Horse racing is a very popular spectator sport in the UK and Ireland, and has a very long history. There are currently about sixty race-courses in the UK, with two or three meetings happening on any given day. People don't of course watch the 'gee-gees' out of a simple love of animals, but because it involves betting on the horses, in other words gambling. If you walk into a 'bookies' (bookmakers shop) in the UK, the screens will be dominated by horse racing.
Horse racing, and more particularly the betting associated with it, has given a lot of idioms to the English language, especially in the areas of probability, risk and competition. They are therefore used a lot in business. Let's take a look.
Racecard - Erewhon 14.30 'Happy Humbugs' Handicap Hurdle
| No. | Name of horse | Form | Weight | Bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fine and dandy | 2351-52 | 11-4 | 3/1 |
| 2 | Finnegan’s Wake | 2/61-P31 | 10-14 | 4/1 |
| 3 | Lucky Blighter | 122121 | 11-10 | 3/5 |
| 4 | Captain Bennett | PP-4286 | 10-6 | 25/1 |
| 5 | Greased lightning | 167723 | 11-0 | 4/1 |
This is an (invented) racecard typical of those you will find on the website of a racing newspaper such as the Racing Post or the Sporting Life, although I've left out certain information such as the names of the jockey, trainer and the owner. The first thing we are going to look at is the bets column on the right.
