Getting the best available price on a horse makes a material difference to your returns over time, especially in a sport where you are already betting into a margin. This guide explains the main pricing features you will encounter betting on horse racing in Ireland: best odds guaranteed, early prices, the starting price, and promotional price boosts.
What Is Best Odds Guaranteed?
Best odds guaranteed (BOG) means that if you take a price earlier in the day and the starting price (SP) is higher when the race goes off, the bookmaker pays you at the SP rather than your early price. If the SP is lower than your early price, you keep the better early price. In other words, BOG always pays the higher of the two: your confirmed early price or the SP.
BOG is a significant benefit for horse racing bettors. Many fancied horses drift in the market between the morning price and race time, meaning the SP is often longer. Historically, BOG has been standard on Irish and UK racing with many bookmakers, though terms vary. Some bookmakers apply BOG only to win bets rather than the win part of each-way bets; others restrict it to certain meetings. Always check the specific terms on the site you are using.
Early Prices vs SP: Which to Take?
Taking an early price locks in your odds at a known point, which is advantageous if the horse is likely to shorten (become more popular) as the race approaches. If a horse drifts (lengthens in price) you lose out — unless you have BOG, which protects you in that scenario.
Starting price is determined by the on-course market at the moment the race starts. It reflects all the late money, the professional layers and the full public response to the day’s conditions. For less prominent horses in busy fields, the SP can be significantly different from the morning price in either direction.
As a practical guide: take an early price on a horse you expect to shorten (a well-backed favourite in a small field), particularly when BOG is available. For longer-priced horses in big competitive fields, waiting for the SP or in-play price sometimes yields a better return.
Price Boosts for Horse Racing
Price boosts are promotional odds enhancements. A bookmaker may boost the price of a specific horse — typically a headline selection in a major race — from the market price to a higher promoted price. The boost is usually available for a limited window and subject to a maximum stake.
Boosts are genuinely useful when the boosted price exceeds the best available market price. They are less useful when the boost is from an already-below-market price, delivering a price that is still below what you could get on comparison sites. The honest way to evaluate any boost is: what is the best available price from other bookmakers, and does the boosted price beat it? If yes, it is a real benefit. If not, the “boost” is marketing rather than value.
Note that price boosts are normally excluded from BOG: the boosted price is treated as a fixed promotional price, not a standard market price.
How to Get the Best Available Price
Comparing prices across bookmakers before placing a horse racing bet is straightforward using odds comparison tools. For major races, the differences between bookmakers can be significant — a horse priced at 5.00 on one site may be 5.50 on another. Over a year of betting, consistently taking the best available price adds up.
Practical steps:
- Use an odds comparison tool for the specific horse and race before confirming your bet.
- Check whether BOG is available on the site you plan to use — especially important for morning bets on afternoon racing.
- For each-way bets, also compare the place terms (some offer 1/4 odds, others 1/5; some offer more places on big fields).
- Factor in any existing free bet tokens or promotional balances — they may be better used on a boosted price or at a specific odds threshold.
No price guarantee or boost changes the fundamental risk of horse racing betting. All selections can lose, including odds-on favourites.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes, on the win part of an each-way bet. The place part is settled at a fixed fraction of the SP regardless of BOG. Always check the individual bookmaker's terms as they vary.
No. Early prices are typically available on the more prominent meetings — Cheltenham, Leopardstown, the Curragh, Punchestown, Galway and major UK tracks. Smaller regional meetings may only have prices available closer to race time.
Usually not. Price boosts are a specific promotional price, and BOG applies to the standard market price versus SP. A boosted price will normally be excluded from BOG comparison. Check the terms before accepting a boost.