Here’s Lingo That Comes Straight From the Horseman’s Mouth

For non-racing fans who want to watch today’s Belmont Stakes horse race because of Charismatic’s bid for a Triple Crown, but may shy away because some of the sport’s terms are foreign, remember:

* A stakes race is not how fast you cook the meat on the grill.

* An exacta is not a sharp knife used in art design.

* Furlong is not the opposite of for short.

Here, for your watching and enjoyment, is an introduction to some of the terms of the track. For those of you who follow racing closely, turn to the baseball pages.

FURLONG--One measurement used in race distances. An eighth of a mile.

CLAIMING RACE--One in which horses are entered to be purchased at a designated price. Charismatic was put in claiming races twice. Had somebody with a license to do so at the track (in other words, not just somebody off the street), put a form in a box up to 10 minutes before the race, that person would now own a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, assuming he ran him in those races. If more than one person claims a horse, the new owner is decided by lot. If a claimed horse breaks down before he or she finishes, it is the responsibility of the person who put the claim slip in the box. The previous owners not only get the claiming money (usually between $8,000 and $100,000 on a major racing circuit, depending on the quality of the horses) but also any purse won by the horse in the race.

BREAKING A MAIDEN--Refers to a horse’s first victory.

COLT--A male horse up to and including 4-year-olds. From age 5 on, a colt becomes a horse. When a horse is retired to stud, he becomes a stallion. He is designated a sire only when his first baby is born.

FILLY--A female horse not older than 4. At age 5, the filly becomes a mare, then a broodmare when she is ready to have babies, and then a dam when she delivers her first baby.

GELDING--A castrated male. Colts or horses are castrated for two reasons: Because their testicles are too big to allow them to run comfortably or to calm them down.

TWINS--Thoroughbred twins are almost never born. When twins develop in the uterus, breeders almost always determine which fetus is larger and stronger and abort the weaker one so that the survivor has a chance to race.

HORSE AGE--Each horse’s birthday is listed as Jan. 1 of the year it was born. For instance, a horse born March 5, 1998, became a year old Jan. 1, 1999. The period for horse breeding usually lasts from mid-February until early May. The gestation period for horses is 11 months. The ideal time for a horse to be born is days after the first of the year, giving it additional development time over those born in March or April. Charismatic, for example, was born in March, fairly normal but a few months late for being ideal. In the rare instance that a horse is born just before Jan. 1--even a few days before--that horse will be considered a yearling on Jan. 1.

STAKES RACES--These are divided into Grades I, II and III. The biggest races, the most lucrative, are almost always Grade I. The levels are determined by a committee of racing officials. The key element is that horses winning Grade I races are usually worth much more when it comes to breeding prices.

PARIMUTUEL BETTING--A system in which people bet against each other, not the track. The money bet goes into a pool. An estimated 80 cents of every $1 bet goes to bettors. If you lose, most of your money is going to somebody who picked the right horses. Off the top, however, usually comes a total of about 20% split up by the state, the track and the horsemen for the purses.

ODDS--The only way to handle this is with an example: On a $2 bet to win with 2-1 odds, the bettor would get back $6, representing his original $2, plus 2 times 2 or $4 profit. The place and show pools, second and third place, have no direct connection to the win odds, but are figured from separate pools for place and show bets.

EXACTA--A bet on the first two horses, in order of finish. Box it and you have bets in either order, but you pay twice as much for the bet.

TRIFECTA--Same as exacta, but with three horses.

DAILY DOUBLE--Traditionally, picking the winner of the first two races on the card.

TIMES--There is a dispute among racing aficionados whether to list times in fractions or in hundredths. The Racing Form, the sport’s bible, still carries times in fractions, as in 1 minute, 59 1/5 seconds. But tracks and other reporting agencies have gone to hundredths, because it is more precise.

TURNS--There are only two on a racetrack, not four as some assume. Horses first reach the clubhouse turn, which leads to the backstretch, then come to the far turn, which leads to the home stretch.

CHANGING LEADS--Horses usually leave the gate with their right front foot leading. Then, they usually change leads, or start running with a left front lead, at the first turn. Usually, they will change leads a couple of more times before they finish. This changing allows them to even out the weight of racing on their bodies. Spectacular Bid had an injured foot in the 1979 Belmont, and in his bid for a Triple Crown, tried to go the whole race without changing leads. Many think that’s why he lost. Alydar never changed leads, and many of his offspring have inherited that form.

POST POSITION--The spot in the gate from which the horse starts. Many assume the No. 1 spot, closest to the rail, is best, because the horse would run the shortest distance if it went all the way around in that lane. However, there are factors in racing that don’t always make a start from the No. 1 post position or running along the rail advantageous.

PADDOCK--The pre-race saddling area, where final instructions are given from trainers to jockeys.

*

Stat of the day: Since the last Triple Crown was won by Affirmed in 1978, about 800,000 thoroughbreds--about 40,000 a year--have been born and eligible for a shot at winning racing’s three jewels. Seven, including Charismatic with his shot today, have won the first two: The others are Spectacular Bid, Sunday Silence, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, Pleasant Colony and Alysheba.

Times staff writer Bill Christine contributed to this story.