Dictionary

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Maiden

A horse which has not previously won a race.

Make Up

This is the value of an index which reflects the results of an event on which you had placed a spreadbet.

Making the Point

In the game of craps, where the dice thrown by the shooter is sum to the same number (other than 7, 11, 2, 3, or 12) which was thrown on the initial come out roll.

Mix

Similar to a yankee except there are double the stakes on the fourfold. Four selections in four different races comprising six doubles, four trebles and a double staked fourfold. It is 11 bets but as the fourfold is double staked, the unit stake should be multiplied by 12 for win bets and 24 for each way bets.

Monkey

A stake of £500.

Morning Glory

A horse which impresses on the home gallops but fails to show the same form on the race course.

Morning Line

Prices advertised on the morning of a horse race, also called early doors and early-bird prices.

Nap

The best bet of the day (the name is borrowed from a card game in honour of Napoleon III).

Non-Trier

A horse which is prevented from running to its full potential in order to disguise its true ability.

Novice

A horse running its first race.

Nursery

A handicap race for two-year olds only.

Odds

A way of expressing the probability of an outcome - or a distortion of the actual probability, adjusted to build in a margin for the bookmaker. Odds are closely related to fractions.

Odds Against

Where you are betting a lower stake than the bookmaker; e.g. 2/1.

Odds On

Where you must stake a higher amount than the bookmaker; e.g. 10/11.

Off Course Betting

Where you can bet in credit offices and betting shops.

Official Handicapper

A group of officials who assess the weights of horses as a mark of their ability. These ratings are used to decide what weights horses carry in handicap races.

On Course Betting

Betting at the race course.

Outsider

A horse with little chance of winning.

Overround

The extent to which the odds expressed as percentage probabilities, for all the horses in a race, add up to more than 100 per cent. The excess over 100 per cent - the overround - provides the bookmaker with his earnings.