Can Horse Trainers Bet on Races?
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 3 min read
It’s a common belief that horse trainers aren’t allowed to bet at all. In fact, in the major racing countries the rule is narrower: a trainer may back a horse to win, including their own, but must never bet against a horse in their care. Jockeys face much stricter rules. The detail depends on where the race is run.
The rule in Britain
British racing is regulated by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Its integrity code for participants sets out who may bet and how:
- Trainers must not lay any horse under their care or control to lose a race. Backing a horse to win is not banned.
- Owners must not lay a horse they own to lose.
- Stable staff must not lay a horse trained by anyone who employed them in the previous 21 days.
- Jockeys must not bet on horse racing at all, in Britain or overseas, and must not lay any horse. They also can’t receive money from a bet placed for them.
“Laying” means betting that a horse will lose, usually on a betting exchange. It is banned for connections because someone who controls a horse, or knows something the market doesn’t, could profit from making sure it doesn’t win.
There are also strict rules on inside information: participants must not pass on information about a horse for reward, and must not regularly pass it to people outside the horse’s connections. Breaking these rules is a corrupt practice under the Rules of Racing, and the BHA can fine, suspend or ban those involved. For a real example, see our guide to whether horse racing is fixed.
The rule in the US
In the US, horse racing is regulated state by state, so the betting rules sit in each state’s racing regulations. Many follow the same principle as Britain. Nevada’s racing regulations, for example, say:
- A trainer “shall only be allowed to wager on the trainer’s horse or entries to win or finish first in combination with other horses.” In other words, a trainer can bet their horse to win, or on top in an exacta, trifecta or other exotic bet, but can’t bet it to finish anywhere else, and can’t bet against it.
- An owner faces the same restriction on their own horse.
- A jockey may only bet on a race they’re riding in, on their own mount to win or on top in a multiple bet, and only if the owner or trainer places the bet for them and records are kept for the stewards.
Other states word it differently, so the rule at any given track is the one in that state’s regulations.
Why the rules work this way
The logic is simple. A trainer who backs their own horse to win wants the horse to run its best, which is exactly what bettors want too. A trainer who bets against their own horse has a reason to stop it winning, and has the means to do so. That is the conflict of interest the rules are designed to remove. Jockeys are restricted further because they control the horse in the race itself.
What it means if you’re betting
When you see a horse heavily backed in the morning, it may be the stable’s money, but it may just as easily be a tipster’s followers or a big bettor’s opinion. Market moves are worth noticing, never worth blindly following.
To see what a price is really saying about a horse’s chances, our odds calculator turns any price into an implied probability, and the odds converter switches between fractional, decimal and American odds. The bet calculator works out what any bet pays.
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
In Britain and in many US states, yes, but only to win. Trainers must never bet against a horse in their care. In the US the exact rule is set by each state's racing regulations.
Not in Britain: BHA-licensed jockeys may not bet on any horse race. Some US states let a jockey bet on their own mount to win, through the owner or trainer and with records kept.
Yes, owners can back their own horses, but they must not bet against them. In Britain owners must not lay a horse they own to lose.