backing the wrong horse
Betting on losers
Backing the wrong horse means supporting a person, idea, or venture that turns out to fail or lose.
From horse racing, where bettors lose money when their chosen horse doesn't win.
The phrase implies a misjudgment that becomes clear only in hindsight: We backed the wrong horse when we invested in that startup.
The party backed the wrong horse in the primary.
- gambleStake on uncertain outcome
- bad betUnwise wager
- misjudgmentFaulty evaluation of something
- lossBeing without something
- sunk costUnrecoverable past outlay
poor judgment · miscalculation · speculation · gut feeling · blind faith · repercussions · defeat · regret · buyer's remorse · shortsightedness · high stakes · hindsight · confirmation bias · unpredictability · disappointment · wishful thinking · false hope · underdog
backing the wrong horsesmart money
Capital from informed sources
playing it smart · hedging one's bets · calculated risk · due diligence · playing the odds
backing the wrong horsebacking the right horse
Supporting what succeeds
backs, backed, backer, backers, backside, backbone, wrong, wrongly, wronged