Horse Racing Betting Rules: Non-Runners, Best Odds Guaranteed, NRNB and First Past the Post
Quick answer: a non-runner on the day is void: stake back on a single, one fewer leg in a multiple. An ante-post non-runner loses unless the bet is Non-Runner No Bet. Results are settled at the weigh-in and later disqualifications do not change your bet. Each-way places follow the runners that actually start.
More betting disputes start in racing than in any other sport, because so much happens between the moment you strike a bet and the moment it is settled. Horses are withdrawn at the start, prices shrink when they are, place terms change with the size of the field, and a stewards' enquiry can reverse the placings after the line.
This guide compares the published horse racing rules of two bookmakers licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, Sky Bet and Midnite, and works through five betting slips with the arithmetic shown. It explains how bets are settled, not which horse to back.
Two UK bookmakers, side by side
Both rule sets were read on 9 November 2026. Where a rule set says nothing on a point, the table says so. Sky Bet also states that the Tattersalls Rules of Betting govern anything its own rules do not cover. Your own bookmaker's rules are the binding text.
| Situation | Sky Bet | Midnite |
|---|---|---|
| Non-runner, single on the day | Stake refunded if not under starter's orders. | Void, stake returned. |
| Non-runner in a multiple | Settled on the remaining selections (NRNB wording). | Void leg; a treble becomes a double, system bets follow the same logic. |
| Rule 4 on the other runners | Tattersalls Rule 4(c) on winning bets; total capped at 90p in the pound. | Same scale and 90p cap; separate scale for place-only markets; can apply at SP. |
| Ante-post non-runner | Stake lost, all in run or not; NRNB after the final declaration stage (48 hours Flat and NH). | No ante-post non-runner rule published; bets void if 48-hour declarations do not stand. |
| Best Odds Guaranteed | Not on in-running, Place Betting, Betting Without, Australian racing, or European racing unless stated. | Invitation only; UK and Irish racing; from 9am on race day; pre-race only; 50,000 pounds a day cap. |
| Result used | Official result at the weigh-in; later changes do not count (UK, Irish and International racing). | Official result at the weigh-in; later amendments do not apply (UK and Irish racing). |
| Each-way places | Set by runners under starter's orders. | Set by runners under starter's orders. |
| Race abandoned or declared void | Bets other than ante-post void; meeting moved to another day also void. | Void; bets stand if the race is rescheduled and declarations stand. |
| False start and re-run | Horses not in the re-run refunded; others subject to Rule 4(c). | Horses not in the re-run void, stakes returned. |
Five slips, settled
Fractional odds are shown with their decimal equivalent, which includes the stake: 2/1 is 3.00, 4/1 is 5.00. The figures are worked examples, not live prices.
| Bet | What happens | How it is settled |
|---|---|---|
| 10 pound treble at 2/1, 4/1 and 3/1 (3.00, 5.00, 4.00) | All three win | 10 x 3.00 x 5.00 x 4.00 = 600 pounds returned |
| The same treble | The 4/1 horse is a non-runner, the other two win | Becomes a double: 10 x 3.00 x 4.00 = 120 pounds |
| 10 pound win single at 5/1 | Wins after a 7/4 shot is withdrawn too late to reform the market | Winnings 50 less 35p in the pound = 32.50, plus stake: 42.50 pounds |
| 10 pound win single at 6/1 with BOG | Wins, starting price 8/1 | Paid at 8/1: 90 pounds returned instead of 70 |
| 20 pound win single at 4/1 | Dead heat for first between two horses | Half the stake at full odds: 10 x 5.00 = 50 pounds |
The 35p figure is the Rule 4 deduction for a withdrawn horse priced between 13/8 and 7/4. The full scale, and when no deduction applies, are in Rule 4 deductions explained, and the Rule 4 calculator and dead heat calculator work out the return on your own slip.
Ante-post and Non-Runner No Bet
An ante-post bet is struck days or weeks before the race, usually at a bigger price than will be available on the day. The price is the trade-off for the risk: Sky Bet's rule is that ante-post bets are accepted "all in run or not", so if the horse is withdrawn the stake is lost and there is no starting price to fall back on. Ante-post stakes are returned only in set cases, such as an abandoned or void race, a change of venue or running surface, or a horse balloted out under BHA rules.
Non-Runner No Bet removes that risk: if the horse does not run in the race named, the stake comes back. Sky Bet treats every bet struck after the final declaration stage, 48 hours before Flat and National Hunt races, as Non-Runner No Bet, and its future racing markets switch to those terms at 10am on overnight declaration day. When you are offered a choice, compare the ante-post price with the Non-Runner No Bet price using the odds converter: the gap is what the non-runner risk is costing you.
Each-way places follow the runners that start
Both bookmakers publish the same standard place terms, and both set them by the number of runners that come under starter's orders. A non-runner can therefore cost a place. Take a 5 pound each-way bet at 10/1 on a horse that finishes third in a non-handicap with eight declared runners. If all eight run, the place half pays one-fifth of the odds, 2/1, and returns 15 pounds. If one horse is withdrawn and seven run, only two places are paid and third returns nothing on either half.
| Field | Standard each-way terms |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 runners | Win only |
| 5 to 7 runners | 2 places at 1/4 odds |
| 8 or more runners, non-handicap | 3 places at 1/5 odds |
| Handicap, 8 to 11 runners | 3 places at 1/5 odds |
| Handicap, 12 to 15 runners | 3 places at 1/4 odds |
| Handicap, 16 or more runners | 4 places at 1/4 odds |
Extra-place offers are promotions on top of these terms, and both books say they can change or be withdrawn after a non-runner. The each-way calculator settles both halves of the bet, and when to bet each-way explains where field size makes the place part worth having.
First past the post and the weigh-in
Sky Bet: "Bets are settled in accordance with the official result at the time of the 'weigh in'. Any change to a result after this point will not count." Midnite says the same, naming disqualifications and whip-rule breaches among the later changes it ignores. If your horse is demoted at an inquiry days later, a bet already paid as a winner stays paid; if your horse is promoted, it does not become a winner.
The exceptions matter. Sky Bet does not apply first past the post to a disqualification for failing to weigh in correctly or for taking the wrong course, to an official correction by the judge before the weigh-in, to void races or to Tote-based bets. Midnite applies it to UK and Irish racing only, and not where the Clerk of the Scales objects or the stewards deem a horse that gained an unfair advantage a non-runner. Midnite also caps payouts by racing type: 100,000 pounds for UK racing, 40,000 for Irish and 20,000 for International.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my bet if my horse is a non-runner?
On a single placed on the day, the stake is returned. In a multiple the non-runner is treated as void and the bet is settled on the other selections, so a treble becomes a double. Winning bets on the other horses in that race may then take a Rule 4 deduction. The exception is an ante-post bet struck before the final declarations: a non-runner there loses, unless the bet was placed on Non-Runner No Bet terms.
Are horse racing bets paid on the result at the weigh-in?
Yes. Sky Bet and Midnite both settle on the official result at the weigh-in and ignore later changes, including disqualifications for breaching whip rules. This is called first past the post. Both list exceptions, such as an official correction before the weigh-in, and Sky Bet also excludes a disqualification for failing to weigh in correctly or for taking the wrong course.
How does Best Odds Guaranteed work?
If you take a fixed price and the horse's starting price is bigger, the bet is paid at the starting price. At Midnite it is by invitation only, covers UK and Irish racing, applies only to pre-race bets placed from 9am on the day of the race, excludes ante-post, boosted and extra-place races, and caps the extra payout at 50,000 pounds per customer per day. Sky Bet excludes in-running bets, Australian racing, and European racing unless stated.
What does Non-Runner No Bet mean?
Your stake is returned if your horse does not run in the race you backed it for, even on an ante-post bet that would normally be lost. Sky Bet says that once the final declaration stage has passed, about 48 hours before Flat and National Hunt races, bets are struck on Non-Runner No Bet terms anyway.
Do each-way place terms change if there is a non-runner?
Yes. Both bookmakers set the places by the number of runners that come under starter's orders, not the number declared when you placed the bet. An eight-runner non-handicap pays three places at one-fifth of the odds; if one horse is withdrawn and seven run, it pays two places at one-quarter, so a horse finishing third no longer earns a place return.
Sources and method
Read on 9 November 2026 from the horse racing rules of Sky Bet (including its separate first past the post page) and the horse racing and greyhound rules of Midnite, both licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Sky Bet's standalone Best Odds Guaranteed page was not used: its BOG exclusions above come from the main racing rules. The five slips are worked examples with our own arithmetic.
- Sky Bet, Horse Racing Rules — support.skybet.com
- Sky Bet, First Past the Post — support.skybet.com
- Midnite, Horse Racing and Greyhound Rules — help.midnite.com
18+. Races run every few minutes on a busy afternoon, which makes it easy to keep betting to win back the last loss. Decide a budget for the day before the first race and stop when it is gone. Deposit limits, time-outs and support are on our responsible gambling page.