Go deeper before the next race.
Open every racecard in full and get your research done before they go to post.
- 14racecard tabs per race
- 20+bookmaker prices side by side
- Trackeralerts when your horses are declared
30-day free trial
£0today
Start my 30-day free trialBy continuing you agree to our Terms and Intellectual Property and Acceptable Use policy.
£0 today. Card on step 2. £24.99 from day 31.Cancel any time.
Key takeaways
- A Rule 4 deduction comes off the winnings, never the stake, when a horse is withdrawn after your bet was struck and no new market could be formed.
- The deduction depends on the withdrawn horse's price, from 90p in the pound for a 1/9 shot down to nothing for a horse bigger than 14/1.
- If a 2/1 favourite is withdrawn, the deduction is 30p in the pound, so £30 winnings on a £10 bet at 3/1 become £21.
- Deductions for two or more withdrawals are added together, but the total deduction cannot exceed 90p in the pound.
- Rule 4 applies to SP bets only when a horse is withdrawn too late for a new market to be formed, such as at the start.
Why does Rule 4 exist in horse racing betting?
Rule 4 exists because when a horse is withdrawn, every remaining runner's chance improves, so prices taken earlier are bigger than they should now be, and the deduction adjusts winnings to reflect the smaller field.
If a strong 2/1 favourite is withdrawn at the start, a horse you backed at 5/1 now has a better chance than 5/1 implied, because a rival that the market thought would win about a third of the time has gone. Without Rule 4, everyone holding a price on the other runners would be paid as if the favourite had run. The rule, part of the Tattersalls rules that bookmakers apply, shares that windfall back.
The deduction is taken from winnings only. Your stake is always returned in full on a winning bet. The size of the deduction rises with the withdrawn horse's chance: removing a short-priced favourite changes the race a lot, while removing a 33/1 outsider barely changes it, so it carries no deduction at all.
How much is the Rule 4 deduction for each price?
The deduction is set by the withdrawn horse's price at the time of withdrawal, from 90p in the pound at 1/9 or shorter, through 30p at 9/5 to 9/4, down to nothing above 14/1.
The table below is the full Rule 4(c) scale. The deduction is expressed in pence per pound of winnings, so a 25p deduction on £40 winnings takes off £10. Many bookmakers show the deduction on the settled bet, and bet calculators can apply it automatically.
| Withdrawn horse's price | Deduction per £1 of winnings |
|---|---|
| 1/9 or shorter | 90p |
| 2/11 to 2/17 | 85p |
| 1/5 to 1/4 | 80p |
| 2/7 to 3/10 | 75p |
| 1/3 to 2/5 | 70p |
| 4/9 to 8/15 | 65p |
| 4/7 to 8/13 | 60p |
| 4/6 to 4/5 | 55p |
| 5/6 to 20/21 | 50p |
| Evens to 6/5 | 45p |
| 5/4 to 6/4 | 40p |
| 8/5 to 7/4 | 35p |
| 9/5 to 9/4 | 30p |
| 12/5 to 3/1 | 25p |
| 16/5 to 4/1 | 20p |
| 9/2 to 11/2 | 15p |
| 6/1 to 9/1 | 10p |
| 10/1 to 14/1 | 5p |
| Bigger than 14/1 | No deduction |
How much is Rule 4 when a 2/1 favourite is withdrawn?
A 2/1 withdrawn horse falls in the 9/5 to 9/4 band, so the deduction is 30p in the pound: a £10 winning bet at 3/1 has its £30 winnings cut to £21, returning £31 with the stake.
Work it out in three steps: find the band for the withdrawn horse's price, calculate your normal winnings, and reduce them by the deduction. At 30p, £30 winnings lose £9. If you had taken 10/1 instead, winnings of £100 would become £70, returning £80. The bigger your price, the more money the deduction takes in cash terms, although the percentage is the same.
| Price taken | Winnings before | Deduction | Winnings after | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/1 | £20.00 | £6.00 | £14.00 | £24.00 |
| 3/1 | £30.00 | £9.00 | £21.00 | £31.00 |
| 5/1 | £50.00 | £15.00 | £35.00 | £45.00 |
| 10/1 | £100.00 | £30.00 | £70.00 | £80.00 |
What happens when two horses are withdrawn from the same race?
When two or more horses are withdrawn, the deductions for each are added together, but the combined deduction is capped at 90p in the pound, so at least a tenth of the winnings is always paid.
If a 2/1 horse and a 5/1 horse are both withdrawn, the deductions are 30p and 15p, a total of 45p. If a 1/3 shot at 70p and a 3/1 shot at 25p were both withdrawn, the total would be 95p, so the cap reduces it to 90p. Where horses are withdrawn at different times, each deduction applies only to bets struck before that withdrawal, which is why two people on the same horse can be settled differently.
Does Rule 4 apply to SP bets and each way bets?
Rule 4 applies to SP bets only when a horse is withdrawn too late for a new market to form, such as at the start, and it reduces both parts of an each way bet at the same rate.
When a withdrawal happens early enough, bookmakers form a new market and the starting prices reflect the smaller field, so SP bets need no deduction. When a horse refuses to load or gets loose at the start, there is no time, and SP bets are reduced too. For each way bets, remember that the withdrawal may also change the place terms if the number of runners drops below a threshold such as eight.
How often does a late withdrawal trigger a Rule 4 deduction?
Late withdrawals happen on most racing days, but a horse priced bigger than 14/1 carries no deduction, so a meaningful deduction only follows when a fancied horse is withdrawn after bets have been struck.
Non-runners announced in the morning affect bets struck before the announcement, which is why early-price bets on busy days are the ones most often reduced. Watching the non-runner list before betting, and checking whether a withdrawn horse was short in the market, avoids surprises when the bet is settled. Ante-post bets struck before declarations are not subject to Rule 4 at all.
- Deduction comes off winnings, never the stake
- Based on the withdrawn horse's price at the time
- Deductions add up for multiple withdrawals, capped at 90p
- SP bets affected only if no new market could be formed
- Applies to both parts of an each way bet
- Not applied to ante-post bets struck before declarations
Non-runners and prices, updated live
Members see full racecards for every meeting, live prices from 20+ bookmakers and a Bet Calculator for win, each way and multiple bets.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Intellectual Property and Acceptable Use policy.
Questions people ask
How much is a Rule 4 deduction if a 2/1 favourite is withdrawn?
A 2/1 withdrawn horse carries a 30p in the pound deduction. A £10 winning bet at 3/1 would have its £30 winnings cut to £21.
Does a Rule 4 come off my stake or only my winnings?
Rule 4 comes off the winnings only, never the stake. A winning bet always returns the full stake plus the winnings after the deduction has been applied.
What happens when two horses are withdrawn from the same race?
The deductions for each withdrawn horse are added together, so a 2/1 and a 5/1 withdrawal make 45p. The combined deduction cannot exceed 90p in the pound.
Does Rule 4 apply to bets at starting price?
Rule 4 applies to SP bets only when a horse is withdrawn too late for a new market to be formed, such as at the start. Earlier withdrawals are reflected in the starting prices instead.
Is there a maximum Rule 4 deduction?
The maximum total deduction is 90p in the pound, however many horses are withdrawn. That equals the largest single deduction, for a withdrawn horse priced at 1/9 or shorter.
Keep reading
Go deeper before the next race.
Open every racecard in full and get your research done before they go to post.
- 14racecard tabs per race
- 20+bookmaker prices side by side
- Trackeralerts when your horses are declared
30-day free trial
£0today
Start my 30-day free trialBy continuing you agree to our Terms and Intellectual Property and Acceptable Use policy.
£0 today. Card on step 2. £24.99 from day 31.Cancel any time.
Updated