DCHP-2
exactor box Exactor box DCHP-2 (October 2016)
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".
