In horse racing to tout means to give out tips on a horse, usually for money or for the expectation of a share of any winnings. The word tout can also be used as a noun, meaning someone who gives out the tip on a race with an expected compensation. The word is Scottish in origin and originally meant to peep, to spy. It came to be used in horse racing when touts would secretly watch horses working out and sell or profit somehow from the ill-gotten information. So touts have had a bad rap from the very beginning of horse racing. If you follow this sport, these next few weeks before the Kentucky Derby are loudest and most lucrative for touts.

Oaklawn Park, Mar 01, 1960 . Photo: Francis Miller./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

A review in an article entitled Learn the ‘Language’ of Gambling Through Special Books, Dictionaries written by the esteemed Howard Schwartz is here:

http://www.casinogaming.com/columnists/shelf/2009/0916.html

Cassandra will be a guest on the Northeast Public Radio show The Roundtable at 10:08 on Friday morning, September 4.  If you are in the Northeast Public Radio broadcast range be sure to tune in on your radio. The show is also broadcast on the internet. Visit www.wamc.org (this is a link to our interview) to find out which stations carry the show or to listen online.

Racing at Emerald Downs

If you’re out to the races in Seattle at Emerald Downs, check out our book and other racing related items at the excellent Gift Horse shop.

Tune-in to the “The Win, Place Show ” with Joe Withee on Sunday July 26th from 8am-9am on Sports Radio 950 KJR AM to hear us discuss our book.

On Tuesday, Bill was a guest on Steve Byk’s Sirius/XM show At the Races. Click here to listen. Bill’s in the second half of hour 3.