Do you bet pre-post? There are two main ways of doing this:1. Bet before the final field is declared.2. Bet after the final field is declared.And they are quite different.If you bet before the final field is declared:1. You risk losing your money because the horse doesn't make the field. There are no returns on non-starters. 2. Your horse can draw a terrible barrier.However, there can often be significant disadvantages to betting prepost after the field is declared.1. Deductions can occur. If a

Do you bet pre-post? There are two main ways of doing this:

1. Bet before the final field is declared.
2. Bet after the final field is declared.

And they are quite different.

If you bet before the final field is declared:

1. You risk losing your money because the horse doesn't make the field. There are no returns on non-starters.
2. Your horse can draw a terrible barrier.

However, there can often be significant disadvantages to betting prepost after the field is declared.

1. Deductions can occur. If a horse is scratched and it is in the market in any way at all, your horse will suffer a price deduction. Before the final field is declared, that doesn't happen. But of course, if your horse is scratched before finals are declared, you do your money.
2. It is quite common as a direct result of these price deductions to see a horse start at much better final odds than your final dividend.
3. It is also common for a horse to start at better odds than it was yesterday, even if no deductions are involved.
4. Even worse, the deduction may be greater than it probably should be. This is because the bookies are betting prepost to a market of around 130+.

At 130+, some horses which are later scratched will be listed at prices from which they would have blown significantly in those last minutes of on course betting. However, your deduction is made on their prices at the time of your bet.
Just prior to racetime, that market may be as low as 107 or so.

What can we do about this?

Be sure that the bookies won't help you. It's completely in their favour.

Is there a way of predicting when it's likely to happen?

Unfortunately, most times the answer is "no". If you want to bet before the final field is declared, you pay your money and you take your risk of the horse not fronting up on the day, or being given a rotten barrier. This kind of betting is relatively straightforward, whereas betting early on a final "declared" field is a different kettle of fish.

But here are some suggestions :

1. Firstly don't bet prepost on final fields for long weekends, when horses are entered in more than one race over a carnival. The likelihood of withdrawals from your race threatens the price you are taking.
2. Secondly, don't bet prepost on final fields that contain two or more short-priced horses. If any one of these horses is scratched, it could destroy your price and you'll often collect less than by taking the starting price or top fluctuation.
3. Thirdly, If you check online and two or three different prices are being offered for your horse, regard this as a possible warning that at least one bookmaker wants you to back the horse. Of course his price may be accurate, but it's more likely to suggest an uncertainty that we can do without in our betting.
4. Finally, my feeling is that the negatives about this kind of betting will probably keep me away from it most of the time.

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