What does 'tapped for toe' mean.

I am a devoted follower of British horse racing. And running through the much vaunted 'Racing Post' I often bump into that expression as in 'When push came to shove, the leader was at the end of his tether and was tapped for toe'. My question is about this last idiom. What does 'tapped for toe ' mean and where does it come from ? This saying is unknown to many a dictionary. Can you help ?

L'Aziza said:

I am a devoted follower of British horse racing no comma here and running through the much vaunted 'Racing Post' I often bump into that an expression I don't understand. In 'When push came to shove, the leader was at the end of his tether and was tapped for toe', My question is about this last idiom. what does 'tapped for toe ' mean and where does it come from? This saying is unknown to many a dictionary. Can you help?

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Please note my changes above. I have made the middle part more concise.

I've never heard of it (I don't follow horse racing) but, like you, I can't find any trace of it online. I suggest you email Racing Post and ask them!

I found this: when a horse fails to pick up when the dash for the finishing line commences.


It didn't help me much.

I found that site too, but the suggested definition was formed as a question. I somehow missed the response that told them they were right! I wonder if the "tapped" comes from "tapped out", meaning exhausted. The horse was so tapped out, it had no strength left in its toes in order to dash to the finish line! I'm just guessing, though.

I found this comment.
Good break, raced behind midfield on rail, switched out & tapped for toe into stretch, stayed on for late gains.

There were a few other search results, all of which indicate a similar meaning - either that the horse wasn't particularly fast at the time of the final sprint, or was beaten by another at that time (a couple of results talked of a horse being tapped for toe by another).