Glossary of Australian and New Zealand Punting - W

W

• Wager: Another term for bet.
• Warned off: A person warned-off a racecourse is not permitted to enter a racecourse or associate with licensed persons.
• Weigh out: Before each race, a jockey, and his equipment are weighed to ensure that the horse carries its allotted weight.
• Weight for Age: Better class of race in which the weight a horse carries is allocated on a set scale according to its age and sex. The Cox Plate, which is regarded as Australia’s best race, is a weight-for-age event held by the Moonee Valley Racing Club in October each year.
• Weight-for-age handicap: The system used to determine weights for the Melbourne Cup in which the weight of the jockey and riding gear is adjusted with ballast to a nominated figure. Older horses are given more weight than younger ones, and weightings are further adjusted according to the horse's previous results.
• Welsher: Person who refuses to honour a bet.
• Welter: A handicap race with a higher minimum weight.
• Whip: A race whip (or crop) made to Australian specifications, is about 22-24 inches long, and a jockey uses it to control and encourage a horse to increase its speed.
• Winkers: A sheepskin device which attaches to the cheek straps of the bridle to help the horse focus its vision to the front. Winkers allow more side vision than a blinker.
• Wouldn't back it with bad money: An indication that a punter has no confidence in a horses chances such that even if he had counterfeit money he would not back it.
• Write your own ticket: An expression indicating that a horse is at very long odds, with very little chance of winning.