What does NRNB stand for?

What does NRNB stand for?  The popularity of ante-post betting on horse racing – that is, placing a bet on the outcome of a horse race well in advance of, or at least a day before, the off – is not what it once was. Betting ante-post doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll receive better odds than if you bet on the day of the race, with the added risk that you’ll lose your money if your selection doesn’t run, for whatever reason.

‘NRNB’ stands for ‘Non Runner No Bet’ and describes the terms of bet offered by some bookmakers, usually a week or two ahead of major meetings, such as the Cheltenham Festival or Aintree Festival. NRNB is, effectively, a no-risk ante-post bet since, in the event of a non-runner, the bet, or at least the portion(s) of it involving the non-runner, is deemed void and stakes are returned.

Note that bookmakers may offer both standard ante-post and NRNB markets on the same future races. Obviously, the odds on offer in the latter are likely to be shorter, sometimes significantly, than those in the former because of the reduced risk involved. Which you choose essentially boils down to how certain you are that selection will line up, all being well, and your overall attitude to risk.

It’s not unusual for horses to be withdrawn on the morning of, or immediately before, a race because of going changes, poor appetite, lameness or other injury or simply failure to enter the starting stalls. Betting NRNB does, at least, cover you for all these eventualities.