A non-runner is a horse declared to run that is withdrawn before the race. It happens at most meetings, usually in the morning when a trainer decides the ground is wrong or a horse is not right, and occasionally at the start. What happens to your bet depends on 2 things: what type of bet it was, and whether it was struck before or after the final declaration stage.
Win and each-way singles
If your horse is withdrawn and your bet was placed after the final declarations, you get your stake back. The bet is void. This applies to win singles and to both halves of an each-way single. Most bookmakers return the money automatically within minutes.
If you backed a different horse in the same race at a fixed price, your bet stands but may carry a Rule 4 deduction, set by the price of the withdrawn horse at the time it came out. Your each-way terms can also change: standard place terms depend on the number of runners at the off, so a 16-runner handicap that loses a horse pays 3 places instead of 4, and an 8-runner race that loses one pays 2 instead of 3. The bookmaker does not have to warn you.
Multiples
In a double, treble, accumulator or any of the full-cover bets, a withdrawn horse makes that leg void and the bet carries on without it. A treble becomes a double. A fourfold becomes a treble. Your stake is not refunded; it rolls into the shortened bet.
In a Lucky 15, the single on the non-runner is void and the stake on that single comes back to you. Every double, treble and fourfold that included the non-runner is settled as the smaller bet. Work it through and a Lucky 15 with one non-runner becomes a Patent on the other 3 horses at double the unit stake (6 singles, 6 doubles, 2 trebles, 14 lines) plus 1 unit refunded. Nothing is lost, but the one-winner consolation, if the bookmaker offers one, usually no longer applies once a leg is void; that varies by bookmaker, check the terms. The multiples guide covers the bet structures.
Rule 4 applies within multiples too. If another leg of your treble was in the same race as a withdrawal, that leg’s odds are reduced accordingly.
Ante-post bets
Ante-post is betting on a race before the final declaration stage, often weeks or months ahead. The deal is: you get a bigger price than you would on the day, and in return you take the risk that the horse does not run. If it is withdrawn, you lose your stake. No refund, no void.
Rule 4 does not apply to ante-post bets. If the favourite is pulled out of a big race 2 weeks before, your 20/1 about a rival stays at 20/1. That is the one advantage of ante-post on the other side of the ledger.
NRNB
Non-runner no bet (NRNB), sometimes written non-runner money back, is a concession that turns an ante-post bet into something closer to a day-of-race bet. If your horse does not run, your stake is refunded. Most bookmakers offer NRNB on major festival races in the days or weeks before the meeting, and on some big handicaps once the field is set.
The catch is price. NRNB markets are usually shorter than the same markets without it, because the bookmaker has taken on the non-runner risk. Whether to take 10/1 NRNB or 14/1 all-in depends on how likely the horse is to run. A horse with a clear single target is a safer all-in bet than one holding 3 entries over the same weekend.
Some firms apply a Rule 4-style deduction to NRNB bets when a horse is withdrawn, others do not. It varies by bookmaker; check the terms.
Why horses are withdrawn
The BHA sets the rules on non-runners. A trainer must give a reason, and the acceptable reasons fall into a few groups.
Veterinary. The horse is lame, has a temperature, has been cast in its box or has some other identifiable problem. A horse withdrawn on a vet’s certificate is subject to a short stand-down before it can race again.
Self-certification. Trainers can certify a horse as a non-runner themselves, without a vet, for a limited set of reasons. The BHA monitors each trainer’s non-runner rate and can remove the right to self-certify from trainers whose rate is far above average, a measure introduced after a 2017 review found a small number of yards accounting for a disproportionate share of withdrawals.
Going changed. If the official going changes after declarations, a trainer can withdraw on that basis. The BHA tracks horses withdrawn repeatedly for going reasons and can hold an inquiry if a pattern develops.
Other. Travel problems, a horse getting loose at the start, or being withdrawn by the starter for being unruly.
Late withdrawals, after the morning deadline, carry higher fines because they do most damage to the betting market.
Worked example
You have a £10 win treble on horses A, B and C at 3/1, 2/1 and 4/1. Horse B is withdrawn at 10:30. The treble becomes a £10 double on A and C. Both win: £10 x 4 x 5 = £200 returned.
Separately, in horse A’s race, the 6/4 favourite is withdrawn at the start, triggering a 40p Rule 4 deduction. Horse A’s 3/1 is reduced for settling purposes: winnings on each pound drop from £3 to £1.80, so the effective odds are 1.8/1. The double becomes £10 x 2.8 x 5 = £140.
If instead the treble had been ante-post, struck before declarations, horse B’s withdrawal would have lost you the whole £10, and horse A’s price would have stood at 3/1 with no deduction.
Quick rules
- A withdrawn horse voids a single and returns your stake, unless the bet was ante-post.
- In multiples the void leg drops out and the bet continues as a smaller bet.
- Ante-post bets lose if the horse does not run, unless you took NRNB.
- NRNB gives you the refund but usually at a shorter price. Rule 4 on NRNB bets varies by bookmaker; check the terms.
- Non-runners change each-way place terms and trigger Rule 4 on fixed-price bets in the same race.
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