Horse racing glossary

Rope, form, unshod, probable payout: a race page is dense with jargon. Each word below describes what it means — never what you should do about it. ZeroStake is a fictional simulator, not staking advice.

25 terms

The musique (form figures)

The horse's latest races, the most recent on the left. The figure is its finishing position and the letter the discipline: a for harness, m for mounted trot, p for flat, h for hurdles, s for steeplechase. A 0 means “outside the top ten”, a D a disqualification.

The rope (corde)

The starting position, drawn at random. Rope 1 is the innermost on the track, so the shortest way round; higher ropes start further out.

Unshod (déferré)

The horse runs without shoes, on the front feet, the hind feet or all four. It gains lightness, but it is harder on its feet: it is a training choice.

Blinkers (œillères)

Cups placed on either side of the eyes that limit the horse's side vision to help it stay focused on the track.

A gelding (hongre)

A castrated male. Many racehorses are geldings: they are reputed to be more consistent from one run to the next.

A mare (femelle)

A female horse. Many races are reserved for them, where they face only other mares.

A male (mâle)

An entire male, not castrated.

The trainer's opinion

What the trainer says before the race about his horse's chances. It is a statement, not a tip — and it is not neutral.

Career earnings

The total the horse has earned since its debut, across all races. A marker of the level it has faced, not of its current form.

The prize money (allocation)

The race's purse: the sum shared among the first home. It gives an idea of the level of the race, not of anyone's chances.

The kilometre rate (réduction kilométrique)

A trotter's time brought back to one kilometre, written for example 1'14"5 (1 minute 14 seconds and 5 tenths). The smaller the figure, the faster the horse ran — but it depends on the track and the distance.

Going and penetrometer

The state of the ground, measured with a penetrometer: a rod let sink into the turf. The higher the value, the softer the ground. Some horses like firm ground, others heavy ground.

The handicap

A race where horses carry different weights (flat) or start further back (trot) according to their rating, to bring their chances closer. The best carry more or start further away.

Harness, mounted, flat, jumps

Harness (attelé): the trotter pulls a sulky. Mounted (monté): the trotter is ridden by a jockey. Flat (plat): a gallop race without obstacles. Hurdles, steeplechase, cross-country: galloping with obstacles.

Driver and jockey

The driver steers a trotter harnessed to its sulky; the jockey rides a galloper (or a mounted trotter). Same role: getting the horse to the finish.

The favourite

The horse with the lowest probable payout, the one the public has backed the most. It is a state of the market, not a result: a favourite does not win every time.

An outsider

A horse with a high payout, which the market sees as unlikely. When it wins, the payout is high — but it happens less often.

A non-runner (non-partant)

An entered horse that finally does not take the start (injury, going, withdrawal). It is removed from the field and its number disappears from the bets.

The probable payout (rapport probable)

What €1 staked on a horse would return, estimated by the PMU and updated until the off. Here your odds are fixed when you confirm: they will not change, even if the payout moves afterwards.

Pari mutuel (pool betting)

All stakes go into a common pool, shared among the winners. The payout therefore does not exist when you bet: it is computed after the race, according to the number of winners.

Simple gagnant and simple placé

Simple gagnant (win): the horse must finish first. Simple placé (place): it must finish in the top three (the top two in small fields). Place comes up more often, so it pays less.

The Couplé

Naming two horses. Couplé gagnant: they are the first two. Couplé placé: they are two horses among the first three.

Tiercé and Quarté+

Naming the first three (Tiercé) or four (Quarté+) of a race, in order or in any order. The more horses to find, the more the number of possible combinations explodes.

The Quinté+

The PMU's flagship bet: naming the first five of a race chosen each day, in order or in any order. The support race changes every day.

In order, in any order

In order: you must find the right horses AND their exact position. In any order: the right horses are enough, whatever their position. The first is much harder, so it pays more when it lands.

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