IT looks like a different language but the jargon of racing need not be difficult to understand. STEVE CARROLL takes you through the ABC of racing terminology.

A is for. . . Accumulator: A bet involving more than one event with the winnings from each selection going on to the next event. Accumulators can be either win or each-way but all selections must prevail for a return.

B is for. . . Bet: Naturally. There are a number of ways to bet depending on whether you place it with a bookmaker or on the totepool. A trip to the betting ring means either win, or each way (that the horse will finish in the first three, or first four if it is a handicap of 16 runners or more). On the totepool, however, you can bet either to win, bet each way or simply to place (your horse only needs to finish in the places for you to be paid out).

C is for. . . Class: Not the one where you stared at blackboards in school. It refers to the grade of race a horse competes under. The top grade is Class 1 and these include all Group races and Listed races. The lowest class is six with competing horses usually those with the lowest ratings in racing. Class is important in a betting sense because, usually, the higher the grade the more consistent a race is to predict.

D is for. . . Double Carpet: It's racing slang for 33-1. Rarely heard since racing eccentric John McCririck disappeared off the nation's TV screens.

E is for. . . Each Way: When you put your cash on each way, you are betting on both a win and a place. A percentage of the win odds are paid for the place which ranges from second to fourth depending on the event and how many runners are participating. E is also for evens - where you bet at odds of 1-1. E is also for exacta - where you pick horses to finish first and second in the correct order.

F is for. . . Favourite: The runner with the shortest odds in the field, who the bookies think is the most likely to win. Although based on reliable evidence, this is an opinion. F is also for form - a record of a particular horse's previous performances.

G is for. . . Going: This refers to the condition of the turf on the course. Going can range from hard to heavy. Going is important because different horses can prefer to run on different ground. One horse might like it rattling underfoot while another may be known as a bit of a mudlarker.

Put the two runners in the other's shoes and they are very different betting propositions. A peek in the racecard will usually reveal the ground conditions where a horse has won most of its races.

H is for. . . Handicap: Bookies love handicaps, especially those like the Ebor which are just impossible to solve. A handicap is a method which allows horses of varying quality to compete on a relatively equal footing. They are allocated weight to carry based on their handicap, which is a numerical rating.

The higher the rating, the better the horse and the more weight they carry in a handicap race. There are also different types of races based around the standard of the horses as measured using their handicap (see Class) and additional allowances can be made according to age, sex and jockey experience.

I is for. . . In-running betting: It does what it says on the tin, allowing punters to place bets on a race while it is in progress - with prices constantly changing to reflect the current state of play.

J is for. . . Jolly: Jolly is the term for the horse with the shortest odds - the favourite. J is also for jackpot - a bet where you have to pick the first six winners at a nominated meeting.

K is for. . . Kite: Betting slang for a cheque. Credit and debit cards mean you don't really see these in the racecourse offices any more.

L is for. . . Lay or layer: A layer is a bookmaker who accepts, or lays, a bet.

M is for. . . Monkey: Not an animal, but the slang term bookmakers use for £500.

N is for. . . Nap: A nap is a racing tipster's best bet.

O is for. . . Odds-on: Odds-on refers to a price where you have to stake more than the amount you expect to make as profit. So when Sea The Stars won the 2009 Juddmonte International at 1-4, you had to stake four pounds to win just one. The opposite of odds-on is odds against, where the amount you win is more than your stake. Any price of 11-10 or more is odds-against. O is also for outsider - a horse who, in the opinion of the bookmakers, has little chance of winning.

P is for. . . Pony: This is bookmakers' slang for £25. P is also for Placepot - the bet where you pick a horse to be placed in each of the first six races.

Q is for. . . Quadpot: Run by the tote, you pick a horse to be placed in races three, four, five and six.

R is for. . . Rule Four: This becomes significant when horses who are prominent in the market are pulled out before the off. Rule Four is the deduction made from the prices of a horse due to the withdrawal of another horse.

S is for. . . Starting Price: Starting Price, or SP for short, are the prices for participants when the stalls go up and the race begins.

T is for. . . Treble: from the first selection automatically going on to the second and then on to the third.

U is for. . . Up The Arm: Betting slang for 11-8 based on the old tic-tac signs.

V is for. . . Visor: These are a form of blinkers where a horse has a small degree of lateral vision thanks to a slit cut in each of the cups over the eyes. Visors and blinkers, identified by a v or b in the racecard, are designed to cut out distractions - forcing a horse to focus in front.

W is for. . . Win Only: Sometimes when you approach the betting ring, you will see bookmakers with 'win only' signs on their stalls. This means they are offering a betting market where no each way betting is available.

W is also for weigh in - jockeys on the winning and placed horses are weighed to check they are carrying the same weight after the race as at the start of the contest. Keep your betting slip until you hear the words 'weighed in, weighed in'.

X is for. . . Xenophon: Who put together in about 350BC one of the earliest extant treatises on horsemanship in the Western world.

Y is for. . . Yankee: This is a bet which combines four different horses in different races in 11 bets.

These are six doubles, four trebles and one four-horse accumulator. A £1 Yankee win bet would cost £11 (£1 for each of the bets).

Z is for. . . Zomerlust: Highfield trainer John Quinn's popular horse who won three times at York, including the 2007 Sky Bet Dash, and who retired in 2012.