Gambling terms, explained straight

Racing & Pari-Mutuel

Exacta straight

An exacta straight is a bet on the first two finishers in a race, in the correct order.

Also called
Straight forecast, forecast 2
Applies to
Horse racing and greyhound racing 1
Selections required
Two runners: one for 1st, one for 2nd 2

Key points

  • You name two horses: the one to finish first and the one to finish second. The bet wins only if both finish in those exact positions 1.
  • In UK bookmaker terminology, this is commonly called a straight forecast 2.
  • It applies to both horse racing and greyhound racing in tote and bookmaker contexts 1.

Where this term is used

Racing Exacta A broader category of bets on the first two finishers, which may include boxed or straight variants. Racing Exacta wheel A bet that combines one key horse with multiple others for second place. Racing Exacta horse A specific horse selected as part of an exacta bet. Racing Exacta box vs quinella Compares an exacta box (order doesn't matter) with a quinella (two horses in either order). Racing Exacta horse racing Explains exacta betting specifically in the context of horse racing. Racing Exacta vs trifecta vs superfecta Compares exacta (first two) with trifecta (first three) and superfecta (first four).

Sources

  1. Grand National Tote Betting | Aintree Racecourse thejockeyclub.co.uk Defines exacta straight and confirms it applies to horse and greyhound racing.
  2. Glossary | Racing Explained thejockeyclub.co.uk Lists 'straight forecast' as the UK term and confirms the bet requires correct order.

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.