Horse racing may seem foreign to sports bettors, but it is truly the sport of kings – just look at the upcoming Breeders’ Cup odds for a prime example. Here is a brief glossary to help you get accustomed to the terms, rules and betting:

Across the board: This is when you bet on a horse to win, place or show (finish first, top two or top three).

Also-Ran: Basically, this is any horse that didn’t finish in a winning position. When you lose your bet, it usually means you bet on an also-ran.

Backstretch: This is the straight area on the horse racing track which is just before the finish line.

Blanket Finish: Similar to a photo finish, just more horses involved - usually when there is a cluster of horses right at the finish line.

Box: When you box a wager, you are betting on all possible ways of action.

Closer: This is a horse that typically starts slow, stays in the middle of the pack and not far from the front, and on the backstretch kicks it into high gear and closes the gap between itself and the front.

Colt: This is a male horse that is less than five years old.

Daily Double: Basically a two-race parlay where you have to pick the winner of two races. If they win, you win. If one of the two horses you picked doesn’t finish first, you lose.

Exacta: This is where you pick two horses in one race to finish exactly first and second. In a box, the order doesn’t matter but in an exacta, the horses have to finish in your predicted order or you lose.

Field: All the horses in the race.

Filly: A female horse that is four years old or younger.

Firm: Describes the speed of the surface on the track; this refers to it as slow.

Front-Runner: Opposite of a closer, this is a horse who is better at leading the way in a race.

Furlong: This is the measure of distance on a track. Each furlong is one-eighth of a mile.

Gelding: A male horse that’s been castrated.

Handicapper: A bettor; a person who is examining the betting lines, evaluating the horses and placing bets on the races.

In the Money: When a horse finishes first, second or third, he finishes in the money.

Length: The measure of the horse from nose to tail.

Mare: A female horse that’s either at least five years old or that has been bred.

Morning Line: This is the horse betting line - or the opening line - of a race. These lines shift around as people bet on the race or as different news (injuries/weather/track conditions) surface.

On the Nose: Betting on the horse simply to win.

Past Performance: This is one of the first things you look at when handicapping a race - the horse’s history. It’s important to see how the horse does in certain situations like track condition etc.

Place: When a horse Places, it finishes in 2nd place.

Show: When a horse Shows, it finishes in 3rd place. This is the safest bet in horse racing and it doesn’t pay well.

Win: This probably needs no explanation. A horse wins when it comes in first place in a race. Look for Big Brown to get the win at this year’s Breeders’ Cup.