• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cheltenham Betting Offers

  • Home
  • Free Bets
  • Meetings
    • New Year’s Day Meeting
    • Festival Trials Day
    • Cheltenham Festival
    • April Meeting
    • Race Night
    • Showcase Meeting
    • November Meeting
    • International Meeting
  • News
  • Articles
    • Stats & Trends

What Is The Starting Price In Racing & Should You Take It?

sp starting priceSometimes referred to as the ‘SP’, the Starting Price in horse racing is the price offered by bookmakers at the time at which a race gets underway. Whilst the prices are set by the on-course bookmakers, there’s an extent to which the SP is governed by betting placed on the exchanges. Typically, bookies will offer punters the chance to either bet at the price offered at the time of the wager, the fixed price, or else the Starting Price.

There are pros and cons to taking a Starting Price, including the fact that there’s just as much chance that it could drift to longer than the price offered at the time of placing the bet as there is that it will come shorter. In other words, you might get better value or it might end up being worse, so you need to consider both options. The best thing to do is to place your wager with a bookmaker at fixed odds offering a Best Odds Guarantee, meaning if the SP is higher you will get those odds anyway.

The Starting Price Explained

explainedThere are a number of things that can influence the odds offered by a bookmaker on a horse. In the build-up to a race, bookies will consider the likes of the horse’s form as well as the talent and ability of the jockey likely to ride it. The other horses taking part in a race will also be taken into account ahead of time, because bookmakers want to consider how likely or otherwise each horse is to win the race or finish in the places.

If the race is a handicap event then how much weight a horse will be asked to carry will enter the thoughts of the bookies, usually compared to how it has done in similar races in the past when asked to carry that amount of weight or more. In short, there are a wealth of things that bookmakers will consider ahead of the race to decide what price to offer on each horse that is taking part in the event.

That is all thought of ahead of the race, usually in the days and weeks prior. Once race day has arrived, on-course bookmakers will then adjust their prices up and down depending on how much is being bet on a horse by punters at the racecourse. A large amount of money being placed on one horse will inevitably see its price drop, mainly because the bookmakers are trying to protect themselves from heavy losses.

If many people are all betting on the same horse then bookies have to consider the fact that there’s something that some people know that they don’t. They will be desperate not to lose too much money, so the price will come in. Equally, if not many people are betting on a different horse then that horse’s price will go out, with bookmakers assuming that punters have seen something that they don’t know about.

With prices moving up and down in advance of a race, there has to be a way of recording what the final price was that a horse went off at. That is the Starting Price, which is the final price offered by bookmakers before they stopped taking bets and the race got underway. It’s entirely up to the bettors whether they want to wait and see what this price will be or not.

How The Starting Price Is Decided

bookies at cheltenham before start of racing

In days gone by, the Starting Price was set exclusively by on-course bookmakers. Whilst that’s still largely the case, the proliferation of betting exchanges means that they have a bigger influence over the SP than in the past. That is also aided and abetted by the ever-dwindling attendances at racecourses and the fact that the sheer amount of racing has increased, making it tougher for the bookies to be on top of everything.

Given that several bookmakers could all offer a different Starting Price on the same horse, there has to be a method by which the SP is calculated. This differs from country to country, but generally speaking there is a panel of bookies that are used and the consensus of their odds is taken. The method of calculating the Starting Price of a horse is outlined in the following manner:

  • Prices are ordered in a list from longest to shortest
  • The list is divided into equal halves
  • The Starting Price is the shortest odds that are available in the list that contains the longest odds

By using this method, it can be made certain that either the Starting Price itself or else a longer price was offered by at least half of the bookmakers in any given sample.

Should You Take A Starting Price?

long oddsThere are a number of reasons why a punter might consider taking a Starting Price rather than the Fixed Odds price offered at the time of placing a bet. Obviously you’ll have no idea what the Starting Price will be, so accepting it isn’t without a degree of risk. Statistics show, however, that the majority of bets are placed in the final five minutes or so before a race is about to get underway, which is when odds are at their most volatile.

Because of the natural volatility around odds when a race is fast approaching, bettors will often want to wait until the last moment before placing their wagers. This isn’t always possible, however, so the use of the Starting Price offer makes sense. Knowing that you want to bet on a horse is one thing, but you might have noticed that its odds were 9/1 the morning of the race and had drifted to 12/1 two hours before.

In that sort of instance, it goes without saying that you might want to wait for as long as possible in the hope that it keeps drifting. Opting for the Starting Price allows you to do just that, even if there’s no guarantee that they’ll drift out as opposed to coming in. In reality, a horse’s odds drifting usually indicates that they’re more likely to keep drifting than to come in much, so the SP option is the sensible one to take.

Bets Odds Guarantee

best price guaranteedThere is an inherent risk in taking a Starting Price on a horse, which will encourage many to opt for the price that they’re offered at the time of taking a bet. It makes sense; after all, you would be really disappointed if you accepted a price of, say, 5/1 and your chosen horse drifted out to 9/1 by the time the race got underway. One thing that you can do to mitigate this risk is by looking for a bookmaker that offers a Best Odds Guarantee.

The idea behind the Best Odds Guarantee is that you will be paid out at the higher price if the Starting Price for the horse that you’ve bet on ends up being longer than the Fixed Odds price that you took when you placed your wager. In other words, if you place a bet three hours before the race at odds of 5/1 and its Starting Price ends up at 9/1, you’ll be paid out at 9/1 rather than the 5/1 that you took earlier in the day.

One thing to bear in mind is that bookmakers tend not to offer the Best Odds Guarantee on ante-post bets. The whole point about betting ante-post is that you take a risk in doing so, being offered longer odds as a reward. If you were offered Best Odds Guarantee as well then that risk would be removed, so bookies don’t want to do it.

They will, however, often promote the Best Odds Guarantee on ante-post bets placed on the biggest races, such as the Grand National or the Cheltenham Festival.

Primary Sidebar

Cheltenham Free Bets

Meetings at Cheltenham

  • Cheltenham Festival
    • Champion Day
    • Ladies Day
    • St Patrick’s Thursday
    • Gold Cup Day
  • Festival Trials Day
  • New Year’s Day
  • November Meeting
    • Countryside Day
    • Gold Cup Day
    • November Meeting Sunday
  • Race Night
  • Showcase Meeting
    • The Showcase Friday
    • The Showcase Saturday
  • The April Meeting
    • April Meeting Day One
    • April Meeting Day Two
  • The International Meeting
    • International Friday
    • International Saturday

Race Types

  • Amateur Races
  • Championship Races
  • Conditions Races
  • Cross Country Races
  • Cup Races
  • Fillies' Races
  • Grade 1 Races
  • Grade 2 Races
  • Grade 3 Races
  • Handicap Races
  • Hurdle Races
  • Juvenile Races
  • Listed Races
  • Maiden Races
  • Mares' Races
  • Novices' Races
  • Premier Handicap Races
  • Standard Open Flat Races
  • Steeplechase Races
  • Trial Races
  • Trophy Races
  • Discontinued Races

Latest News

  • 2023 Cheltenham Festival Attendance Significantly Down On 2022
  • Why Is Horse Racing More at Risk from the Gambling Review?
  • Cheltenham Festival 2023 Review: Constitution Hill Is A Superstar, Mullins & The Irish At It Again
  • Soft Ground Expected For Cheltenham Following Snow
  • Will Willie Mullins Train More Winners Than Britain At The 2023 Cheltenham Festival?

Articles

  • Why Was The 2001 Cheltenham Festival Cancelled?
  • What Is The National Stud?
  • What Is A NAP?
  • Did The Romans Create Our Love Of Racing & Gambling?
  • The Biggest Bets Placed On Horse Racing
  • What Is The Maximum Field Size?
  • Careers In Racing
  • What Happens To A Horse When It Falls
  • Do Bookies Leave Racecourses Early To Avoid Paying Out?
  • Are There Any Truly Wild Horses?
  • Who Are The BHA?
  • Origins Of Steeplechasing
  • Is Horse Racing Too Traditional? Why Is It So Confusing?
  • Robot Horse Racing
  • Are There More Fatalities On Hard Ground In Horse Racing?
  • Types Of Jump Racing Fences
  • Biggest Comebacks In Horse Racing
  • Difference Between A Hurdle & A Fence In Jump Racing
  • What Are Hurdles & Fences Made From?
  • Why Are Race Distances Measured In Miles, Furlongs & Yards
  • Stag And Hen Do's At Cheltenham
  • Each-Way vs Place Betting: Which Is Better?
  • What Are Final Declarations
  • Does Illegal Horse Racing Still Happen?
  • What Is Pony Racing? How Is It Different To Horse Racing?
  • Ladies At The Races
  • What Do Nose, Head, Neck and Length Mean?
  • What Is A Furlong?
  • When Is A Race Declared Void?
  • False Starts In Horse Racing
  • What Are Official Ratings in Horse Racing?
  • Can You Run A Race With Only One Horse?
  • What Is Point To Point Racing
  • Best Day Of The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Much Does It Cost To Buy and Train a Racehorse?
  • Cheltenham Festival Ticket Types
  • How Much Does Racing Make From The Betting Levy?
  • Are There Less Horse Deaths In Racing Today?
  • Origins Of Jockey Silks In Horse Racing & Rules
  • Can A Jockey Remount A Horse?
  • What Happens If No Horse Wins A Race?
  • Why Do Horses Jump Fences?
  • How High and Far Can A Horse Jump?
  • Use Of The Whip In Horse Racing
  • What Are The Different Types Of Racehorses?
  • Who Sponsors Cheltenham Races
  • How Do Racehorse Owner Syndicates Work?
  • How Much Do Racehorses Weigh?
  • How Does Travelling Affect Racehorse Performance?
  • What PPE Do Jockeys Wear And Why?
  • Can Racehorses Overheat?
  • Benefits Of Owning Race Horses
  • What Is The Top Speed Of A Racehorse?
  • Do Racehorses Have Special Diets & Nutrition?
  • How Are Racehorses Transported & What Are The Rules
  • What Happened To All-Weather Jumps Racing?
  • What Was Tic Tac? The Sign Language For On-Course Bookmakers
  • The Road To Cheltenham
  • Retraining of Racehorses
  • What Happens To Retired Racehorses?
  • Horse Racing Mix-Ups
  • Youngest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • What Are Blinkers & Why Do Race Horses Wear Them?
  • How Long Do You Have To Claim A Winning Bet At A Racecourse?
  • Female Jockey Pioneers
  • Oldest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • Record Jockey Wins For Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Record Trainer Wins For Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Cheltenham Festival Races Record Horse Wins
  • Biggest Prize Money Races At The Cheltenham Festival
  • The Life Of A Racing Jockey
  • Races With The Most Fences At The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Often Do Mares' Win At The Cheltenham Festival
  • Average Winner Age Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Longest Races At The Cheltenham Festival
  • Cheltenham Festival's Newest Races
  • How Often Does the Favourite Win at the Cheltenham Festival?
  • Average Winner Odds Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Cheltenham Festival Stats & Trends
  • Veganism & Horse Racing
  • Horse Doping In Horse Racing
  • Most Feared Fences In Horse Racing
  • Jockey Injuries
  • How To Become A Jockey
  • Horse Injuries
  • What Is Going In Horse Racing
  • Richest Races In Horse Racing
  • What Is The Starting Price In Racing
  • When Is The Best Time To Bet Ante-Post
  • Impact Of Wetter Winters On UK Jump Racing
  • How Long Do Racehorses Live For?
  • How Much Do Jockeys Weigh?
  • Rules For Naming Race Horses
  • What Is A Dead Heat In Horse Racing?
  • Who Would Win A Race Between A Horse And A Dog?
  • What Makes A Good Jump Stayer?
  • What Is A Stewards Enquiry?
  • Why Are Horses Disqualified and Who Decides?
  • Courses At Cheltenham: Old, New and Cross Country
  • How Are Jump Horses Trained Differently To Flat Horses?
  • Longest Odds Winners In Horse Racing History
  • How Much Money Is Bet At Cheltenham?
  • How Much Is Cheltenham Worth To The Economy?
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Owners
  • Accessibility At Cheltenham The Cheltenham Festival
  • Cheltenham Festival's Oldest Race Still Running
  • Biggest Female Trainers
  • Celebrity Race Horse Owners
  • Can Jockeys, Trainers & Owners Bet?
  • British vs Irish Trainers And Stables At Cheltenham
  • Things To Do & Places To Visit In Cheltenham
  • The Royal Family And The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Much Does It Cost To Be An On-Course Bookmaker?
  • How Much Money Do Race Horse Owners Make?
  • How Much Money Do Trainers Make?
  • Cheltenham Race Types
  • Cheltenham Hotels & Cheltenham Festival Accommodation
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Trainers
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Jockeys
  • Top 10 Cheltenham Festival Horses
  • How Much Money Do Jockeys Make?
  • Richest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • Getting To Cheltenham Racecourse
  • Cheltenham Festival vs Grand National, Which Is Better?
  • Cheltenham Racecourse History
  • Why Is The Cheltenham Festival So Big?
  • Cheltenham Festival History
  • The Prestbury Cup
  • Cheltenham Festival Quiz
  • Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer
  • Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey
  • Cheltenham Racecourse During The War
  • Ante-Post Betting - Risk vs Reward
  • Jump Racing Distances
  • How to Read a Race Card
  • How To Bet On Horse Racing
  • Disqualification, Non-Runners and Rule 4
  • Age, Sex and Weight in Horse Racing
  • History And About National Hunt Racing
  • A-Z Glossary Of Horse Racing Terms
  • Horse Racing News, Statistics & Blogs
  • Live Streaming of Horse Racing
  • Live Betting In Play On Horse Racing
  • Cash Out And Partial Cash Out On Horse Racing
  • Grades and Classes In National Hunt Jump Racing

Offers

  • Cheltenham Free Bets
  • Irish Free Bets
  • Acca Offers For Horse Racing
  • Extra Places Each-Way & Enhanced Each Way Terms Cheltenham Festival 2024
  • Horse Racing Loyalty Free Bet Clubs
  • Horse Racing Money Back
  • Best Odds Guaranteed For The Cheltenham Festival
  • Tote and Totepool Betting
  • Lucky Bets and Bonuses For Horse Racing
  • Non-Runner No Bet
  • Free Bets And Bonuses For Winners
  • Best Odds Guaranteed For Horse Racing
  • Faller & Fail To Finish Insurance For Horse Racing

Copyright © 2023 CheltenhamBettingOffers.com | 18+ Gamble Aware | Privacy & Cookie Policy