Updated: 17.08.2025
We look at ante-post betting and what else it can bring to the table. Ante post, or futures, odds are available for all sorts of sports. And while you can find them in a number of sporting contexts, ante post betting is most commonly used by horse racing and football fans. We'll examine the pros and cons of this form of betting - where it's most common, its advantages and disadvantages. And we'll look at some bookmakers that are good for ante-post betting, some that aren't, and where you can find both.
Betting in advance - referred to on some platforms as "betting on the future" or "futures" - means betting on an event that hasn't happened yet. You can bet on the outcome of a horse race, greyhound race or football match/tournament well in advance - in some cases several months before the actual event. You may decide to place your bet only a few hours or weeks before the race or game.
Horse racing originated as ante-post betting. It was considered a better value, and certainly offered better odds, than the kind of betting we do when a race is about to run and the finalists are known. And the reason for this is obvious. The win and place pools tend to be large, and over the life of a horse, it is no more likely to win a race than when betting on its chances at the morning line. In fact, under this premise, we could split pick-a-winner betting into two types of bets: ante-post (overly focused on future events) and line (focused on past performances).
For example, in horse racing, the final field is usually announced by 10 a.m. either 24 or 48 hours before the race. Any bets placed after this time are governed by the standard betting rules. If your horse doesn't run, you get your money back. However, if you made a bet before the official time and a market was available, you are said to have made an ante-post bet.
Of course, you stand to lose your bet if your horse does not run, but in a normal post-winter Derby market, you might back a horse at 33/1 that could well start at 3/1 on the day, having performed well in the interim. So what about intelligent betting? What does that even mean?
In addition to racing and football, ante-post markets are now available for a wide range of sports from around the world.
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MIN. deposit : 5 Free daily odds boost Highly prestigious brand |
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| 18+ New customers in the UK & Ireland only. Min £5 bet at 1/2 odds or higher within 14 days of registration. Excludes PayPal and some deposit/bet types. Get 4x £5 free bets (sports only, 7-day expiry, stake not returned). T&Cs apply. | |||||
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| 18+ New UK & Ireland players only. Min £5 first bet at 1/2 odds or greater within 14 days of signup. PayPal and some deposit/bet types excluded. Get 4x £5 free bets (valid 4 days, stake not returned). No cashout. Restrictions & full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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| New customers only. Bet £10 and get £50 in Free Bets at bet365. Min deposit required. Free Bets credited as Bet Credits after qualifying bets are settled. Min odds, payment method and bet type restrictions apply. Bet Credits stake not included in returns. Time limits and T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 30 Specialise in horse racing Boost on football accas |
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| 21+ New UK & Ireland customers only. Min £10 deposit. Qualifying bets: singles, win part of e/w, or multiples at min odds of 2.0. Free Bet must be used at 1.5+ odds and expires in 7 days. Stake not returned in winnings. Additional T&Cs apply. Please bet responsibly. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Deep in-play section Widespread racing streams |
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| New customers only. Min £10 deposit and sportsbook bet at 1.5+ odds, placed and settled within 14 days of registration. Win part of E/W bets included. Receive 2 x £10 non-withdrawable Free Bet Tokens – accept within 7 days, valid for 7 days (excludes E/W & multiples). Stakes not returned. Rules & exclusions apply. Bet responsibly – BeGambleAware.org. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Increasingly popular site Free bet refunds on racing |
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MIN. deposit : 5 Famous Free Bet Club #BetYourWay for football |
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| 18+ New UK customers only. Min £5 deposit via debit card. Bet must be a football or horse racing multiple with 3+ selections at combined odds of 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Max £30 in Free Bets issued after qualifying bet settles. Offer valid for 7 days after account registration. BeGambleAware.org. Full T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 Boosted specials on football Various free bet offers |
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| 18+ UK only. Get up to £35 in Free Bets – 50% of your first day’s losses – plus 10 Free Spins. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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MIN. deposit : 10 New specials bets each day Multiple acca promotions |
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| 18+ New UK customers only (excl. NI). Mobile exclusive. Opt-in required. Min £10 stake at evens (2.0+) within 30 days. Free Bet awarded after qualifying bet settles. Free Bet valid for 7 days. Cashed out and Free Bets excluded. One offer per customer, household & IP. Also: UK/IRE only. Max refund £/€20 on win or win part of e/w outright singles (5+ runners, 1st bet per race). Free/void/antepost bets don’t qualify. T&Cs apply. | |||||
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What makes the best sites for ante-post betting? Some would argue that it is simply those that offer the best odds. And that, of course, is a very valid point. The bottom line with betting is often where you can get the most value, and odds tend to be a big part of that.
With this in mind, and taking into account the main horse racing markets as well as the Champions League and Premier League odds, we consider these ten companies to be the best of the best when it comes to ante-post betting.
The most common form of betting on horse racing is the Ante Post. This is arguably the most respected form of horse racing betting. Nothing thrills the punter more than placing a bet on a big event with a potentially top horse. We think of ante-post betting as roughly equivalent to futures betting as practiced in American sports. In horse racing, however, we are mostly betting on the results of individual events.
Pre-race betting is great for the traditional races and the big betting handicap contests. For those who are really on the ball with a fancy, it is an extremely intelligent move to back a young horse at massive odds for one of the classic Racing School contests such as the Derby or 2000 Guineas. Even smarter is to place an early bet on one of the big betting bonanzas such as the Cambridgeshire.
The biggest horse racing betting markets that allow betting far in advance are the jumps races. You can bet on the Grand National almost a year in advance, and this is true for almost all the races that take place during the Cheltenham Festival. Together, these two events account for the vast majority of bets placed in the horse racing betting market.
The advantages, as always, have to do with getting good value for your money. If you're backing a horse at 25/1 that might run at 2.5/1 on the day, that's obviously value. With odds that big, you can keep your stakes small, thereby reducing an element of betting risk. Voila!
Disadvantages: You generally have no protection, so if your horse doesn't run, you lose your investment. Another risk factor is changing weather and ground conditions, which can put your horse at a disadvantage in the race.
Bet365 and William Hill are the two that stand out. Bet365, because their ante-post prices on favorites are so often better than the competition, and William Hill, because they're often the very first to publish prices, meaning you can get in very early.
The Cheltenham Festival is the most profitable horse racing event of the year. All forms of purses and wagers count, even those placed well in advance. The next Festival is scheduled for March 15-18, 2025, with Gold Cup Day as the highlight of the meeting.
This massive week consists of 28 contests, each of which has huge associated pre-match betting markets. The three most prized and followed races are the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle - each boasting huge betting markets that are very much alive and well in advance of the actual race.
To be clear, the Grand National is by far the biggest betting event in the entire calendar year in the UK. It boasts a staggering £500 million in betting turnover. Even more remarkable is the fact that when it comes to the types of bets placed, the Grand National is obviously the most popular, regular and accessible horse race for punters, as it is not only a game in itself, but also semi-regularly runs for over an hour in real time, allowing for more betting action.
The race is held every April at Aintree. The 40-horse event is unlike any other in the world with its combination of fences (30) and flat distance (4 1/4 miles). It is the most entertaining of all special occasion races, attracting a huge crowd of not only die-hard fans of the sport, but also many people with no interest in horse racing who might otherwise be watching paint dry. In 2025, the Grand National Festival will run from Thursday, April 7, through National Day, Saturday, April 9.
Ante post football bets are also very popular, especially on the major tournaments.
Obviously, the World Cup and the Euros are hugely popular events. However, the competitions that definitely generate the most revenue from their ante-post prices are the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup markets. These three tournaments alone are cash cows and provide us with an incredible opportunity to bet and make money.
Few fans make it through life without being duped and seduced by the much higher early season odds on their side winning a piece of silverware. They are, after all, half-educated or half-baked when it comes to the basic math of the moment. And that moment is this: Fans, even the intelligent ones, are generally unable to see beyond their own team.
The same old advantages focus on odds that are much friendlier to your club, especially in cases where you might be considering a potential positive mid-season signing. The drawbacks? Soccer is an unpredictable animal, and unlike horse racing, you won't find high odds on the big teams to win the title.
Betfred consistently offers some of the biggest odds on the favourites for tournaments such as the Champions League.
It is important to find a good ante post bet when backing greyhounds. This is because only six of the dogs you back will actually run on race day.
Both the Greyhound Derby and the Irish Greyhound Derby are major events in the betting world. They take place in August, but the major bookmakers offer prices to the betting public the month before.
Price-wise, it's all advantageous. On the day of the event, the odds are fixed, but you can get prices like 20/1 on the field, which is certainly not an uncommon figure to see in an ante-post market. The downside is that only six greyhounds actually run and the chances of your dog surviving any cuts are very slim.
There are consistently strong Greyhound Derby prices posted by Paddy Power which excel in this area.
The move to fix the ante post horse racing sector to non-runner, no bet, often represented in the stylish format NRNB, is an initiative that has significantly benefited this sector.
NRNB allows you to hedge your ante-post odds slightly in exchange for a lower price. If you place a normal futures bet and your selection fails to run, you lose your stake. But under the non-runner, no bet condition, your bet is treated like a normal market bet (with the exception that if you win, your prize is slightly smaller). If your horse doesn't run, you will be refunded.
For example, if you liked a horse in the Derby at 33/1, but were offered 25/1 "not run, not bet", that still represented great potential value. You could take 25/1, and if your horse won at 3/1, you'd get paid at a much higher price. If the horse didn't make it to the Derby, you'd get your money back.
For example, you typically make ante-post bets knowing that they remain in play even if your chosen horse does not run. You lose the most common amount wagered on ante post bets if your chosen entry does not run, although winning ante post horses do not have any amount deducted when they are paid. Wagering on a horse that is taxed as an ante post wager will incur a 20 percent tax if the selected horse wins.
If you place an ante post bet on a horse race and the race is postponed to another day, your bet remains live. The only way it could become void is if the race re-opens. If that doesn't happen and the race is just PP'd, all bets will remain live. If the race is completely scratched, all bets will be considered void. Still seems like a bad deal if you ask me. But then again, this is horse racing we are talking about.
Normally, when you place an ante post bet, it is settled at the price and place conditions that were in effect at the time the bet was placed. This means that all each-way ante post bets are for three places, no matter what the outcome of the race. You might think that the conditions of the race could affect the terms of the bet, but they can't.
There are several main reasons why you might want to bet at ante post rather than at the usual times just before the event starts. The main reason, which is advantageous for the punter, is the ability to get a better price on your selection than you might get at the final odds. A classic example of this is betting on horse races. You will often see the ante post listed at a much better price than what you will find on the day of the event.
The odds can vary depending on the sport you're betting on and the event you're betting on. This is especially true in horse racing. If you have a solid grasp on the form of your favorites and are reasonably sure they'll come through, you can put down some not-so-serious amounts at substantial odds on a handful of runners.
If you bought a horse at a high price and it went on to win a major prep race or two, its value would have risen to the point where you could easily cash out if you wanted to for a guaranteed profit.
When placing ante-post bets, you may find that the bookmakers disagree quite a bit, especially when compared to bets placed "on the day" of an event. Take horse racing again as an example. Before the race, a horse may be listed at 10/1 with one bookmaker, 12/1 with another, and as high as 20/1 with yet another. But on race day, those odds are likely to be much tighter, making your chance of winning much more likely.
Top advantages:
Bigger prices
Bet at smaller stakes
Lock in your profit with an early cash out
Bigger spread of odds to choose from
Ante-post betting may look like a niche form of wagering, but statistics show that it plays a significant role in the UK betting market, especially for horse racing and football fans:
These figures highlight that ante-post betting is not just a side market, but a consistently important segment of UK sports betting, especially when big-name tournaments and iconic races are involved.
Despite the obvious and plentiful benefits of ante-post prices, many hardened veterans still think twice about betting long before a race. Why is that? Well, for them, it's a simple calculation: The downside outweighs the upside. And since most of us aren't in this game to cash out and guarantee winnings, that's what we'll go with for now.
In a prestigious horse racing event like the Derby, there are a lot of different things that can happen to sour the outcome for us. Our horse could run poorly. Our horse could run well, but not well enough to win. Or our horse could be running well enough to win, but our trainer will send him to another race. Any of these events could result in a bad outcome for our bet.
In an uneven race, your horse could be in the lead and still not be able to win because he's carrying too much weight, a weight he's been forced to carry because he's run well too many times in the past. They may look like a million bucks-that is, your picks may look like winning picks-but they could still be picks of doomed horses.
Pre-event betting, just like on-the-day betting, revolves around numbers. You may think that 25/1 is an overly high price to pay, but with the prospect of 30 or more horses winning the race in question, 25/1 begins to look weak in comparison.
Keep in mind that you may need to place multiple bets to ensure adequate pre-race coverage. Even if your bets are modest, you could see your total spend increase and your exposure increase if your chosen runners fail to start.
Major risks:
Your horse may not be good enough
Your horse could be re-routed
Horses can be given too much weight
More bets needed
You can lose before a race ever goes off
Betting on the future, especially on ante-post horse racing, is not as easy as it seems. Sure, the odds may seem attractive. But remember, bookmakers don't hand out free lunches.
First, focus on the key events. In horse racing, this means first and foremost presenting the best and most reliable horse celebrities. As for the trainers of these premier horses, their instructions and comments are usually quite open; they know what is going on with the horses and usually let the public know when a particular horse is being directed in the direction of a particular event.
Avoid picking horses that are likely to run in multiple races. You can pick a horse that is expected to run in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but make sure he doesn't actually run in the Ryanair Chase instead, otherwise your pick is a bust.
Research. To bet on football, research the transfer market of the teams involved. To bet on horse races, analyze the pedigree and preparation of the horse and assess its suitability for the race in question.
Get a non-runner no bet deal whenever possible. This will ensure that you get your money back if your selection doesn't run.
Do not be afraid to lock in your winnings. If the price goes up, do not disturb your ante post wager, but if it goes down, do not just wait. Withdraw your funds. You can either take a guaranteed profit or allow some of your winnings to continue to run while you take some of the winnings you have now secured with a 'partial withdrawal'.
Getting the best possible odds is crucial. Bookmakers can have a very different ante-post market from one to the next, so don't take 12/1 when you can take 25/1 elsewhere. This basic principle can save you a considerable amount of money over the course of a year.
Top ante post betting tips:
Ante-post betting is when we have the opportunity to bet on an event long before it happens. We can pick an outcome and claim to have a better price on that outcome than we would closer to the event. For example, we could bet on France to win the 2028 World Cup at odds of +1000. To be able to back a team at this price is good, considering they are one of the favorites and would surely be priced much higher if the tournament were held tomorrow.
Your most important questions answered about ante post betting.
For some people, this is a reality. But if you are absolutely sure that you are going to win it all, then there is really no reason not to bet on it. And betting on it now, when you can get a great price, is much smarter than doing it in a few months when you are less sure and might still be betting on the team that is favored to win this weekend.
Ante post betting is a form of wagering that allows bettors to place bets in advance of an event.
For some events, a market can be fully opened up to a year in advance. For the SportsBook's biggest events, such as the FIFA World Cup, odds are posted as soon as an event is completed for the next year's event.
