Ante Post Betting Explained

Ante post bets are bets placed in advance of the event – in horse racing this means bets placed prior to the overnight declaration stage.

All the big races would be available well in advance of the day of the race as many punters like to pick a horse early in the season when they are a big price as they think they have a good chance at a big race later in the season.

Examples of races where ante-post betting would be available:

-Cheltenham Festival
-Aintree Grand National
-Epsom Derby
-Epsom Oaks
-1000 Guineas
-2000 Guineas
-Dubai World Cup
-Breeders Cup
-Kentucky Derby

An advantage of this type of betting is that you may get a better price for a horse than if you waited for the declarations.

The main disadvantage of ante post betting is that if your horse doesn’t run it is considered a loser – ante post bets are accepted all in run or not.

Although ante post betting is popular in horse racing the same rules can apply across all sporting events.

Non runner No Bet

For really big races like the Aintree Grand National and big festivals like the March meeting at Cheltenham, most bookmakers will suspend ante post rules early and declare ‘Non runner No Bet’

What this means is that if your horse does not run you will get your stake back whereas normally it would be considered a loser under ante-post rules.

The racing pages will either say ‘Non runner No Bet’ or ‘Ante Post rules apply’. If you need clarification, contact your bookmaker directly and they’ll be glad to explain.