The Australian and New Zealand punting glossary explains some of the terms, jargon and slang which are commonly used and heard on Australian and New Zealand racecourses, in TABs, on radio, and in the horse racing media. Some terms are peculiar to Australia, such as references to bookmakers, but most are used in both countries.

The emphasis in this list is on gambling terms, rather than the breeding or veterinary side of horse racing.

0-9

  • 750s: Binoculars with magnification of 7x50 mm.
  • 10-50s: Binoculars with magnification of 10x50 mm.

A

  • Acceptor: A horse confirmed by the owner or trainer to be a runner in a race.
  • Aged: A horse seven years old or older.
  • All up: A type of bet where the winnings of one race is carried over to the next race and so forth.
  • Any2: see Duet.
  • Apprentice: A young jockey, usually under 21 years of age, who is still in training. Recent rule changes allow older riders just starting out to work their way through their "apprenticeship".
  • Asparagus: Name given to a punter who arrives on course with a stack of 'mail', hence: more tips than a tin of asparagus.

B

thumb|Blinkers

  • B.: An abbreviation for a bay horse as it appears in race books, pedigrees and stud books.
  • Back: To bet on a horse.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Breeder: A breeder of a foal is the owner of its dam when it is foaled. The breeder may not have had anything to do with the mating of the mare or the place where it is foaled.
  • Colours: Coloured racing jacket and cap worn by jockeys to indicate the owners of a horse.
  • Could not lay it with a trowel: Said by bookmakers of a horse that has been completely neglected in the betting ring.
  • Cricket score odds: Very long odds, usually 100 to 1 or better.
  • Crucified: see Slaughtered.
  • Crusher: A bookmaker who takes top odds from his colleagues and then offers prices on the same horse or horses at reduced odds.
  • Cuts his own hair: An expression to indicate a person is very careful about investing any money.

D

thumb|A [[photo finish record of the first triple dead heat in harness racing.]]

  • Daily double: Type of wager calling for the selection of winners of two nominated races.
  • Getting set: Being accommodated for a wager.
  • Getting up without names: An indication that a number of long shots have won races, hence: "They're getting up without names today."
  • Girth: An elastic and leather band sometimes covered with sheepskin, that passes under a horse's belly and is connected to both sides of the saddle.
  • Good alley: A barrier draw considered to be ideal for a particular horse.
  • Good oil: Positive information about a horse's chances in a race.
  • Gorilla: A colloquial term for one thousand dollars.
  • Ham: Term used for a horse that has been in a good paddock/looks a little large around the edges, as in "what a ham!"
  • Hand: Unit of measure (equals 4 inches) of a horse's height. Thoroughbreds typically range from 15 to 17 hands. The measurement is taken from the ground to the horse's withers – the point where the neck meets the back. An * (asterisk) suffix may also be used to denote horses imported from England or Ireland to Australia or New Zealand.
  • Impost: The weight a horse is allocated or carries.
  • London to a brick on: Long odds-on.
  • Mudlark: A horse which goes well on a wet track.

N

  • Nags: Derogatory term for horse racing.
  • Plonk: A sizeable amount wagered on a horse. Not quite a plunge, but a "decent plonk" nevertheless.
  • : In the bookmakers' ring, a massive and sudden support for a horse.
  • Quinella: The bettor must pick the two runners which finish first and second, but need not specify which will finish first.

R

  • Racing plates: Aluminium horseshoes.
  • Ring: An area on a racecourse where the bookmakers are positioned is always called a "ring", regardless of its shape.
  • Ring-in: A horse in a race who has been substituted illegally for the correct entrant. The most infamous case was the Fine Cotton ring-in.
  • Sprout wings: To accelerate surprisingly in the straight to defeat a leader who looked certain to win.
  • Stake: The sums of money deposited or guaranteed by the parties to a bet. Only previously offered in New South Wales; now replaced by the First four. (Compare with the usual U.S. definition, which is similar to the Australian/New Zealand First Four.)
  • Swimmer: Horse which performs very well on rain affected tracks.
  • Swooper: A horse which charges home at the end of a race.

T

  • TAB: Totalisator Agency Board. The original state government body appointed to regulate off-course betting. Many of the state TABs have been privatised in recent years.
  • Take the knock: Fail to honour betting debts. The punter concerned generally goes missing.
  • Taken to the cleaners: An expression used by both bookmakers and punters when they have suffered a huge loss.
  • Taking a set: When a bookmaker increases the odds of a favoured horse, which in their opinion can't win the race, in order to receive more bets.
  • Trots: A term used for harness racing.
  • Two-year-old Triple Crown (also known as the Two-year-old Grand Slam): Consists of the Golden Slipper Stakes, AJC Sires Produce Stakes and the Champagne Stakes.

U

  • Unbackable: A horse which is quoted at such extremely short odds that investors decide it is too short to return a reasonable profit for the risk involved.