Kia Joorabchian has appointed Kevin Philippart de Foy as his new retained trainer, replacing Raphael Freire. It’s a bold move that could signal a fresh direction for the team but as always in racing, time will tell how this impacts results on the track.

Meanwhile, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has urgently called on the UK government to scrap the so-called “racing tax.” If no action is taken, the sport faces a potential £66 million blow to its finances. Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no economist, numbers aren’t really my thing but what I do know is that horse racing contributes significantly to the British economy, it affects owners, trainers, racing staff, bettors and even the racecourses themselves. If this tax doesn’t stop it may discourage trainers and owners from around the world from racing in the UK. It may also mean that some racecourses have to run less race days as they may not be able to afford it. The pressure is on for the government to recognise the wider impact of this tax.

In lighter news, yesterday (5th July) marked Coral-Eclipse Day at Sandown Park and the 150th anniversary of the race, no less. I had my money on the favourite Ombudsman, ridden by William Buick. The result? Ryan Moore took the win aboard Delacroix, with Ombudsman finishing a strong second.

Anyway back to the reason for this blog this week I’ll be explaining racing terms so that when you are at the races or watching on TV you understand what the commentators are saying without being confused. There are many terms involved with horse racing. These are just the terms that I think are most important for you to know. Some you might think are very obvious and other you may have never heard of but everyone is at different stages of how much they know about horse racing and that is ok. So without further ado here are some horse racing terms.

• A race is abandoned when bad weather forces the race meeting to be cancelled 
• An amateur jockey is some who rides unpaid 
• An apprentice jockey is someone under the age of 23 who is attached to a trainer for no less than 3 years 
• The birth date of every thoroughbred in the northern hemisphere is 1st January regardless of when they were born 
• The favourite is the horse with the shortest odds
• A horses form is how the horse performed in all its races to date
• A front runner is a horse that likes to lead from the front all the way 
• Races are measured in furlongs. A furlong is ⅛ of a mile anything below a mile is a sprint race. 
• The going is the state of the ground on the day at the racecourse. Every racehorse has a preferred ground.  There are 3 main categories
  • Firm is unyielding, dry ground (you can hear the hooves rattle)
  • Good is slightly yielding 
  • Soft is when the hooves will make a cut in the ground
  • All-weather is artificial turf 
• Some races are handicap races; this is where the horse is given a specific weight that it has to carry. This reflects its performance in previous runs 
• Hurdles are lighter or lower fences  
• A novice race is for 2 year olds which have not won more than twice 
• On the bridle is when the horse is running well and is moving up through the field 
• Off the bridle is when the horse is not running well and is dropping back through the field
• Off the pace is a horse who fails to keep up with the front runner 
• The paddock or parade ring is where the horses can be viewed for the first time close up by the punters
• A stayer is a horse with the stamina to complete the race
• Some horses are tongue-tied; this is when a horse has its tongue tied to its lower jaw to prevent the horse from swallowing its tongue while racing. This is stated on the racecard

These are the race terms that I believe are most important for enjoying a day at the races. I hope you found this blog educational and enjoyable. Happy racing.