dark horse

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The Word of the Day for October 26 is:

dark horse   \DARK-HORSS\   noun 
     1 *a : a usually little known contender (as a racehorse) 
that makes an unexpectedly good showing  b : an entrant in a 
contest that is judged unlikely to succeed
     2 : a political candidate unexpectedly nominated usually as 
a compromise between factions

Example sentence:
     The small-budget independent film emerged as a dark horse, 
garnering more awards than any of the big-budget Hollywood 
favorites.

Did you know?
     Sometimes in a horse race a horse whose name and ability 
are not widely known puts on a surprisingly good show and 
defeats its more famous rivals. Such a horse is called "dark," 
not because of its color (which might be anything), but because 
of its obscurity. Since the 19th century, the term "dark horse" 
has been extended from racehorses to obscure competitors who do 
unexpectedly well in contests of other kinds. Now it is often 
applied to candidates for elected office whose chances appear to 
be poor.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.