{{Short description|Type of horse racing bet}} In horse racing and greyhound racing, an '''ante-post''' bet is a bet placed before the horse/greyhound racing course's betting market has opened, and is made on the expectation that the price of the horse/greyhound is presently more favorable than it will be when the course's market opens. Generally, this includes any bet placed before the day of the race. Ante-post betting, unlike starting price betting, carries the additional risk that the original bet will be forfeited, rather than returned, if the wagered horse fails to run.<ref name="Hammond 1992">{{cite book |title=The Language of Horse Racing |last1=Hammond |first1=Gerald |year= 1992 |publisher=Carcanet Press Ltd |location=Manchester, UK |isbn=1-57958-276-1}}</ref>
Sometimes so-called ''no-runner no bet'' offers are available. If this offer applies to a ante-post bet, the bet will be void in case the horse fails to run. As a result, the money placed on the bet will be returned to the bettor. <ref name="British Racecourses Ante Post Betting">{{cite web |title=Ante Post Betting |url=https://www.britishracecourses.org/ante-post-betting/ |website=British Racecourses |publisher=British Racecourses Ltd |access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref>
The ''ante'' in ante-post is derived from the Latin ''ante'' (meaning "before"), but the ''post'' is not the Latin ''post'' (meaning "after"). Instead, it is derived from the nineteenth century Betting Post, a stake that was traditionally fixed somewhere on the course ground like a sign-post to signal the beginning of fixed betting to bettors. Bettors would then queue in their carriages in front of the Betting Post.<ref name="Hammond 1992"/>
Ante-post bets represent only a small fraction of bets placed by British bookmakers. For ante-post bets, bookmakers set competing prices, because they cannot fix prices to racecourse prices. In consequence, ante-post prices often vary significantly between bookmakers, and bettors will pick the most favorable price from among them. This means that ante-bets are often less profitable. However, they often afford bookmakers significantly more press coverage, due to the variances in price.<ref name"Mordin 2002)">{{cite book |title=Winning Without Thinking |last1=Mordin |first1=Nick |year= 2002 |publisher=Aesculus Press Limited |location=Cheshire, UK |isbn=1-904328-1-48}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ante-post}} Category:Horse racing terminology Category:Wagering
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