L.A. SPEAK

From the horse’s mouth: selected track talk.

diseased adj. bad or inferior. “This race card is diseased. It doesn’t have a good bet on it.”

hammered v. when a horse, usually the favorite, gets heavy action despite falling odds. “I’m going to bet on the No. 3 horse: He’s getting hammered. “

lobster n . a horse that doesn’t draw the bets the oddsmakers figured. A red flag to lay off. Origin unknown.

parking lot n . the outside of the track, the longest way to the finish line. “That jock has Royal Midnight in the parking lot .”

pinhead n . a bad jockey. “That pinhead lost me the race.”

rear-viewing v . when a jockey spends too much time eyeing the competition. “I lost $200, thanks to that pinhead’s rear - viewing.n. “

scraping paint v . running along the rail, the shortest distance around the track. “The minute I saw him scraping paint, I knew I had a winner.

smoking your socks v . speaking from ignorance. “You think that old swayback can win? You’re smoking your socks. “