Greyhound Glossary

Across The Board - Three individual bets on one dog to Win, Place, and Show. If your dog wins, you collect on all three bets. If your dog runs second, you collect on Place and Show bets. If your dog runs third, you collect the Show bet. If your dog runs fourth, you fall to your knees and scream "Oh God, why hast thou cursed me?"

Advance wagering - Wagering in advance? Yes, but ALL wagers are done in advance, at least the legal ones. Advance wagers are placed on races later than the current race or in a future performance.

AGC - American Greyhound Council

AGTOA - American Greyhound Track Operators Association.

Backstretch - The part of the racetrack opposite the finish line.

Bertillon Card - A greyhound's identification card. It lists 56 physical identifying points for every registered greyhound. Every greyhound has a Bertillon number tattooed in its ear.

Blanket - A covering for a greyhound bearing a number and color corresponding to its post position.

Box - The starting box a greyhound is placed in at the starting line of a race.

Calls - The position of each greyhound at specific points on the track during a race.

Career Record - A greyhound's record for his career. Duh! Most tracks show it with five numbers that represent a greyhound's total number of starts, followed by first, second, third, and fourth place finishes.

Chart - A record of each race that shows the odds, calls, finish and chartwriter's comments describing each dog's performance. It's a great tool for handicappers to study a greyhound's past performance.

Course - Designates a race's distance. 5/16, 3/8 and 7/16 mile courses are the most common.

Daily Double - You select the winners of the first and second races. You must place your bet before the start of the first race. (No kidding, Einstein)

Dam - A greyhound's mommy.

Dead Heat - An exact tie at the finish line between two or more greyhounds. A potential nightmare for the mutuel department.

Escape Turn - The first turn after the front stretch. It's where dogs that want to escape the racing lifestyle go.

Exacta - A wager on the first two greyhounds to cross the finish line in exact order. (same as perfecta)

Far Turn - The racetrack's third turn.

Field - The number of entries, usually eight, in a race.

Forced out - A term describing when a greyhound is crowded to the outside by one or more opponents.

Front Stretch - The portion of the racetrack closest to the stands.

Grading system - Defines where a greyhound rates in comparison to other greyhounds at the track.

Infield - Area inside the oval track.

Interference - Intentional contact in which one dog obstructs or impedes the running of another greyhound. After an interference call, a greyhound must run in a non-wagering race before being allowed to compete again. Bad dog!

In the Money - A first, second or third place finish.

Kennel - The business that cares for and races the greyhounds. Similar to a stable in horse racing.

Leadout - A handler who parades racers in front of the public before a race and places the greyhounds in the starting box.

Length - A margin equal to the length of one greyhound. It denotes how far ahead or behind a greyhound is during certain points of the race and at the finish.

Lure - A mechanical device driven around the racing strip. It is kept a uniform distance ahead of the greyhounds. It's usually a stuffed object that looks like a bone or a rabbit. The greyhounds are trained to run after it. Every so often there's a mechanical failure and they catch it and it's goodbye lure!

Maiden - A greyhound that has yet to win an official race.

Mutuel Handle - The total amount of money wagered at one race, performance or full meeting. "The handle last night was $215,000. They were throwing their money at the sellers."

Muzzle - A device that is placed over the greyhound's mouth and jaws. It protects other greyhounds from getting bitten during the race. Some dogs don't like being passed! The white tip on the muzzle helps the judges in a photo finish.

NGA - National Greyhound Association.

Nose - The smallest margin of victory. Next smallest is head, followed by neck.

Paddock - The area where the greyhounds are kept prior to the race. This is where they will be weighed, identified and blanketed.

Pari-mutuel Wagering - Wagering system in which the track and other organizations take their shares of the wagering pool, with the remaining money being distributed to the winning bettors.

Perfecta - A wager on the first two greyhounds to cross the finish line in exact order. (same as exacta)

Photo Finish - A finish so close that judges must examine a photo to determine the correct placing of the dogs.

Place - A wagering term describing the second greyhound to cross the finish line. A wager for place means you collect if your dog finishes either first or second.

Post - A greyhound's post position or box number.

Post Parade - The time when the lead outs guide the greyhounds in front of the grandstand prior to a race for a blanket and muzzle inspection.

Post Time - The time a race is scheduled to be run. "It is now post time!"

Quiniela - A wager on the first two greyhounds to cross the finish line in either order. Some people spell it "quinella" but they're wrong, wrong, wrong!

Rail - The area in which the mechanical lure runs around the track.

Schooling Race - A practice race run under actual racing conditions, but with no wagering allowed.

Scratch - The withdrawing of a greyhound from a race's lineup. All wagers on the dog will be returned. Gee, that's swell of them to do that.

Show - The third greyhound across the finish line. A wager to show means you collect if your selected greyhound finishes either first, second or third. "Woo-hoo! I just won 80 cents!"

Sire - A greyhound's daddy.

Superfecta - A wager on the first four greyhounds to finish in an exact order. Good luck doing that! TIG has enough problems getting just the winner.

Takeout - The money taken from the betting pool by the track for the state, racing association, and any other groups that want to get their grubby hands on the money.

Tattoo - An identification number placed inside the greyhound's ear.

Totalisator Machine - A computer system that records wagers, prints tickets for bettors, calculates odds and displays them on screens.

Tote Board - A board, usually behind the racetrack's backstretch, that displays the odds, results, payoffs, etc. for each race.

Trifecta - A wager on the first three greyhounds to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.

Twin Trifecta - A multiple pool bet involving two trifecta selections in two races. You select the winning trifecta combination in one race and exchange that ticket for a second trifecta in the following race. One-half of the net Twin Trifecta pool will be paid equally to winners of the first half when those tickets are presented to be exchanged. The remaining half of the pool, along with any carry over will be to winners of the second half. If no one selects the second half correctly, the pool is carried over to the next racing performance. (And you thought the superfecta was hard!)

Wheel - A wager in which a greyhound is picked to win, place or show with every other greyhound in the race. "I wheeled the 3 in the perfecta in the 6th race. He got boxed in and never had a chance. Damn that 4 dog!"

Whelping - The act of giving birth.

Win - A wagering term describing the first greyhound across the finish line.

Winner's Circle - Where the winning greyhound goes following the race. In important races, there will be a presentation of some sort involving the dog and its owner.

Wire - The race's finish line