Trifecta is a particular type of bet in horse racing that is very difficult to win, but it yields very high returns. To successfully win a trifecta bet, you need to specify the horses that finish in the top three spots in the exact order in which they finish.     So if the horse you selected to show (3rd) actually places (2nd), you don't win anything.

The term "trifecta" is making its way into colloquial speech. Some basketball announcers are using "trifecta" to refer to a 3-pointer, and people are using it more generally to refer to any three successes. This little "trifecta" is a triple winning filly outfitted in a coat of brown, white & black.