Is Horse Racing Fixed?
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 4 min read
Horse racing as a whole is not fixed. Most races are run on their merits, and an upset is usually just an upset. But cheating does happen: horses have been stopped, information has been sold and horses have been doped, and some of those involved have been banned or sent to prison. The honest answer is that racing has a real integrity problem at the edges, and a large system built to catch it.
Proven cases of cheating
The best way to judge the question is by the cases that have actually been proven.
Doping in the US: the 2020 federal indictments
In March 2020, US federal prosecutors charged 27 people, including the trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro, over a scheme to give racehorses performance-enhancing drugs. Navarro pleaded guilty and was sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $26 million in restitution. Servis, who trained Maximum Security, the horse first past the post in the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified for interference, pleaded guilty in December 2022 to misbranding and adulterating drugs and was later sentenced to four years in prison.
Stopping horses in Britain: the Eddie Ahern case
In 2013 the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) banned the jockey Eddie Ahern for ten years. A disciplinary panel found him guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt practice, of failing to ensure a horse was ridden on its merits, and of passing information for reward, in races between September 2010 and February 2011. The information was used to lay horses to lose on betting exchanges.
Not every accusation is proven
Racing also has high-profile cases that collapsed. In December 2007 the race-fixing trial of the champion jockey Kieren Fallon and five other men in London ended when the judge ruled there was no case to answer and directed their acquittal. Allegations are not the same as proof, and it is worth treating rumors on social media with the same caution.
Who polices racing
In Britain
- The BHA integrity team monitors the betting markets on every British race in real time, looking for unusual patterns, and runs an intelligence unit that works with bookmakers and betting exchanges, which share data on suspicious bets.
- The Rules of Racing ban jockeys from betting and ban trainers, owners and stable staff from laying their own horses. See can horse trainers bet on races for the details.
- The Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit handles reports of betting-related corruption and works with sports bodies and the police.
- Drug testing of horses is carried out on race days and out of competition.
In the US
- The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) was created by a federal law signed in December 2020. Its Racetrack Safety Program started on July 1, 2022, and its national Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program the following May, run by an independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU).
- State racing commissions still license participants and supervise the stewards at each track.
Why upsets don’t mean a race was fixed
Most “fixed” accusations come from a beaten favorite. But favorites lose most races: the odds tell you a horse’s chance, not a certainty. A horse at 2/1 is priced to win about one race in three, so it is expected to lose two in three. Pace, the draw, the going, traffic in running and plain bad luck all change results.
If you want to see what a price really implies, put it into our odds calculator, which turns odds into an implied probability. The odds converter switches between fractional, decimal and American odds.
How to protect yourself as a bettor
- Bet only with licensed operators. In Britain that means a bookmaker licensed by the Gambling Commission. Licensed operators must report suspicious betting and follow rules on fairness.
- Be wary of “inside information” for sale. Anyone selling guaranteed winners or fixed races is at best exaggerating and at worst running a scam. Our guide to judging racing tips explains what genuine proofing looks like.
- Keep stakes sensible. No bet is a certainty, fixed or not.
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
Not as a whole. Proven cheating cases exist, such as US doping prosecutions and British bans for stopping horses, but every British race is monitored for unusual betting and US racing now has a national anti-doping program.
The British Horseracing Authority's integrity team investigates breaches of the Rules of Racing, and the Gambling Commission's Sports Betting Intelligence Unit handles reports of betting-related corruption.
Because their odds only say they have the best chance, not a certain one. A 2/1 favorite is priced to win about one race in three, so it is expected to lose more often than it wins.