Keiba glossary
競馬用語集
Words you will see in every issue. Learn these and you can read a Japanese race card.
毎号出てくる言葉たち。これを覚えれば、日本語の出馬表が読めるようになります。
- 競馬けいば · keiba
Horse racing.
- 重賞じゅうしょう · jūshō
A graded race: G1, G2 or G3. G1 is the top level.
- 出馬表しゅつばひょう · shutsuba-hyō
The race card: the list of runners, jockeys and weights.
- 枠順わくじゅん · wakujun
The draw: which gate each horse starts from.
- 馬番うまばん · umaban
The horse's number in the race.
- 斤量きんりょう · kinryō
The weight a horse carries, in kilograms, including the jockey.
- 騎手きしゅ · kishu
Jockey.
- 芝しば · shiba
Turf. The other surface is dirt (ダート).
- 直線ちょくせん · chokusen
The home straight, the final run to the finish.
- 逃げにげ · nige
Front-running: leading from the start.
- 先行せんこう · senkō
Racing just behind the leader.
- 差しさし · sashi
Coming from mid-pack with a late run.
- 追込おいこみ · oikomi
Closing from the back of the field.
- 馬身ばしん · bashin
A length: the unit for winning margins.
- ハナ差はなさ · hana-sa
A nose: the smallest winning margin.
- 人気にんき · ninki
Betting popularity. 1番人気 is the favourite.
- 単勝たんしょう · tanshō
A win bet.
- 複勝ふくしょう · fukushō
A place bet: the horse must finish in the top three.
- 穴馬あなうま · anauma
A longshot.
- 牡馬・牝馬・せん馬ぼば・ひんば・せんば · boba / hinba / senba
Male horse, female horse, and gelding. On a race card 牡3 means a three-year-old colt.