a selling race
Preserved but no longer current.
One in which the horses that compete are sold after the race, the sale price being determined beforehand. The winner is generally sold by auction, and the owner gets both the selling price and the stakes. If at the auction a price is obtained above the ticketed price it is divided between the second best horse and the race fund. See HANDICAP.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a selling race” mean?
One in which the horses that compete are sold after the race, the sale price being determined beforehand. The winner is generally sold by auction, and the owner gets both the selling price and the stakes. If at the auction a price is obtained above the ticketed price it is divided between the second best horse and the race fund. See HANDICAP.
Is “a selling race” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.