In horse racing, how many yards are in one furlong?

In horse racing, one furlong equals 220 yards. This traditional unit is especially familiar in British and Irish racing, where many race distances are stated in furlongs and miles.

A furlong is also one-eighth of a statute mile, so eight furlongs make one mile. In metric terms, a furlong is exactly 201.168 metres, although race commentary often keeps the older imperial measurement.

The word comes from Old English and originally described the length of a furrow in a common field. Its use in racing survived because early racecourses measured distances in furlongs, and the unit remains part of racing vocabulary today.

A common mix-up is confusing a furlong with a quarter-mile. A quarter-mile is two furlongs, or 440 yards. Race results may describe a horse’s finishing speed using fractions such as “the final furlong,” meaning the last 220 yards of the race.