Glossary of Australian and New Zealand Punting - B

B

• B.: An abbreviation for a bay horse as it appears in race books, pedigrees and stud books.
• Back: To bet on a horse.
• Backed In: A horse whose odds have shortened.
• Backed off the map: A horse which has been heavily supported resulting in a substantial decrease in odds.
• Back up: To race a horse soon after its latest engagement. Also, punters who keep backing a particular horse are said to "back up."
• Bagman: Bookmaker's employee responsible for settling bets on course.
• Bank teller job: A horse considered such a near certainty that a bank teller could invest ‘borrowed’ bank funds and replace them without detection.
• Banker: A key selection in an exotic bet which must win, or run a particular place to guarantee any return.
• Banker: See Dead cert.
• Barriers: Starting barrier used to keep horses in line before the start of a race. Each horse has a stall or place randomly allocated in the barrier draw for the race.
• Battler: A trainer, jockey or bookmaker who just manages to make a living from his full time involvement in horse racing.
• Benchmark: under this system, operating in NSW, the weight a horse carries at its next start is determined immediately after its previous race, according to the merit of that run. Each Benchmark point equals half a kilogram.
• Best Bet: The selection that racing journalists and tipsters nominate as their strongest selection of the day. In the UK, it is known as the nap.
• Bet back: Action taken by a bookmaker when he is heavily-committed to a horse and spreads some of the risk by investing with other bookies or the totalisator.
• Bet until your nose bleeds: Confident instructions to a commission agent or advice to a punter indicating that the horse is so certain to win that betting should only be halted in the unlikely event of a nose haemorrhage.
• Better than bank interest: Justification by a punter for backing a horse that is very short odds on.
• Betting exchange : Internet based organisations which broker bets between punters for a commission. The largest is Betfair.
• Big bickies: A large amount of money.
• Big note: To skite or exaggerate a position or status - to "big note" oneself.
• Big Red: Nickname of the champion race horse Phar Lap.
• Binos (pronounced "by-nose"): Binoculars.
• Birdcage: Area where horses are paraded before entering the racetrack.
• Bite: To ask someone for a loan.
• Bl.: An abbreviation for a black horse, as it appears in race books, pedigrees and stud books.
• Black type: Thoroughbred sales catalogues use boldface type to highlight horses that have won or placed in a stakes race.
• Bleeder: A horse that bleeds from the lungs during or after a race or workout. In Australia a first-time bleeder is banned from racing for three months. If it bleeds a second time the horse is banned for life.
• Blew like a north wind: Said about a horse whose odds have lengthened dramatically during the course of betting.
• Blinkers: A cup-shaped device used to limit a horse's vision during a race and improve concentration.
• Bloused: To be caught on the line or defeated in a photo finish.
• Blow: When the odds of a horse increase during betting.
• Blown out the gate: Odds have extended dramatically due to lack of support.
• Boat race: A race with a number of non-triers which is said to be fixed for one horse to win.
• Bolter: A horse at long odds.
• Box: Betting term denoting an exotic combination bet whereby all possible numeric outcomes are covered.
• Box seat: A position in a race which is one horse off the fence and one horse behind the leaders.
• Bridle: A piece of equipment, usually made of leather or nylon, which fits on a horse's head and includes a bit and the reins.
• Br.: An abbreviation for a brown horse, as it appears in race books, pedigrees and stud books.
• Breaking: Breaking into a gallop, when trotting horses start galloping.
• Bred: A horse is bred where it is foaled. Thus a foal conceived in New Zealand but foaled in Australian is regarded as being bred in Australia.
• Breeder: A breeder of a foal is the owner of its dam when it is foaled. He may not have had anything to do with the mating of the mare or the place where it is foaled.
• Bring a duffel bag: Term used by a punter who expects to take copious amounts of cash home from the track.
• Broodmare: A filly or mare that has been bred and is used to produce foals.
• Buying money: Term used by a punter when required to bet ‘odds on’.