How to: Talk the talk when you're on course - Part 3 14

Make sure you know what you’re talking about when you’re on course.

Here are a few more terms to get you up to speed.

STAKES: The sums of money deposited or guaranteed by the parties to bet, or the amount of prize money available to placed runners in a race.

STAYER: A horse that has the endurance to race well over long distances.

STEWARD or STIPENDIARY STEWARDS: The people who control the day’s racing by ensuring that every runner competes on its merits and imposing penalties for any breach of the rules of racing.

STRAIGHT: From the home turn to the winning post.

STRAPPER: Person, who assists the trainer, cares for the horse or helps to put on its equipment. Also known as an attendant.

TOTALISATOR: All bets are placed into a pool, and dividends are paid by dividing the final pool by the amount invested on the winner, less a fixed percentage.

WEIGH-IN: After each race, jockeys, their saddles and any additional weight they needed to carry are weighed in to ensure they complied with the set handicap.