off to the races

    An election is often called a political race. Some of the terms in common use are borrowed from horse racing, and from betting on horse racing. A candidate may be said to be a "dark horse", for example. A "dark horse" is the horse no one paid any attention to--they didn't even know his name. While they were arguing over the "favorites", the "dark horse" won. 
     A candidate may be said to "come from behind"--that is, to start out at the back of the group, and finish in the front, if not first.
    A political race may end in a "photo finish", as when two horses are so close together that the judges of the race need to look at a photo to determine who won.
     An entire election is sometimes called a "run for the roses"--the nickname of the Kentucky Derby.