Gambling terms, explained straight

Racing & Pari-Mutuel

Exacta box vs quinella

An exacta box is a bet on two or more runners to finish first and second in any order; a quinella is the simpler two-runner version of the same either-order bet.

Also called
Boxed exacta, reverse forecast (UK)12
Applies to
Horse and greyhound racing, parimutuel wagering54

Key points

  • A quinella is limited to two selections; an exacta box can cover three or more runners, combining every possible ordered pair among them.12
  • Both bets win if the chosen runners occupy first and second place in either order; the difference is the number of selections allowed.13
  • In the UK the equivalent either-order bet on two runners is called a reverse forecast, not a quinella.2

Where this term is used

Racing Quinella vs quinella box Explains the difference between a standard quinella and a quinella box, which covers the same two runners in either order. Racing Exacta Covers the straight exacta, where the bettor must pick the first two finishers in the correct order. Racing Quinella Defines the quinella, a two-runner bet that pays if they finish first and second in any order. Racing Exacta wheel Explains the exacta wheel, a betting strategy that pairs one key runner with all others. Racing Exacta horse Covers the term exacta horse, referring to a horse selected in an exacta bet. Racing Exacta straight Defines the straight exacta, the simplest form requiring the correct order of the top two finishers.

Sources

  1. Betting on horse racing en.wikipedia.org Defines exacta box and quinella as either-order bets on the first two finishers.
  2. Glossary of bets offered by UK bookmakers en.wikipedia.org Provides UK terminology (reverse forecast) and confirms the either-order logic.
  3. Quinella - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Dedicated quinella page clarifying the two-runner limit.
  4. Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting en.wikipedia.org Confirms the terms apply to Australian and New Zealand racing contexts.
  5. Parimutuel betting en.wikipedia.org General parimutuel betting context for the wager types.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.