play the ponies
To make bets on the outcomes of horse races. I nearly lost our entire life savings playing the ponies one weekend. After that, I never gambled again in my life. My father always used to take me and my brother to play the ponies on the last Sunday of the month, letting us pick which horse to put the money on.
play the ponies
and play the horsesto wager on horse races. I used to play the ponies every afteroon during the summer. Then Iran out of money.