Greyhound Racing Terminology Glossary

Speaking the Language

Greyhound racing has its own vocabulary. Racecards, form databases, commentaries, and betting markets all use terms and abbreviations that are second nature to regulars but impenetrable to newcomers. This glossary is a reference guide to the language of the sport, covering the terminology you will encounter when studying form, placing bets, and following the racing at Kinsley and other UK tracks. The entries are grouped alphabetically for ease of reference.

Look up all greyhound racing terms on the kinsleydogresults homepage.

A to F

Accumulator (Acca) — A bet combining multiple selections where all must win. The odds multiply across each leg, producing large potential returns but low probability of success.

ARC — Arena Racing Company, the largest operator of greyhound and horse racing venues in the UK. ARC manages five greyhound stadia and represents the media rights of fourteen tracks through Premier Greyhound Racing, including Kinsley.

Baulked (Blk) — Race comment indicating a dog was physically blocked by another runner, forcing it to stop or check sharply. The most severe form of in-running interference.

Bumped (Bmp) — Race comment indicating physical contact between two dogs during the race, causing one or both to lose momentum.

Calculated Time — The finishing time adjusted for track conditions using the going allowance. Calculated time removes the effect of fast or slow going, allowing form comparisons across different meetings.

Checked (Ck) — Race comment indicating a dog was forced to shorten its stride or change direction due to another runner. Less severe than baulked but more significant than crowded.

Computer Straight Forecast (CSF) — The official dividend for a forecast bet, calculated after the race based on the starting prices of the first two finishers.

Computer Tricast (CT) — The official dividend for a tricast bet, calculated after the race based on the starting prices of the first three finishers.

Crowded (Crd) — Race comment indicating a dog was squeezed by other runners, losing some momentum. The mildest form of in-running interference.

Dead Heat — When two or more dogs cross the finishing line simultaneously, the race is declared a dead heat and payouts are divided proportionally.

Decimal Odds — Odds format showing total return per unit staked, including the stake. A price of 4.00 means a one-pound bet returns four pounds total.

Double — A multiple bet combining two selections, both of which must win.

Each Way (EW) — A bet split into two equal parts: one on the dog to win, one on it to place (finish first or second in a six-runner race). The place part pays at a fraction of the win odds.

Early Pace (EP) — Race comment indicating a dog showed good speed in the opening phase of the race, typically reaching the first bend in a prominent position.

Evens (EVS) — Odds of 1/1 in fractional format or 2.00 in decimal. A winning bet at evens returns double the stake.

Forecast — A bet requiring you to name the first two finishers. A straight forecast specifies the exact order; a reverse forecast covers both possible orders.

Fractional Odds — The traditional UK odds format expressed as a fraction (e.g. 5/1, 7/2). The first number represents profit relative to the stake represented by the second number.

G to N

GBGB — Greyhound Board of Great Britain, the governing body for licensed greyhound racing in England, Scotland, and Wales. Responsible for regulation, welfare, licensing, and the grading system.

Going — The condition of the track surface on a given race night. Described numerically through the going allowance rather than with verbal descriptions as in horse racing.

Going Allowance — A numerical value in seconds, published before each meeting, that quantifies how much faster or slower the track is running compared to its standard baseline. A positive value indicates slow going; a negative value indicates fast going.

Grade — The competitive level assigned to a dog by the racing manager. Grades use a letter-and-number system (A1 being the highest standard grade, A10 or similar the lowest). Dogs are promoted after wins and relegated after sustained poor results.

Grader / Racing Manager — The official at each track responsible for assigning dogs to races, managing grades, and overseeing the race programme.

Hare — The mechanical lure that the dogs chase around the track. At Kinsley, the Swaffham McGee hare system is used. The hare’s speed and distance ahead of the field are controlled by an operator.

Kennel — The trainer’s facility where dogs are housed, exercised, and prepared for racing. Also used colloquially to refer to the trainer’s string of dogs.

Lucky 15 — A full-cover bet on four selections comprising four singles, six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator — fifteen bets in total.

Match Bet — A special market pitting two specific dogs against each other, settled on which finishes ahead regardless of the overall race result.

Middle (Mid) — Race comment or running-style indicator meaning the dog ran in the centre of the track.

Missed Break (MssBrk) — Race comment indicating a dog was very slow leaving the traps, conceding significant early ground.

Non-Runner — A dog withdrawn from a race before it takes place. Bets on non-runners are typically refunded.

O to Z

Odds-On — A price shorter than evens (below 2.00 decimal), meaning the potential profit is less than the stake. The market considers the dog more likely to win than lose.

Open Race — A race not restricted by grade, allowing dogs of varying ability to compete. Open races include feature events and invitation races.

Overround — The bookmaker’s built-in margin, calculated by summing the implied probabilities of all runners. A total above 100 per cent represents the bookmaker’s profit margin.

Place — Finishing in one of the designated positions for each way payouts. In a standard six-runner greyhound race, the places are first and second.

Quick Away (QAw) — Race comment indicating the dog left the traps sharply and gained an early positional advantage.

Rails (Rls) — Race comment or running-style indicator meaning the dog ran close to the inside rail, covering the shortest possible distance around the bends.

Ran On (RnOn) — Race comment indicating the dog was finishing strongly, gaining ground in the closing stages of the race.

Ran Wide (RnW) — Race comment indicating the dog took a wide line through one or more bends, covering extra ground.

Reserve — A dog available to replace a non-runner. The reserve inherits the withdrawn dog’s trap number and starting position.

Sectional Time (Split Time) — The time recorded when the dogs pass the finishing line for the first time during the race, measuring the speed of the opening phase.

Set Weight — The reference weight established for each greyhound during its early career. The racing manager uses it to assess whether a dog’s current weight is within acceptable racing parameters.

SIS — Sports Information Services, the primary provider of live racing content to UK bookmakers and betting shops.

Slow Away (SAw) — Race comment indicating the dog was sluggish leaving the traps, losing ground at the start.

SP (Starting Price) — The odds on a dog at the moment the race begins, determined by market activity. Bettors who do not take an early price are settled at SP.

Tired (Trd) — Race comment indicating the dog faded in the closing stages after holding a prominent early position.

Trap — The starting box from which a dog begins the race. Numbered one (innermost) to six (outermost) at UK tracks.

Trap Challenge — A special bet on which trap number will produce the most winners across an entire meeting.

Treble — A multiple bet combining three selections, all of which must win.

Trial — A non-competitive run at the track, used to assess a dog’s fitness, familiarise it with the venue, or re-grade it after a layoff.

Tricast — A bet requiring you to name the first three finishers in the correct order. Combination tricasts cover all possible orders of three selected dogs.

Wide (W) — Running-style indicator meaning the dog habitually takes a wider line through the bends, covering more ground but avoiding congestion on the rail.

Yankee — A full-cover bet on four selections comprising six doubles, four trebles, and one four-fold accumulator — eleven bets in total.

Words Into Winners

A glossary is a reference tool, not a form guide. Knowing what “Crd1” means is the starting point. Knowing how to use that information — how crowding at the first bend affected the dog’s finishing position, whether it is likely to recur, and what it implies for the next race — is where the analysis begins. Every term in this glossary connects to a broader concept explored elsewhere in this series. The sectional time entry leads to the article on split-time analysis. The going allowance entry connects to calculated times and track conditions. The grade entry opens the door to the grading system and its betting implications.

Language is the gateway to understanding. A punter who picks up a racecard and cannot read the abbreviations is locked out of the form before they begin. A punter who can decode every comment, identify every running-style code, and interpret every grade prefix is reading the same card with significantly more information. The dogs have not changed. The data has not changed. The difference is entirely in what the reader can extract from the page.

Apply your knowledge when reading racecards in read kinsley racecards.

Use this glossary as a quick reference when an unfamiliar term appears on a racecard or in a form database. Over time, the abbreviations will become automatic — you will read “QAw, EP, Crd1, RnOn, 3rd” and see the race unfold in your mind without needing to look anything up. That fluency is the point. The language stops being a barrier and starts being a lens, and through that lens the form book reveals things that the casual observer will never see.