Ante Post Betting Explained: Rules, Non Runner No Bet and Rule 4
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 15 min read
On this page
- What Is Ante Post Betting?
- When Do Ante Post Markets Become Day-of-Race Markets?
- Ante Post Rules: What Happens if Your Horse Doesn’t Run
- Non Runner No Bet (NRNB)
- Does Rule 4 Apply to Ante Post Bets?
- Each Way Ante Post Bets
- Ante Post Price vs SP: A Worked Example
- Ante Post Betting on the Big Festivals
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Ante Post Betting
Ante post betting means backing a horse at a fixed price before the final declarations for a race, often weeks or months before it is run. You take the price in the hope that it is bigger than the one on offer on the day, but the standard rule is harsh: if your horse doesn’t run, your stake is lost. Everything else about ante post betting, from non runner no bet to Rule 4 and each way terms, follows from that trade-off.
This guide covers when ante post markets close, what the rules say about non-runners and withdrawals, and how non runner no bet (NRNB) changes the picture. The rules come from the Tattersalls Committee Rules on Betting and bookmakers’ published racing rules, and every example shows the arithmetic.
What Is Ante Post Betting?
The Tattersalls Committee, whose Rules on Betting deal with betting disputes from on-course transactions, defines an ante-post bet in its glossary as “a bet on an event in advance of the day of the race”. Bookmakers phrase it in a similar way. Sky Bet’s horse racing rules describe ante post as “a phrase used for bets placed at least a day in advance of the event”.
Where the Name Comes From
The “post” is not the Latin word for “after”. Wikipedia’s entry on ante-post betting says the name refers to “the nineteenth-century Betting Post, a stake fixed on the course like a sign-post to mark the start of fixed betting”. So ante post literally means betting before the betting post, in other words before the on-course market opens.
Ante Post vs Day-of-Race Betting
The difference is not only timing. An ante post bet is struck before the field is known, under different settlement rules. The table sums up the main differences, all covered below:
| Ante post (standard terms) | Day of race | |
|---|---|---|
| When placed | Before final declarations | After final declarations |
| Horse doesn’t run | Stake lost | Stake returned |
| Rule 4 deductions | Generally not applied | Applied to prices taken |
| Each way place terms | Fixed when the bet is struck | Set by the number of runners |
| Best odds guaranteed | Not offered | Offered by many bookmakers |
| Starting price option | Not available | Available |
When Do Ante Post Markets Become Day-of-Race Markets?
An ante post market ends at the final declaration stage, when trainers must confirm which horses will run. From that point the field is known and bookmakers switch to normal day-of-race rules.
The 48-Hour Final Declarations
In Britain, most races now have final declarations 48 hours before the race. According to the Racehorse Owners Association’s report of the BHA decision in November 2022, “Jump 48-hour declarations will be adopted permanently, having been in place for all Jump races since July 2020.” Sky Bet’s racing rules reflect this: ante post prices apply “prior to the final declaration stage (48hrs Flat & NH), after this all bets will be ‘Non-runner, No Bet’.”
Tattersalls draws its line slightly differently in Rule 4(A), which talks about ante-post bets “being made before 10 a.m. on the day of the final declarations”. Bookmakers’ own rules decide how your bet is settled, so check the cut-off your bookmaker states. Bets placed after it get the stake back if the horse doesn’t run, may face Rule 4, and are settled on each way terms for the actual runners; bets placed before it keep their ante post rules.
The Grand National’s 72-Hour Declarations
The Grand National is a notable exception. Sporting Life reported in April 2026 that “The Grand National has become a 72-hour declaration race from this year onwards”, with 34 runners confirmed and six reserves waiting for a 1pm deadline on the Friday. That means the ante post phase ends earlier than for most races. Our Grand National page has the expected declaration timetable for the next running.
Ante Post Rules: What Happens if Your Horse Doesn’t Run
This is the rule that defines ante post betting. Sky Bet’s rules say: “Ante Post bets are accepted all in run or not. Stakes are lost on an Ante Post bet if a selection does not take part.” Its future racing page adds that “Unless otherwise specified all selections that are Non-Runners are counted as losers.”
Non-Runners Count as Losers
“All in, run or not” means your bet stands whatever happens to your horse. If it is injured, switched to another race, not declared or withdrawn on the morning, an ante post bet on standard terms is a losing bet.
When an Ante Post Bet Is Void
There are exceptions, and they come from the race rather than the horse. Under Tattersalls Rule 4(A), single ante-post bets placed before 10am on the day of the final declarations are void:
- If the race is abandoned.
- If the race is declared void.
- If the conditions of the race entry are changed before the start.
- If the venue is altered.
- If a horse is eliminated under the BHA’s Rules of Racing (for example, balloted out because there are more potential runners than the race allows).
If a race is postponed to another day, Tattersalls says ante-post bets placed before the entries closed still stand. Sky Bet’s rules also list an abandoned race as a reason for bets to be void.
Ante Post Multiples
Doubles and accumulators work differently. Tattersalls Rule 4(A) says that in those same circumstances “accumulative ante-post bets (win or place) will stand and be settled at the ante-post price(s) laid on the remaining horse(s)”. So if one race in an ante post double is abandoned, the other leg still counts at its ante post price. A non-running horse in a multiple, though, is a loser like any other ante post selection, so the whole multiple loses.
Non Runner No Bet (NRNB)
Non runner no bet is a bookmaker concession that turns the main ante post rule around: if your horse doesn’t run in the race, your stake is refunded. Sky Bet’s future racing rules put it this way: “After a race becomes Non-Runner No Bet, any Ante-Post bets placed on the Win or Each-Way market will be refunded if your selection does not run.”
How NRNB Works
With NRNB you still take a fixed price before the declarations, and that price still stands if your horse runs. The only change is what happens if it doesn’t: instead of losing, the bet is void and the stake comes back.
When Bookmakers Offer NRNB
NRNB is a promotional choice, not a rule. Bookmakers decide which races to offer it on and from when. The Racing Post reported in January 2018 that Sky Bet had become “the first firm to go non-runner, no bet on all 28 races” at that year’s Cheltenham Festival. Before declarations, check whether a race is marked NRNB on your slip. Once final declarations are made, Sky Bet’s rules treat every bet on the race as non runner no bet anyway.
What NRNB Doesn’t Cover
NRNB only protects you against your horse not running in the race you backed it for. It doesn’t refund you if the horse runs and loses, and it doesn’t follow a horse that runs in a different race at the same meeting. An NRNB price is still a fixed price, so compare it with the standard ante post price for the same horse before you choose. For festival specifics, see our Cheltenham betting guide.
A Non-Runner Example, With and Without NRNB
Say you have £10 to win on the same horse twice: once on standard ante post terms at 12/1, and once on NRNB terms at 10/1. These prices are examples only, chosen to show the arithmetic.
| Outcome | Standard ante post at 12/1 | NRNB at 10/1 |
|---|---|---|
| Horse doesn’t run | Lose £10 | £10 refunded |
| Runs and loses | Lose £10 | Lose £10 |
| Runs and wins | Return £130 | Return £110 |
The working: at 12/1, £10 wins £120 and with the £10 stake back the return is £130. At 10/1, £10 wins £100, so the return is £110. The difference of £20 is what the bigger price pays if the horse wins, and the £10 refund is what NRNB pays if it doesn’t run. Neither column is right or wrong; they price the same risk differently. Our odds calculator works out the return for any price and stake.
Does Rule 4 Apply to Ante Post Bets?
Generally, no, as long as the bet was struck before the final declarations. Rule 4(C) of the Tattersalls rules applies “Where a bet has been placed and a price taken on the day of the race and there is subsequently an official notification that a horse has been withdrawn”. An ante post bet is, by definition, placed before the day of the race.
What the Rules Say
The Tattersalls Committee Rules on Betting also exclude ante-post bets from other settlement rules, such as Rule 4(E), which settles most bets at SP when a reserve replaces a declared runner. Bookmakers write their own version. Sky Bet’s horse racing rules say that for ante post bets “Generally no Tattersalls Rule 4 deductions are made from winning bets, except in certain circumstances”, and its future racing page warns that “Tattersalls Rule 4 may apply” to bets placed after the declaration stage. The word “generally” matters: read your bookmaker’s rules for the exceptions.
A Rule 4 Example
You took £10 to win at 12/1 ante post in February. On the day, a horse priced at 3/1 is withdrawn after the market has formed, and your horse wins.
- Ante post bet: no deduction. £10 at 12/1 wins £120, and the return is £130.
- Same price taken on the day: under the Tattersalls scale, a 3/1 withdrawal means a deduction of 25p in the pound. Winnings of £120 lose £30, leaving £90, and the return is £100.
Our Rule 4 calculator has the full deduction table and handles more than one withdrawal.
Each Way Ante Post Bets
You can back a horse each way ante post, but the place terms work differently from betting on the day.
Place Terms Are Fixed When You Bet
Tattersalls Rule 3 says that “all each-way bets except ante-post bets will be settled on the actual number of starters”. Sky Bet’s rules state that “Ante Post bets are settled at the price and place terms applicable at the time of acceptance.” In other words, if the ante post market offered 1/4 the odds for four places when you placed the bet, those are your terms, even if the race ends up with a smaller field that would normally pay fewer places. If you need a refresher on place terms, see our guide to what an each way bet is.
An Each Way Ante Post Example
You place £5 each way (£10 in total) at 20/1 in a big handicap, with ante post terms of 1/4 the odds and four places. On the day, 14 horses run. Under the standard terms in Tattersalls Rule 3, a handicap with 12 to 15 runners pays three places at 1/4.
| Result | Win part | Place part | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | £105 | £30 | £135 |
| Finishes 2nd or 3rd | £0 | £30 | £30 |
| Finishes 4th | £0 | £30 | £30 |
| Finishes 5th or worse | £0 | £0 | £0 |
The working: the win part is £5 at 20/1, which wins £100 and returns £105. The place part is paid at 20/1 x 1/4 = 5/1, so £5 wins £25 and returns £30. Fourth place still pays because your terms were fixed at four places. A day-of-race each way bet in the same 14-runner race would only pay three places, so a fourth-placed finish would lose. Run your own numbers in our each way calculator.
Non-Runners and Each Way
Both halves of an ante post each way bet follow the same non-runner rule. On standard terms a non-runner loses both the win and the place stake, so £5 each way costs you £10. With NRNB, Sky Bet’s rule refunds win and each way bets, so the full £10 comes back.
Ante Post Price vs SP: A Worked Example
The ante post trade-off is a fixed early price against the risk that the horse never gets to the start. One example shows both sides.
Three Ways It Can Go
Suppose you can take 16/1 about a horse in December for a race in March. If you wait for the day, you will get whatever its price or starting price is then. Here are three possible outcomes for a £10 win bet:
| What happens | £10 ante post at 16/1 | £10 on the day at SP |
|---|---|---|
| Horse runs at an SP of 5/1 and wins | Return £170 | Return £60 |
| Horse runs at an SP of 25/1 and wins | Return £170 | Return £260 |
| Horse doesn’t run | Lose £10 | No bet placed, £0 |
The working: 16/1 on £10 wins £160, plus the stake, for £170. An SP of 5/1 returns £50 plus £10, so £60. An SP of 25/1 returns £250 plus £10, so £260. The ante post bet comes out ahead only if the horse runs and its price shortens; it comes out behind if the horse drifts or doesn’t run at all. Our guide to what SP means in horse racing explains how the starting price is returned.
Why Best Odds Guaranteed Doesn’t Help
Best odds guaranteed pays the SP if it is bigger than the price you took, but it is a day-of-race offer. Sky Bet’s terms say BOG “does not apply to ante post betting” and is “only applicable on bets placed on the day of the race between 9am and the start of the race.” So in the 25/1 row above, the ante post bet stays at 16/1. Our guide to best odds guaranteed covers how the offer works.
Ante Post Betting on the Big Festivals
Three of the best-known ante post races show how the timetable differs from race to race.
Cheltenham Festival
The Jockey Club lists the 2027 Cheltenham Festival for Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March 2027, with 28 races over the four days. Ante post markets on the championship races open long before the week itself, and a horse can be entered for more than one Festival race, so check which race your bet is on. Our Cheltenham Festival guide has the race list, and the Cheltenham betting guide linked above covers NRNB, extra places and each way terms for the week.
Grand National
The Grand National field is not settled until the 72-hour declarations, and reserves can still get in until the Friday deadline. A horse you back in January may not make the final 34 at all. For the betting side of the race, read our guide on how to bet on the Grand National.
The Derby
Wikipedia describes the Derby as run at Epsom Downs “on the first Saturday of June each year” over about a mile and a half, for three-year-olds. A bet struck over the winter is placed before most of the possible runners have raced at three, so a lot can change before the race.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ante Post Betting
Ante post betting isn’t better or worse than betting on the day. It is a different deal.
What Ante Post Offers
- A price taken early. Wikipedia describes the ante post bet as placed “in the expectation that the current price is more favorable than the price once that market opens”. That expectation can be right or wrong, as the table above shows.
- Usually no Rule 4. Withdrawals of other horses don’t reduce your winnings, in most cases.
- Fixed each way terms. You keep the place terms you accepted, even if the field shrinks.
Disadvantages of Ante Post Bets
- Non-runners lose. On standard terms, any reason the horse doesn’t run costs you the stake.
- Money tied up. Your stake sits with the bookmaker for weeks or months.
- No BOG and no SP. If the horse drifts, you can’t be paid the bigger price.
- Long exposure to things you can’t control. Injury, a change of plan, the going or a ballot can all end the bet before the race.
Whatever you choose, treat any ante post stake as money you can afford to lose: it may be gone months before the race is run.
Betting always carries a risk of loss and no tipster, system or staking plan can guarantee a profit. Only stake what you can afford to lose, and set a budget before you start. Gambling responsibly.
Frequently asked questions
Usually not. Tattersalls Rule 4(C) covers prices taken on the day of the race, and ante post bets are struck before that. Bookmakers word it as generally no deduction, with exceptions in their own rules. Bets placed after final declarations can be hit by Rule 4.
The main one is that on standard terms you lose your stake if the horse doesn't run, for any reason. Your money is also tied up for weeks, best odds guaranteed doesn't apply, and if the horse drifts you are stuck with the shorter price you took.
Only in specific cases. A single ante post bet is void, with the stake returned, if the race is abandoned or declared void, the venue changes or the horse is balloted out. If the horse simply doesn't run, you only get the stake back on non runner no bet terms.
On a bet placed on the day of the race, yes: a non-runner's stake is returned, and other winning bets may face a Rule 4 deduction. On an ante post bet struck before final declarations, the stake is lost unless the bookmaker offered non runner no bet.
Trainers withdraw horses for many reasons, from injury or illness to a change of plan. Changes in the ground are a common one: the BHA noted, when it kept 48-hour declarations for jumps racing, that earlier declarations can lead to non-runners after the going changes.
They are fixed prices offered before the final declarations, and the price you take is the one you are paid at. They move as news comes in, so a horse can shorten or drift for months. Fractional odds work as usual: 16/1 means £16 profit for every £1 staked.