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exactor box
DCHP-2 (Sep 2012)
Spelling variants:Exactor box
n. — Games
a bet on the first and second horse in a race, not specifying their order.
Type: 1. Origin — The term exactor box refers to a type of bet where one selects horses to come in first place or second place, without specifying their order. A "box" accounts for any possible combination of the selected horses. For example, if a bettor chooses horses five and eight, an exactor box would account for all combinations possible (e.g. five in first and eight in second, eight in first and five in second) (see the 2002 quotation). A bettor is allowed to box however many horses, as both the cost and the odds of winning increase with each additional horse added to the exactor box (see the 1998 quotation). A common form of this type of bet is the "three-horse exactor box," where in order to win, only two of the three horses need to finish first and second; a "three-horse exactor box" thus has six possible combinations (see the 2002 quotation). See also COD-2, s.v. "exactor box", which is marked as "Cdn".
Quotations
1979
There will be $1 exactor boxes (including all combinations of three horses for $6) and wheels, just as there is for exactors.
1990
Now, in many years of hanging around horse barns in pursuit of the perfect three-horse exactor box, I have seen a lot of trainers, magic ones, tragic ones, nervy ones and scurvy ones.
1998
You can box any number of horses, but keep in mind that cost rises with each additional horse. But the more horses you include the better your chances of winning.
For example, if there are three horses in an exactor box, you win no matter which two of the three place first and second.
1998
There is a lot of speed in tonight's seventh race at Hastings Park Racecourse and looks like a good chance for a come-from-behind win. With that in mind, we'll take a $10 Exactor box on the two best closers in the race, J V Bennett and Bandolier.
2002
In order for you to win, the horses would have to finish in that order unless you boxed your ticket. This means that you are purchasing a ticket on the 3-6 combinations, and backing it up with a 6-3 ticket, thus making two wagers on one ticket. The total cost is the same as two separate $2 bets ($4). Another popular way of betting an exactor is to box three different horses. The thinking here is that only two of the three horses need to come in first and second. If you box three different horses, there are six possible combinations. A $2 exactor box on three horses would cost $12 ($2 on each possible choice).
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