Starting price
The starting price, or SP, is the official odds of a horse at the moment the race starts. If you bet "at SP", your bet is settled at those final odds rather than the price shown when you placed it.
By Mark SmithChecked How SP works
When you bet on a horse before the race, you can usually choose:
- Fixed price (taken odds): you lock in the price shown, for example 5.00.
- Starting price: you leave the price open and get paid at the official SP.
Prices move as money comes in. A horse at 6.00 in the morning might start at 4.00 if punters back it heavily, or at 9.00 if they don’t.
Example
You back a horse at SP with R100. It starts at 7.00 and wins: you’re paid R700. If you’d taken the 6.00 available that morning, you’d have received R600. If it had shortened to 4.00 instead, the earlier price would have been better.
When SP is used
- Late bets when no fixed price is shown.
- Non-runners: if a horse is withdrawn, the remaining bets may be adjusted with a deduction based on the withdrawn horse’s price.
- Each-way bets at some bookmakers.
SP is a fixed-odds concept. Tote bets work differently: the dividend is set by the pool, not by bookmaker odds. For more on prices, see decimal odds and our horse racing betting list.
Frequently asked questions
What does SP mean in betting?
SP stands for starting price, the official odds when the race begins. A bet at SP is paid at that price, whatever it was when you placed the bet.
Is it better to take the price or SP?
It depends on how the market moves. If your horse drifts out (the odds lengthen), SP pays more. If it shortens because money comes in, the earlier fixed price would have paid more.
What is best odds guaranteed?
A promotion where the bookmaker pays at the better of your taken price and the SP. Not every South African bookmaker offers it, and it usually applies only to selected races.
Related terms
Mark has been writing about online gaming since 2007, covering everything from sportsbooks to casino and slot reviews, offering insights for players of all levels.