We’ve all been there before … walking into an unfamiliar setting and not knowing exactly what to say or what others are talking about. It can be flat-out overwhelming.

A day at the racetrack can feel like the first day at a new job with dozens and dozens of horse racing terms and idioms that are almost a separate language, not to mention the program or Daily Racing Form at your fingertips that looks like it was designed by an accounting professor.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar is on the horizon and America’s Best Racing is here to help you navigate the complex terminology of the sport of Thoroughbred racing, whether you just want to watch and enjoy races or try your hand at betting a few bucks.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of some common horse racing terms to help lift the cloud of confusion and set you up for success on the path to fandom. Consider this our own version of horse racing and horse betting for dummies. It is essentially a primer for fans attending or watching the Breeders’ Cup, covering some of the unfamiliar terms and jargon you might encounter.

Fans look through the program in 2021 at Del Mar. (Eclipse Sportswire)

The Three Basic Bets

Win – A bet on a horse to finish first.

Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.

Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.

A Quick Guide to Running Styles

Front-runner – A horse whose running style is to attempt to get on or near the lead at the start of the race and to continue there as long as possible. Also known as a pacesetter.

Stalker – A horse that is capable of relaxing early in races behind the pacesetter but with enough speed to stay closer to the front so he/she has less ground to make up late in a race.

Closer – A horse that runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.

The Pedigree/Breeding Basics

Sire – The father of the racehorse. Typically, sires are well-known horses who had standout careers on the racetrack.

Dam – The mother of a racehorse. There is an old saying that goes, “Breed the best to the best to get the best,” which means pairing a talented dam with a talented and productive sire to have the best chance to breed an elite racehorse.

Twenty Additional Terms to Know for Breeders’ Cup

A fan at del Mar cheers home a winner in 2021. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. Actually, it’s three bets. If the horse wins, the player collects all three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets but cashing the show bet.

Blinkers – A cup-shaped device over the eyes that limits a horse’s vision. Blinkers, often used to try to improve a horse’s focus, come in a variety of sizes and shapes to allow as little or as much vision as the trainer feels is necessary.

Box – A betting term denoting a combination bet whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered for those certain horses. Sometimes when you like multiple horses equally, the best option is to box them in an exacta or trifecta (more on them below).

Bullet – The fastest workout of the day at a track at a particular distance.

Chalk – Betting favorite in a race. A gambler who almost always bets on favorites might be called a “chalk player.”

Connections – Persons identified with a horse, such as owner, trainer, jockey and stable employees.

Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races. This is a good second step for fans who have advanced beyond the three basic bets listed above.

Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked. Like the Daily Double above, a fun second step for fans looking for something more advanced than the three basic bets listed above. If you "box" the exacta (referenced above), you are making two separate bets so the horses can finish first and second in either order.

Furlong – An eighth of a mile. Thus, a six-furlong race is three-quarters of a mile and a 10-furlong race is 1 ¼ miles.

Morning line – The starting odds set by the track handicapper, a person hired by the track to analyze each race and determine which horses will be favored by the public to win.

Off track – A track that has a wet surface and isn’t labeled as “fast.”

Fans at Del Mar look over the past performances. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Past performances – A horse’s racing record, earnings, bloodlines, and other data, presented in composite form in places like the track program or Daily Racing Form.

Post Parade – Horses going from the paddock where they are saddled to the starting gate past the stands. The post parade provides spectators a chance to get a final look at the horses before the start of a race.

Post Position – Position of the stall in the starting gate from which a horse begins a race. While the shortest path around is the fastest, the inside post in large fields – because of potential traffic trouble – can be disadvantageous. Likewise, outside post positions are less desirable because horses often get caught wide, outside of other horses, on the turns and are forced to navigate a longer distance.

Prep – A workout (or race) used to prepare a horse for a future engagement. You will often hear a horse’s final race before the Breeders’ Cup referred to as a "prep" race, meaning it was a steppingstone to the World Championships designed to help him or her reach peak form at Del Mar Nov. 1-2.

Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order. If you chose to "box" them (multiple bets), the horses can finish in any order but you must have included each of the top three in the bet.

Scratch – To be taken out of a race before it starts. This can happen for any number of reasons such as a horse spiking a fever before the race or simply because the on-track veterinarian charged with ensuring the safety of participants does not like the way a racehorse is behaving.

Silks – Jacket and cap worn by jockeys. Each owner has a unique set of silks.

Speed Figure – A metric that rates a horse’s performance in a race, which is determined by a combination of the horse’s performance and the level of competition he/she competed against.

Stakes – Who doesn’t love a steak dinner, and there are plenty of great restaurants close to Del Mar. But no, the word stakes in horse racing does not have anything to do with a cut of meat. It’s short for sweepstakes and in horse racing it refers to a race for which the owner usually must pay a fee to run a horse. The fees can be for nominating, maintaining eligibility, entering and starting, to which the track adds more money to make up the total purse. Some stakes races are by invitation and require no payment or fee. The 14 Breeders’ Cup races all are stakes races.