dog in the hunt

plural dogs in the hunt

1. idiomaticSomething that may lead to gain, depending on the outcome; a position for which to campaign or cheer.

   A national political party is unlikely to feel it has a particular dog in the hunt for a typical small town mayoral race.

   1 more example

   The ideal solution is to find individuals or agencies without what is often called "a dog in the hunt." Governmental monitoring organizations […] and the World Health Organization (WHO), are probably the most reliable sources of raw data [for this issue]

   2005, Alan R. Andreasen, Social marketing in the 21st century, Sage, →ISBN, retrieved 01 Sep 2009, page 50

   Synonyms: dog in the fight, dog in the race, horse in the race

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dog, hunt.