railbird

American  

[reyl-burd] / ˈreɪlˌbɜrd /

noun

Informal.

1. a horse-racing fan who watches races or workouts from the railing along the track.

2. any kibitzer or self-styled critic or expert.

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Etymology

Origin of railbird

1890–95, rail ¹ + bird in sense “frequenter,” as in jailbird, yardbird

Example Sentences

He grew up on a local dairy farm and became a Grants Pass Downs railbird long before he and his late brother, Dane, turned a pushcart coffee stand in town into Dutch Bros.

From New York Times • Jul. 19, 2021

Davidowitz, by contrast, says the curse is just one of those windbag railbird aphorisms on the order of never betting a horse who hasn’t raced in the past 15 days.

From Slate • May 2, 2013

Besides, what railbird wants to bother with a race that covers only 350 to 550 yds. and is over before he can focus his binoculars?

From Time Magazine Archive

One of Filion's alltime favorites was a horse called Rabbit, an equine outpatient that, as one railbird recalls, had "four lame legs and so many bone chips he sounded like a crap game."

From Time Magazine Archive

Seabiscuit skipped back to the barn, “obviously,” said one railbird, “in a marvelous humor.”

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand