Epsom Derby jargon buster

Don't get bamboozled on a day at the races - use our A-Z jargon buster to help you understand the lingo.

Presenting the letter B . . .

Backed
When a bookmaker takes a lot of money on one particular runner, it is said that it has been heavily backed.

Back end
The last few weeks of the Flat or jumps racing season.

Backward
Describes a horse that is immature or not fully fit.

Bad doer
Horse with poor appetite.

Bandage
Strips of cloth wound around the lower part of a horse's legs for support or protection against injury.

Banker
A selection that is fancied strongly by a punter or tipster. Will often be the cornerstone of combination bets.

Bar
A term used in connection with bookmakers' prices. e.g. '6-1 bar two' means that you can obtain at least 6-1 about any horse barthe first two in betting, and '10-1 bar three' means at least 10-1 about any horse bar the first three in betting.

Kauto Star: has a blaze

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos) 

Bay (horse colour)
Deep reddish-brown coloured horse. Has black mane/tail and legs.

Bearing in/out
Deviating from a straight course. May be due to tiredness, injury, whip use by rider or rider's inability to control mount. Also known as lugging in/out.

Below the distance
Denotes that the horses are inside the final 240 yards of a race and are nearing the furlong pole. See 'Distance, the'.

Best-price percentage
The best-price percentage figure at the bottom of Racing Post odds tables calculates the percentage in favour of the bookmaker - the more the figure is above 100%, the more the odds are in the bookmaker's favour. Very occasionally, the percentage will drop below 100%, which means the odds arein the punter's favour.

Bet
Prediction of the result of a race or other sporting event, accompanied by a money stake. Also known as a wager. The Royal Commission in 1933 described a bet as "a promise to give money or monies worth upon the determination of an uncertain or unascertained event in a particular way. It may involve the exercise of skill or judgement."

Betting market
A market is created, according to demand, by the prices offered for each runner by bookmakers.

Bismarck
Term used to describe a favourite that bookmakers expect to lose (be 'sunk') and are therefore happy to lay.

Bit
The part of the bridle that a horse holds in its mouth and by which it is guided and controlled.

Bit, on/off the
When a horse is described as being on the bit, it is moving easily. When it is off the bit, it is moving less easily and may be struggling to keep up.

Black (horse colour)
Body, head muzzle, flanks and legs are covered with uniform black hair.

Black type
In a sales catalogue, a horse that has won or been placed in a Pattern/Listed race is distinguished by being printed in black type. When a horse is said to be ‘going for black type' it means it is attempting to win or be placed in a Pattern/Listed race.

Blaze
A white patch on a horse's face.

Bleeder
A horse that tends to break blood vessels during a race.

Blinds
Another name for blinkers.

Blinkers: a form of headgear

  PICTURE: Getty Images  

Blinkers
A form of headgear that consists of a hood with eye cups that are fitted over a horse’s head. Limit a horse’s vision and reduce distractions, with the aim of concentrating its mind on racing. Sometimes called 'blinds'. A horse wearing blinkers is denoted on a racecard by a small b next to the horse’s weight (b1 indicates that the horse is wearing blinkers in a race for the first time).

Bloodstock sales
The selling of horses at auction.

Blower
Colloquial term for racecourse commentary transmission to betting shops.

Blown up
When a horse stars to drop out of contention during a race due to lack of fitness.

Blowout
A short workout, usually a day or two before a race, designed to sharpen a horse's speed.

Board prices
The generally available odds displayed on the boards of on-course bookmakers. It is from these that the starting price (SP) is derived. 'Taking the board price' means taking the last price shown against your selection at the time you strike the bet.

Book
A record of the bets made on a particular race or other sporting event. A bookmaker ‘makes a book’ by determining the likelihood of each possible outcome in a race andpresenting this in the form of odds or prices. The book is adjusted according to the amount of money and bets struck on each possible outcome.

Bookie's runner
A person who works for a bookmaker on course.

Bookmaker
A person/company licensed to accept bets. Also known as a bookie.

Bottle
The tic-tac term for 2-1.

Boxed in
A horse that cannot overtake another horse because it is blocked by other horses.

Boxwalker
A horse that constantly walks around its stable.

Break (a horse)
Training a young horse to adapt to racing equipment and methods, and to carry a rider.

Breather
Restraining or easing off on a horse for a short distance in a race to permit him to conserve or renew strength.

Breeder
Owner of dam at time foal is born.

Breeze
Working a horse at a moderate speed.

Breeze-Up
Type of auction, usually for two-year-olds, at which the horses for sale run for a short distance to allow prospective buyers to assess them.

Bridle
An apparatus on a horse’s head used to control it.

Bridle, won on the
Won easily, without being hard ridden.

Broken down
When a horse sustains an injury during a race.

Broodmare
Mare kept at stud for breeding, and not usually raced, although likely to have done so when younger.

Brought down
A horse that falls due to being impeded by another horse.

Brown (horse colour)
Can be difficult to distinguish from black or dark bay. A brown horse usually has finer tan or brown hairs on the muzzles or flanks.

Bumper
A Flat race run under National Hunt rules, used to educate young prospective jumps horses before they tackle hurdles or fences. Officially called National Hunt Flat Race.

Bumping and boring
Interference in which one horse collides with another during a race.

Burlington Bertie
The tic-tac term for 100-30.