Non-runners happen in horse racing quite a lot as trainers, owners and jockeys sometimes feel as though their horse that was entered into a race no longer as a good chance of running well, or they might’ve picked up an injury.
We have already explained to you what happens when there are non-runners in a race you have a bet on, which is also described as Rule 4, but what if your each-way bet becomes a win-only?
There is a chance of this happening. Let’s say you back a horse in the each-way market and when you bet on it, there are six runners in the field, but then, a couple could be withdrawn and that means the bookies are no longer offering each-way money. The race becomes a win-only race.
Now, if you have backed a horse after the final declarations have been made, your each-way bet will turn into a win-only bet. So, for example, instead of £2 each-way, you now have £4 on it to win. Unless it finishes first, you won’t get any returns.
Although this sounds harsh, the bookies have to keep the betting fair and if there are suddenly only four horses involved, they can’t possibly offer each-way money as the horse has a big chance of finishing in the top two.
It is worth noting that this does not apple to bets placed in the ante-post market.
For this reason, it might be worth looking at slightly larger fields when it comes to each-way betting. We usually look for at least eight horses in a field. Very rarely will you have so many non-runners that these sort of races become win-only.
