Horse racing is an amazing sport to watch, participate in, and enjoy, but in some cases the words people use in the sport can seem like an entirely separate language. Don’t let these terms intimidate you! Here are some racing terms that every novice racing fan should know.

Race Terms

– Furlong: This is a measurement that is used to describe the distance of a race. One furlong equals ⅛ of a mile. () This is part of the standard system of measurement, which explains why the term is nowadays generally only used in the United States; races in countries that use the metric system are generally measured in meters.

– Splits: The term “splits” refers to the fractions of a race, and usually the time a horse takes to run that fraction. Nearly all races record times for the first quarter mile, half mile, and six furlongs, and longer races may display other fractional times. Often, these splits are displayed during the television broadcast of a race as the race is being run, and they are always available in a horse’s past performances in racing forms.

– Length: This is another unit of distance used in horse races, but this one refers to the distance between a given horse and the lead horse. One length refers to the approximate length of a horse’s body from chest to rump. Margins shorter than a length are fairly self-explanatory, such as half-length, neck, head, and nose. These units are also used in countries which use the metric system.

– Fast Track: This is the ideal condition for a dirt track, meaning that there is a minimal amount of moisture in the dirt. Rain will cause the track conditions to change, from “wet fast” to “good,” “sloppy,” and “muddy,” and more moisture typically leads to slower times. The ideal grass course condition is known as “firm” turf; wetter courses are “soft” or “yielding.”

Betting Terms

Payout: This refers to the amount of money paid out when a winning ticket is cashed. It does not include the price of the original bet, which is also returned when the bettor cashes a ticket. You can find the best horse racing sign up bonus to increase your payout.

Win/Place/Show: These are standard bets on a single horse. A win bet is betting on your horse to win the race. A place bet is a wager on your horse to finish first or second, and a show bet is for first, second, or third. The odds displayed on a tote board only reflect the odds for win bets; the payouts for place and show bets are calculated based on different amounts.

Exotic: Exotic wagers are types of bets that involve more than one horse and/or more than one race. They can be more difficult to place and are certainly more difficult to win, but they also provide a higher payout.

Exacta/Trifecta/Superfecta: This type of exotic wager involves picking the first two (exacta), three (trifecta), or four (superfecta) entries to finish in a race. These bets can be placed straight, they can be boxed, or one particular horse can be keyed. If you were betting a straight trifecta on last year’s Kentucky Derby, you would have had to select Rich Strike in first, Epicenter in second, and Zandon in third. If you had boxed the trifecta, you would have had to select Rich Strike, Epicenter, and Zandon, but not the exact order they finished in. You could also have won if you keyed Rich Strike to win, and selected Zandon and Epicenter to finish the trifecta in any order.

Daily Double/Pick 3-7: These bets involve choosing the winner of more than one race. Typically these preselected races are consecutive, but there are special circumstances in which two other races may be paired. One such example is the Oaks-Derby Double, in which a bettor hopes to choose the winner of the Kentucky Oaks (for three-year-old fillies) as well as the next day’s Kentucky Derby.

Written by Lindsay Griffin