In thoroughbred horse racing, a “chute” is an extension of the backstretch or homestretch of a racetrack that allows horses to start races on a straight section rather than on a turn.
The primary purpose of a chute is to permit a straight running start in races of specific distances, as opposed to starting on or near a turn. This extended path increases the length of a straight portion of a racecourse, particularly on oval-shaped tracks, allowing races of specified distances to start at locations other than on the turns.
Many racetracks are exactly one mile in circumference, but popular race distances like 6 furlongs (the most common distance in American thoroughbred racing) require starting positions that don’t align perfectly with the track’s natural configuration. Chutes solve this problem by extending the backstretch by an extra 1/16 of a mile.