verb phrase
To cause a particular horse, esp an inferior one, to win a race
[1908+ Horse racing; fr the notion that the beast, not caring to run and not needing to, can be shooed over the finish line and win]
modifier
: to be a shoe-in candidate
noun
[shoe-in may simply be a misspelling, but it is probably based on a misunderstanding of the origin of the term; it is a sort of folk etymology]