Flipped in Gate refers to a horse that is acting up in the gate, then rears up and either falls backward or becomes hung up in the gate. In nearly all instances, the horse also loses his rider in the process. This term is used only at the start to describe a horse that is acting up or behaving erratically in the starting gate.
This term appears in race chart terminology and past performances to explain problematic behavior that occurred before the race officially began. When a horse “flips in gate,” it indicates the animal was difficult to handle and may have compromised its own chances or disrupted other horses in the starting lineup.
This behavior is different from normal gate issues like “dwelt” or “broke slowly” – it specifically describes more dramatic erratic movement or jumping within or around the starting gate area that disrupts the normal starting procedure.