How do Non-Runners Affect Your Horse Racing Bets

In racing, a non-runner is a horse scheduled to take part in a race but doesn’t start. The point at which a horse is withdrawn doesn’t matter with regards to its status. It will be described as a non-runner if it pulled out one week or one hour before a race. However, the timing does matter from a betting perspective, as we’ll explain later in this guide.

Why horse racing non runners exist?

A horse could be withdrawn from a race for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s through the choice of an owner, trainer or jockey. Sometimes it’s because of unforeseen circumstances that are not clear until the time of the race. Common reasons for a horse not running include:

⏩ An injury to the horse

⏩ The horse is distressed before the race

⏩ The running conditions aren’t suitable

Best horse racing betting sites

Without further ado, we present you the top 3 bookmakers for horse race betting. The reasons we picked them were high odds, wide range of horse races available and horse promotional offers at hand. 

How Do Non Runners Affect Horse Racing Bets?

The timing of when a horse pulls out of a race won’t affect its status. In other words, a withdrawal is always known as a non-runner. However, horse racing non-runners will affect the bets you make. If the horse withdraws before the race is declared, you lose your stake.

However, if the race has been declared and your horse is withdrawn, you’ll receive your stake back. Finally, a horse racing non-runner may affect your bet even if you didn’t select it. Basically, if a horse is withdrawn from a race, it will affect the odds of the remaining runners. This is known as Rule 4.

Exceptions to Non-runner Returns?

In general, non-runner horse racing bets are returned if the race has been declared. A race is considered declared at 10am two days before it is scheduled. However, there are two situations where the rules differ:

If the bet was made before the race is declared, it’s known as an ante-post bet. In this situation, bets on non-runners will be lost. 

If the non-runner is part of a multiple/accumulator bet, the wager still stands. However, that race is removed from the accumulator and, therefore, the potential returns will decrease. 

What Does Pulled up Mean in Horse Racing?

When a horse pulls up, it means it started but didn’t finish the race. In technical terms, the horse would be classed as a non-finisher. The important thing to note here is that this classification is different from horse racing non runners. Horse non-runners didn’t start the race.

Therefore, if you bet on one after the race was declared, you’d receive your money back. In the case of non-finishers (horses that pull up), you lose your bet. In contrast, a non-runner can also be called a withdrawal because they were withdrawn from the line-up before the race started.

What are the measures to reduce non-runners?

Racing authorities are constantly coming up with new ways to reduce the number of non-runners in racing. As well as being a problem for event organizers and participants, horse racing non-runners affect your bets. As an industry based on betting, organizers are always looking for ways to reduce the problem. Some of the common measures for reducing the impact non-runners have are:

• 48-hour declarations: Trainers have two days before the start of the race to declare one of their horses as a non-runner

• Trainers with more than 100 declarations and a non-runner rate of 50% or greater will be banned from self-certificating their horses as fit for 12 months

• Stewards to investigate runners declared fit but withdrawn due to ground conditions when the horse has previously run on the identical ground

• Any horse declared as a non-runner will not be able to race for two days following a withdrawal