The most over-used saying in horse racing?

[horses4courses]

Every time I hear a TV racing analyst comment during a post-race replay:

"The winner got the perfect trip"

I cringe. :bang:

Don't the vast majority of winning horses receive the perfect trip?

Granted, there are circumstances (fast early pace sets up a closer) that are tailor-made for the victors.
But every race?
Come on.......

The above saying gets my vote for the most worn-out cliche in racing.

How about some others?

[andymays]

I say "Oh Sh*t" quite a bit. :D

Ken R. on TVG drives me nuts every time he tells people to "pad their bankroll".

The thing about the replays they show is that they usually only show the top of the stretch to the wire.

I guess each host has their things. For a while there a lot of them used to comment about the gallop out after the wire. That was a fad.

[Robert Goren]

The horse had a lot of trouble last race.

[Hanover1]

Tough post (position)...............

[JustRalph]

how about "shit, he's gonna wire em"

I just said that one............ :bang:

[InsideThePylons-MW]

"I hate the favorite so I'm using all"

"The race is wide open...anybody can win....so I'm not betting"

2 over-used dumb sayings

[phatbastard]

how about from the idiot sitting next to you after mentioning half the field.....

''i told ya''...when one of them wins

[harness2008]

Pet peeve of mine is after a horse wins you hear the know it alls say "ya, he figured"

[affirmedny]

"It's tough to win from the rail in a sprint" - god I'm tired of that one

[RXB]

"MSW to MCL is the biggest class drop in racing"

I think Art Gropper says that every time he handicaps a MCL race for DRF.

Never mind that MSW-to-MCL now throws worse losses than random betting.

[Fager Fan]

"[Horse name] gave its life for our pleasure." Gag me. It's vomit-inducing to romanticize catastrophic break downs.

[Exotic1]

Good one.

Also, "he just ran a top, he'll bounce"

[wisconsin]

Two come to mind, and in the real scheme of things, they are often meaningless:

2nd start off the layoff (egad, even if the layoff comebacker was 36 days ago)

Bounce

[GaryG]

I'm looking for value in this race.....usually uttered by somebody like Hank Goldberg.

[ArlJim78]

"the all important third start off the layoff"

[bigmack]

They've got a lotta nerve calling this a hot dog.

[Rise Over Run]

They've got a lotta nerve calling this a hot dog.
:lol: :lol: :lol:

[BluegrassProf]

Most overused?

All variations of "I totally called it" from Gary Stevens after every damned race.

Like fingernails on chalkboards. :bang:

[thaskalos]

"The __ horse is the lone speed."

[point given]

The horse will tell us when he's ready. 2009 guess who.

[dav4463]

This horse is an overlay. (basing it off m/l odds)

[JustRalph]

They've got a lotta nerve calling this a hot dog.


now that one was good.... :lol:

[rastajenk]

2nd start off the layoff (egad, even if the layoff comebacker was 36 days ago)
"He needed a race."

[Stillriledup]

I cringe when analysts talk about random breeding and use that to A) sound smart, like pedigree experts and B) justify why a horse will win or race well.

Matt C does this a lot...he'll be talking about his pick and he'll toss in there "well ,this horse is by country bumpkin out of a unabomber mare which mean's he will LOVE the turf"

Stop using the breeding line as justification for making a pick. The breeding only matters if its a race with first time starters and you have nothing else to go on. Most races have established past performances, use them instead.

[big frank]

Mr B and others calling EVERY horse """ a little horse '' He probably called Big Red a little horse

[Stillriledup]

I also cringe when i hear a track announcer giving the track conditions and instead of just saying the 'plastic' track is fast and the turf is firm, he'll say "the plastic track is always perfect"

Just say fast and firm, no need to shill for the plastic nazis.

[LottaKash]

"Next Week".........

The horse is a "Lock".......

best,

[Valuist]

The most overused phrase has to be "good betting race" in which the favorite is very lukewarm at 3-1 or 7-2. This is not a race where there is value all over the board. The TRUE best betting races are when the heavy favorite is phony, or way overbet, forcing value elsewhere on the board.

[pandy]

It kind of reminds me of baseball announcers, every time a guy hit a homerun they say the pitch was "right down the middle." At least half of the time the pitch was not right down the middle but was actually a decent pitch, for some reason they don't think that major league players can hit.

[gillenr]

I hate "construct a ticket". I try to select the winner - not build an outhouse to flush my money down.

[Wickel]

I get annoyed when someone says "he was in front a couple of strides past the finish line" or he went by him on the gallup out." Doesn't mean a thing. A little too much too late.

[KingChas]

"He needed a race."

Have to agree,usually a post race comment.
Of course at our expense.......... :D

[KingChas]

The most over-used saying in American horse racing?

Today's races are off the turf....!!!!! :mad:

[Fager Fan]

I get annoyed when someone says "he was in front a couple of strides past the finish line" or he went by him on the gallup out." Doesn't mean a thing. A little too much too late.

Good ones. I agree.

That reminds me of everyone who thinks "he can run forever" just because he's a closer. These people are unfamiliar with the fact that sprinters can be closers.

[eastie]

" Little Andy liked the winner."

[johnhannibalsmith]

"...the way this horse closes sprinting, he's gonna love the stretch out..."

[Market Mover]

"from flagfall to that's all...."...WTF! Is there a flag dropped that i missed?

[WinterTriangle]

"The best horse won"

[ManeMediaMogul]

"from flagfall to that's all...."...WTF! Is there a flag dropped that i missed?

A lot of tracks have dropped the flagman in cost cutting measures but there is supposed to be a guy who flags the horses when they hit the first pole after the run-up so the official clocker can time the race more effectively. (Usually races from backstretch starts and out of chutes.)

[bitter]

"a couple more strides and he would have had'm"


"look at the back-class/trainer of that horse, we should have had'm"

[eastie]

"from flagfall to that's all...."...WTF! Is there a flag dropped that i missed?


as a matter of fact there is a flag fall. It's called the timer's flag. After the runup, the flag is waved and the race time officially starts. Get out and go to the track for change and you can watch it in person.

[Hard2Like]

Every talking head I have the misfortune of hearing


"This horse has got a real shot in this race."

[mikeb]

"Back to the drawing board"

[46zilzal]

I get annoyed when someone says "he was in front a couple of strides past the finish line" or he went by him on the gallup out." Doesn't mean a thing. A little too much too late.
The most OVERUSED WORD is "issue."

People latch onto a word and lose the ability to think of synonyms as you often hear this catch phrase ten to 15 times in a short talk.....

[5k-claim]

I don't usually mind when a friend gets excited about a winning bet and gives a few details about their ticket (unless they are winning too much and I am just jealous), but losing tickets are another matter. I sometimes get a kick out of listening to these, but not usually:


I was alive in the [multi-race wager] until....
I almost hit the [wager]!
Look right here! I had the [program no.] on top of the [program no.] and the [program no.]...

[joanied]

Sorry, but I am going to repeat what Winter T said...because mine is the same:
"The best horse won" :faint:

[open_question]

Imho, the most overused phrase in racing is the same one that's overused in most sports rhetoric, and racing broadcasters aren't the only ones who overuse it:

"that's what it's all about"

winning the big race -- "that's what it's all about"
trying again after losing the big race -- "that's what it's all about"
respecting fashionable and/or commercial breeding -- "that's what it's all about"
respecting outcross and/or noncommercial breeding -- "that's what it's all about"
betting on the so-called speed of the speed -- "that's what it's all about"
betting on the so-called stone cold closer -- "that's what it's all about"
believing in one's handicapping methods after a winning day -- "that's what it's all about"
believing in one's handicapping methods after a losing day -- "that's what it's all about"
supporting the bigger tracks -- "that's what it's all about"
supporting the smaller tracks -- "that's what it's all about"

Examples go on and on.

Other overused phrases in sports rhetoric include "at the end of the day...," "the thing is...," "when all is said and done...," "bottom line is...," etc. Racing connections and analysts can't seem to have a conversation without uttering these phrases multiple times.

The redundancy of these phrases demonstrates the difficulty of finding words to express things in fresh and novel ways (or of simply shutting the heck up). As the philosopher Martin Heidegger observed (and I paraphrase), "Tired old language is available to anyone at any time."

So saying, I should probably shut the heck up :)

[Dan Montilion]

I shoulda

[phatbastard]

''I shoulda''



guilty as charged:(

[Bruddah]

But, I like the sound of it and have for over 45 years of racing.

And their OFF!!

By the way, I can't stand, And away they go.

[Cardus]

"NYRA is corrupt."

"NYRA stinks."

"Why can't NYRA..."

"Why doesn't NYRA..."

[Deepsix]

Back in days of yore (the '60's) there was a TV program called Stoney Burke. It was about a rodeo cowboy competing in bronc riding. In each episode, as he sat in the chute, when he was ready to go he'd nod his head and say "outside". The gate would swing open and ...... You get the idea.

I always thought a good call at the start, as the gates spring and the horses bolt, would be "There Outside". (then the caller picks up the normal stuff).

Well, I like it. <smile>

[cj's dad]

"stop the race" !!! as they're only 1/2 way around the track.

No, the race has to go to the finish line you idiot !!

[broadreach]

"it's a lock"

[098poi]

I don't know if this is overused but I read it enough to make my eyes roll.

"When I first started going to the track there was this "older" guy who took me under his wing. He had a ruler, a black magic marker and a red magic marker. He'd make lines all over the form and when the red line crossed the black one it was a play. I saw him make quite a few big scores that way and when he lost he just shrugged it off! " :rolleyes:

You get the idea.

[Stillriledup]

The most overused phrase has to be "good betting race" in which the favorite is very lukewarm at 3-1 or 7-2. This is not a race where there is value all over the board. The TRUE best betting races are when the heavy favorite is phony, or way overbet, forcing value elsewhere on the board.

I agree with this. To me, a good betting race is a race where i have the winner...not a race where the favorite is 7-2 and anyone can win.