spin
v.— «Agents often make early commitments to more than one horse in a race, figuring that the field will thin out by the time post positions are drawn. But if both horses enter, one of the trainers will be jilted. Jockeys also can back out of a commitment if they get an offer to ride a better horse in another race or at another track. Conversely, trainers sometimes promise a mount to a jockey and then dump him at the last minute for someone else. Those practices, called “spinning,” create a daily litany of hard feelings, broken hearts and promises of revenge.» —“On the right track” by Rachel Blount Star-Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.) Aug. 20, 1999. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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