Glossary of Australian and New Zealand Punting - H

H

• h.: An abbreviation for a horse (stallion), as it appears in race books, pedigrees and stud books.
• Had something on the winner: Understatement of a punter who may have bankrupted a couple of bookies.
• Hairy-goat: A racehorse that has performed badly.
• Half-brother, half-sister: Horses out of the same dam but by different sires. It does not apply to horses by the same sire.
• Ham: As in 'What a Ham'. Term used for a horse that has been in a good paddock/looks a little large around the edges.
• Hand: Unit of measure (equals 4 inches) of a horse’s height. Thoroughbreds typically range from 15 to 17 hands. The measurement is taken from the ground to the horse's withers - the point where the neck meets the back.
• Handicap: A class of race for which the official handicapper assigns the weight each horse has to carry.
• Handicapper: The racing official who assigns the weights to be carried by horses in handicap races.
• Hang: To veer away from a straight course during a race.
• Hard earned: Money.
• Head: A margin between horses. One horse leading another by the length of his head.
• Headquarters: In Victoria, Flemington Racecourse is known as headquarters.
• The Heath: The nickname for Caulfield Racecourse.
• Hold all tickets: Announcement by the Stewards that no bets can be settled until certain aspects of the race have been investigated.
• Hoop: Jockey.
• Horse: An entire male horse of four years of age or more.
• Hot Pot: The race favourite.