Racecard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A printed sheet at a horse race meeting that lists the races, runners, jockeys, weights and odds for each event
2. The programme handed out at a racetrack giving details of every race on the day, including each horse's form and draw
3. A booklet or card sold at the course showing the entrants, their riders and other information needed for betting on races

Etymology: A racecard is the printed programme handed out at a race meeting, listing the runners, their jockeys, weights and draw. The word is a plain compound of "race" and "card", and its parts keep their everyday senses. A "card" in this sense is a printed sheet, the same word that gives us "postcard" and "visiting card", while "race" is the contest itself, the sense that runs from the Old English "ræs" meaning a rush or charge. The compound tells the story of the thing it names. Early racing meetings were informal affairs, and a printed sheet with the horses' names and colours became a practical necessity as crowds and betting grew. The card does the job its name suggests: it lays out the contest before it starts, so a spectator can read the field and form a view.

Synonyms: race programme, racing programme