What the hell is a furlong?...im sure its simple, but they say something like: "hes ahead at 3 furlongs and running strong" Is this like some kind a pace hes running or a distance...if a distance, what does it compare to? :confused:

A furlong is about 1/8 of a mile or around 220 yards. IIRC, the Kentucky derby is about 10 furlongs.

so like a mile and a half is about 12 furlongs?

yep