K

Keen The Old English cene had two distinct senses: ‘wise, learned, clever’ and ‘brave, bold, valiant, daring’. In racing keen leans more towards the second of these. It may be used positively, as with people, to describe horses which are eager to race – and to be described as not keen is a definite slur on a horse’s reputation. But often ‘keen’ is used slightly detrimentally, to describe a headstrong, hard-pulling horse which needs special care in riding. ‘He is still a bit fresh and went down to the start a bit keenly, but he has run a good race’ (Sporting Life 24 May 1990).