What does it mean when a horse is scratched from a race?

A scratched horse means that it has been taken out of the race before it has started. Our system grays out scratches on the entry table so that they cannot be wagered on, an example of which is below.

Should you wager on a horse prior to it being scratched, we follow the official payout results posted by the host track.

Win/Place/Show

All win/place/show wagers with a scratched horse will be refunded.

Exacta/Trifecta/Superfecta

Each portion of an exacta/trifecta/superfecta with a scratched horse will be refunded.

Quinella

Each portion of a quinella with a scratched horse will be refunded. 

Daily Double

1. If the first leg of your ticket loses, the entire ticket is considered a loss, even if a horse is scratched in the second leg.
2. If a horse is scratched in one leg of your ticket and the other leg wins, you'll receive a consolation payout, provided the host track offers one. 
3. If the host track doesn’t offer a consolation payout, you will be refunded if a horse is scratched in one leg of your ticket, or if the first leg of your ticket wins and a horse is scratched in the second leg. 

Pick 3/Pick 4

If you have multiple selections in your pick 3 or pick 4, each combination will be scored according to the 'top pick scratch rules'. The host track/authority governs the settlement rules for scratched horses in pick wagers, operating in accordance with one of two different settlement rules:

Void Scratch Rules

1. If your selection in the first leg of a pick wager gets scratched, the wager is considered void and stakes are refunded.
2. If one or more of your selections in legs other than the first leg are scratched, and all other legs in the combination are winners, you may receive a consolation payout provided that the host track offers one. If the host track doesn’t offer a consolation payout, your stake will be refunded on that combination.

Substitute Favorite Scratch Rules

1. If one or more of your selections are scratched in a pick wager, the scratched selection will be substituted with the race favorite and scored according to the favorite’s finishing position.

IMPORTANT: The favorite-for-scratched substitution is determined by the amounts wagered in the win pool of the race. In the event the win pool total for two or more favorites is identical, the substitute selection will be the betting interest with the lowest program number.

Pick 3

The following tracks apply to the Void Scratch Rules:

• Albuquerque, Aqueduct Racetrack, Arizona Downs, Australia 1, Australia 2, Belmont Park, California Expo, Charles Town, Chukyo, Churchill Downs, Columbus, Del Mar, Delaware Park, Dover Downs, Ellis Park, Evangeline Downs, Evangeline Quarter, Fair Grounds, Fair Meadows, Ferndale, Finger Lakes, Fonner Park, Freehold Raceway, Funabashi, Golden Gate Fields, Harrington Raceway, Hashin, Hawthorne, Hazel Park, Kawasaki, Keenland, Keiba, Kentucky Downs, Los Alamitos, Louisiana Downs, Meadowlands, Monmouth, Monticello Raceway, Mountaineer Park, Naples Fort Myers Mat (greyhound), Northville, Pleasenton, Pocono Downs, Presque Isle Downs, Red Mile, Santa Anita Park, Santa Rosa, Saratoga, Solano, Tampa Bay Downs, Tokyo City, Turf Paradise, Turfway Park, Will Rogers, Yavapai Downs, Yonkers, and Zia Park.

The following tracks apply to the Substitute Favorite Scratch Rules:

• Arlington Park, Australia A, Australia B, Australia C, Australia D, Balmoral Park, Belterra Park, Beulah Park, Calder Race Course, Canterbury Park, Delta Downs, Dubai Meydan, Emerald Downs, Fairmount Park, Fort Erie, Gulfstream Park, Hastings Park, Hoosier Park, Indiana Downs, Laurel Park, Lone Star Park, Maywood Park, Meadows, Northfield Park, Oaklawn Park, Parx Racing, Penn National, Pimlico, Plainridge, Portland Meadows, Prairie Meadows, Remington Park, Retama Park, Ruidoso Downs, Sam Houston Race Park, Suffolk Downs, Sunland Park, Thistledown, and Woodbine. 

Pick 4

All tracks operate in accordance with the Substitute Favorite Scratch Rule.

Coupled Entries

1. If one of the coupled horses gets scratched and the rest of the entry runs, your wager will have action on the running horse(s).
2. You will receive a refund only if all of the horses in the entry get scratched.

RELATED TOPICS:

• How does the Horse Bet Slip work?  
  
• What does ML mean?