Extra Place Races: Which Bookies Are Offering Extra Places on Today’s Horse Racing?

Each way betting is one of the most popular forms of betting on horses. For those of you who aren’t aware what an each way bet is, it is essentially two bets broken down into a win bet and a place bet. The place part of an each way bet is the most important section for this article as we look at how extra place offers work.

The place half of an each way bet means that your selection would need to finish within a certain number of places for your bet to be successful. For example, you backed a horse each way with three places paid and your horse finishes third, then your bet would get a return. If they finished fourth or lower, then your bet would lose. What extra places give you is additional chances for your each way selections.

Horse Racing Extra Place Offers For Today

There are usually enhanced odds available each day on races in Britain, Ireland and from international meetings in countries such as the USA, France and Australia. These tend to be available on the day the races are run so check the terms of individual offers to be certain. On larger races such as the Grand National, enhanced places may be available for a number of days or even weeks prior to the start of the race.

Horse Racing Places

One of the most popular sports where each way betting is utilised is horse racing. Once you’ve picked the horse that you would like to back, the next choice is whether to back it to win or each way. When betting each way, you are actually placing two bets. The first is for your horse to win, the second is for your horse to place. The number of places depends on both the number of runners, and whether the race your are betting on is a handicap or is a non-handicap.

Non-Handicap Races

Non-handicap races are where there is a set weight carried for all horses in that particular race. When referring to weight, we are talking about the jockey, plus the saddle, plus any additional weight carried in a weight cloth, to make the set weight.

Rather confusingly, not all horses in a non-handicap race will necessarily carry the same weight. This is because there are often allowances (weight reductions) for fillies and mares and younger horses, and there can be penalties (additional weight) for winning races such as group races. Inexperienced jockeys can also carry a claim, which is a set number of pounds that they take off from the weight carried during the race.

The standard number of places for each way bets in non-handicap races are shown in the chart below.

2-4 Runners

As you can see, for races of between 2 and 4 runners, only the first place, the race winner, counts as a place. Where this occurs, the place terms are known as ‘Win Only’. If you had placed an each way bet on a race with between 2 and 4 runners, all of your stake, both the win and the each way part, is wagered on your horse to win. Why would you bet each way on a race with 4 runners or less? This could either be an error, or there could be non-runners, where there were enough runners for more than one place at the time of placing your bet.

5-7 Runners

Where there are between 5 and 7 runners there will be two places for each way bets. This means that horse finishing both first and second count as being ‘placed’. Although there is only one other place for a horse that doesn’t win, you may have a race with a short priced favourite with a runner that you think is the best of the rest with an outside chance of finishing in first place.

8 or More Runners

In non-handicap races, any race with 8 or more runners will have three places, i.e. the placed horse will be those finishing first, second or third. Seasoned each way punters will sometimes look for races with eight runners, referred to as a ‘dead eight’ with the view that it is the smallest number or runners for an each way bet getting three places. The problem here however is just one non-runner will mean there’s only two places.

Handicap Races

Handicap races are where horses carry weight according to their official rating, the higher the rating, the more weight is carried. Again, by weight we mean that of the jockey and the saddle with additional weights added to reach the desired mark.

Handicaps will feature horse rated within a certain rating band. The idea is to ‘handicap’ the better horses in relation to the lower rated horses. In theory, a perfectly handicapped race would see all horses finish in straight line, a dead-heat for first place between all the runners. Of course in practise this doesn’t happen.

The number of places in handicap races is shown below.

2-4 Runners

Exactly as with non-handicap races, these races are win only for handicaps. This means that only first place counts as a place with both parts of an each way bet settled on the horse to win.

5-7 Runners

Handicaps of 5 to 7 runners have two places, as they do for non-handicaps. Horses finishing first a second are the placed runners.

8-15 Runners

Again, as with non-handicaps, 8 runners is the threshold for three places in horse racing. This applies to races up to and including 15 runners as handicaps with more runners have an additional place not offered to non-handicap races.

16+ Runners

Here we have the key difference between handicap and non-handicap races. Handicaps with 16 or more runners have 4 places, meaning that horse finishing first, second, third and fourth will count as being placed.

Place Terms – 1/4 or a 1/5

When betting each way, should your horse not win but does finish in the places, you will get a return but at a fraction of the odds that horse was to win. This fraction will generally be either 1/4 or 1/5. Which of these it is will depend on the number of runners and also whether the race is a handicap or a non-handicap.

Standard Horse Race Place Terms

2-4 Runners

As you can see, for both handicaps and non-handicaps, all each way money is placed on the horse to win so the fractional reduction is not a consideration.

5-7 Runners

For both handicaps and non-handicaps, the placed part of the each way horses here will be settled at 1/4 of the odds.

8-12 Runners

Each way bets here will be settled at 1/5 odds for both handicaps and non-handicaps.

12+ Runners Non-Handicaps

Essentially non-handicaps with 8 or more runners will be settled at 1/5 odds regardless of the number of runners, unless you find enhanced terms of course!

12+ Runner Handicaps

Unlike non-handicaps, if you bet each way on a handicaps with 12 runners or more, your bet will be settled at 1/4 odds for each way bets. This will be 1/4 odds with three places for races with 12-15 runners, and 1/4 with four places for races with 16+ runners.

How do Extra Place Offers Work in Horse Racing?

For the most part, extra place offers in horse racing do exactly as they say on the tin. For races which would normally have 2 places you get 3, for races that normally have 3 places you get 4 and for races that normally have 4 places you get 5 places paid. This extra place could make all the difference if you narrowly miss out on the standard each way terms.

There aren’t a whole lot of rules to consider when you are putting a bet on that has extra places. One key point to look out for however is the minimum number of runners required for the specified extra places to remain valid. Non-runners in a race could well change the standard place terms and the same is true for extra places. If the number of runners drops below a certain number, the place terms may revert to the standard offering. Another point to note is extra place races will often be settled at 1/5 odds as opposed the occasions where they would be a 1/4. Check individual offers for the exact terms on this.