It’s a Horse Race: Presidential Racing Phrases

Pop Culture
Voters line up in 2008 to vote in the Presidential election, which was won by Barack Obama (WikiMedia Commons/F Delventhal )

The race is on, and the finish line is almost here. This year’s U.S. presidential race is hotly contested, and like any horse race it is rife with speculation and interesting language. What you may not realize is just how many terms used during this year’s election cycle originated in one of America’s oldest pastimes: horse racing.

Here you’ll find 11 terms that left the gate firmly entrenched in horse racing vernacular, but strayed from the course and are now often used during election season.

Longshot – A term used to describe a horse with little chance of winning that is now used to describe any such horse, human, team or other entity.

Dark horse – Originating in a novel about a horse race, a dark horse is one who isn’t expected to win, whether in horse racing or political races.

Front runner – A front runner is a horse that runs along at the front of the field during a horse race, often setting the pace. It’s now often used to describe a politician that leads in the polls.

Down to the wire – This term was originally used to describe a horse race that was very close until the competitors reached the finish line, which is literally a wire strung over the track at that spot. It’s now frequently used to describe any kind of contest, political or otherwise, that’s tight until the very end.

American Pharoah, a front runner who often won hands down. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Hands down – Nearly the opposite of “down to the wire,” “hands down” originated when describing a horse that wins so easily his jockey doesn’t have to urge him on, which becomes evident when the jockey relaxes his hands from their customary stretch drive position high on a horse’s neck. It’s still used to describe an easy winner in many contexts.

Homestretch – The homestretch is the straight part of a racetrack after the final turn, ending with the finish line. Horses run their hardest during this part of the race just before the finish, similar to presidential candidates during the fall of an election year.

Neck-and-neck – This term describes racehorses that run side by side, locked in a tight race. It also has been used to describe many close presidential races.

Horse race – A horse race is, obviously, when two or more horses compete to see which is faster. In politics or other human endeavors it often means an uncertain or close contest.

“To vet” or “vetted” – The term “to vet” refers to when a veterinarian examines a horse to be sure it is healthy and ready to race, or when a vet examines a horse before it’s sold to be sure the buyer isn’t getting an unhealthy or injured horse, i.e. “they vetted the horse before completing the purchase.” It also refers to the process of confirming that a candidate is fit for a position, such as elected office, before he or she is considered.

Across the board – Across the board is a type of bet encompassing win, place and show wagers on the same horse. It has evolved to mean “applying to all” or “universal,” as when candidates advocate for across-the-board policy changes in this fall’s debates.

Dead heat – This term has long referred to a horse race that ends in a tie and is now used to describe a tie in any contest.

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