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.