Dating back as far as 4500BC when prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia are recorded to have first domesticated horses, horse racing has been one of our favorite forms of competition. Man and horse working together for a common goal. In fact, before people were even keeping records, horse racing was an organized sport. The sport was a part of major civilizations spanning from Central Asia across to the Mediterranean.Ancient Greek Olympics dating back as far as 638BC included both Mounted Horse Racing events, and Chariot Races. Horse racing was also well known infatuation of the Roman Empire.

Today,what once was a sport reserved for nobility is chosen by peoples as their second favorite and 2nd most attended spectator sport, beat out by only the all other leading sports.

1. Straight bet or Single or Win bet. This is the simplest and most common bet. You bet on a winner at given odds. You collect only if your chosen horse is the first across the finish line.
2. Place. A wager for place means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first or second.
3. Show. The third horse across the finish line. A wager to show means you collect if your selected horse finishes either first, second or third.
4. Combination Bet. Combinations cover from two to four horses to win in chosen order.
5. Pick 3. This wager requires the player to pick the winners of three consecutive races. Some race tracks have a rolling pick 3 which is when the player must pick three races in a row and it continues for the next three races.
6. Pick 6. This wager requires the player to select the winner of six consecutive races prior to the first race of the pick six. Some tracks place the pick six as the first six races, the middle six races, or the last six races. Many tracks have carry over pools for the pick six that can grow to as high as a million dollars.
7. Quiniela or Reverse Forecast (UK). A bet placed on two horses to finish first and second in either order.
8. Perfecta or Exacta or Straight Forecast (UK). A bet placed on two horses but they must cross the finish line in exact chosen order.
9. Trifecta or Tricast or Treble Forecast (UK). A bet placed on three horses to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.
10. Superfecta. A bet placed on four horses to cross the finish line in exact chosen order.
11. Daily Double. Similar to an accumulator you select the winners of the first and second races on that day. You must place your bet before the start of the first race.
12. Jackpot. Pick six winners in six races to share in a Jackpot prize. The rules and prizes will vary from race track to race track.
13. Parlay or Accumulator. A multiple bet. A kind of 'let-it-ride' bet. Making simultaneous selections on two or more races with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win on the bet of the following race selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the parlay. If a race is a tie, postponed or cancelled, your parlay is automatically reduced by one selection; a double parlay becomes a straight bet, a triple parlay becomes a double. A parlay bet can yield huge dividends if won.
14. Future. A bet on a future event. At the start of each season, the sportsbooks give out odds for horses to win a certain event. The odds change as the race date approaches and in most cases get shorter, but if you win you get paid at the original odds that you took. This is possibly one of the most profitable bets if you have considerable knowledge of the race that you are betting on including the jockeys, and a good sense of judgement.
15. Exotic Bets. Betting on unusual events. Some sports books post odds and take bets on a wide variety of other sports related events and activities. A few others will take bets on just about anything you can think of.
16. Proposition Bet or Prop Bet. An offer of bets at odds and conditions chosen by the sportsbook, usually on 'Exotic' bets.