What a scratch is and who can order one
Entries for a race are taken in advance. A scratch is the withdrawal of an entered horse before the race is run. Once a horse is scratched it is removed from the field, and any money already wagered on that betting interest has to be handled under the applicable pari-mutuel rules.
A trainer or owner may request a withdrawal under the track's procedures, while a regulatory or association veterinarian can scratch a horse that does not pass a required examination. Stewards can also order a scratch under the rules in force at the track. Veterinary-list consequences and the requirements for returning to racing vary by jurisdiction, so the current regulator and track rules control.
Two related program terms explain why fields shift on race morning. An also-eligible can start only if a place opens under the race conditions, so scratches can pull a horse into the race as well as out of it. A main-track-only entrant is entered on the condition that a turf race is moved to the main track; if the race stays on turf, that horse does not start.
Timing matters for how the wagering system handles it. A scratch made before betting opens simply never appears in the pool. A late scratch, made after wagering has begun or even at the gate, has to be unwound after the fact, which is what the refund and substitution rules below are for.
See also: Racing glossary
How straight bets are treated
Straight win, place, and show wagers on a scratched betting interest are generally refunded. New York's rule for Thoroughbred racing states that when a horse is excused after betting has begun, the money bet on that horse is refunded, and NYRA's current wagering guidance says the same for win, place, and show tickets at its tracks.
A refund returns the amount you staked. It is not a payout and it does not depend on how the race is run. If you bet $10 to win on a horse that is scratched, you are due $10 back, whatever happens in the race afterwards.
How you collect depends on where you bet. An online account is normally credited automatically once the scratch is processed. A paper ticket bought at a track or off-track facility has to be presented for the refund, and tracks are required to announce scratches publicly when they happen.
Single-race exotics refund only the affected combinations
An exacta, quinella, trifecta, or superfecta ticket is a bundle of combinations. Under NYRA's current guidance, combinations containing a late scratch are refunded across exacta, quinella, trifecta, and superfecta wagers. Combinations that do not contain the scratched interest can remain live when enough betting interests remain to satisfy the wager and the host rules.
A worked example makes the arithmetic clear. Suppose you buy a $1 trifecta box with horses 2, 4, 6, and 8. That is 4 x 3 x 2 = 24 combinations for $24. If the 8 horse is scratched, every combination containing the 8 comes out. What remains is the three-horse box 2-4-6, which is 3 x 2 x 1 = 6 combinations for $6. You are refunded the $18 difference and hold a live $6 ticket.
Under a combination-refund rule, the adjustment covers combinations that can no longer happen; it does not compensate for the separate fact that the scratch may have changed how the race sets up.
See also: Trifecta box cost tables · Superfecta box cost tables
Multi-race wagers are where the rules diverge
Doubles, Pick 3s, Pick 4s, Pick 5s, and Pick 6s are the wagers where a scratch produces genuinely different outcomes depending on where the race is run and which pool you are in. There are three possible treatments: a refund, a substitution of the favorite for your scratched selection, or a consolation payout calculated from a separate share of the pool.
The rows show why timing and pool type both matter. Some rules refund or allow a change before the sequence starts; others substitute a designated horse. After a leg has been run, the cited examples use either a substitute or a consolation calculation rather than one universal treatment.
What the rows also show is that the substitution rule and the consolation rule sit side by side in the same state. California refunds and pays consolations in the Pick Three but substitutes the favorite in the Select Four. New York pays consolations in the daily double but substitutes the designated horse in the Pick 5 and Pick 6. Any sentence that begins "in horse racing, a scratch in a Pick 4 means..." is missing the qualifier that actually decides the answer.
One practical note about substitution: in the rules cited here, the replacement is determined from money in the win pool for that leg, not from the morning line printed in the program. Those two favorites can differ.
| Rule set and pool | Scratch before the sequence starts | Scratch once the sequence is under way |
|---|---|---|
| New York, daily double (9 NYCRR 4011.10) | Tickets containing the scratched horse are refunded and the money is deducted from the pool | Tickets pairing the first-race winner with the scratched horse become consolation tickets, paid from the net pool |
| New York, Pick 5 and Pick 6 (9 NYCRR 4011.25, 4011.26) | You may swap the selection or cancel the ticket before the first leg; otherwise it converts to the "designated horse" | The wager runs on the designated horse - the betting interest with the most money in that race's win pool at the close of win betting |
| California, Pick Three (4 CCR 1977) | All wagers containing the scratched interest are refunded | A consolation payout is computed for tickets combining the other winners with the scratched horse; no favorite is substituted |
| California, Select Four (4 CCR 1978) | Covered by the same substitution rule | The actual favorite, measured by amounts wagered in the win pool at the start of the race, is substituted for all purposes |
See also: What morning line odds mean · How carryovers work
Entries and coupled interests follow their own rule
Sometimes two horses run as a single wagering interest, commonly called a coupled entry. A mutuel field can likewise group several runners under one program number. Because the wager may select the unit rather than an individual horse, a scratch does not automatically produce the same result as a scratch from a separately ticketed interest.
New York's refund rule states the distinction directly. At a track with totalisator capability, if a single horse within an entry is scratched, wagers on that individual horse are refunded but wagers selecting the entry itself continue - they now stand on whichever horse or horses remain. Only when every horse in the entry or field is scratched are all of those wagers refunded.
That is the point most often missed by a bettor watching a scratch board. If you took the coupled 1 and 1A and the 1A is scratched, your ticket is still live on the 1. Nothing is refunded, because the interest you bet is still running.
Why the host track's rules control, not a general rule of thumb
Pari-mutuel wagering on a race is governed by the rules of the host jurisdiction and the terms that apply to the pool. An account provider processes the wager and may publish additional house procedures, but the host rules are the starting point for whether a scratch produces a refund, a substitution, or a consolation.
This is also why two accounts can show different outcomes for what looks like the same bet. Bet a Pick 4 into a New York card and a Pick 4 into a California card on the same afternoon, and a scratch in each can be handled under different rules. The difference is the host jurisdiction, not the platform.
Bet-menu details vary the same way. Del Mar's published menu, for example, offers a superfecta only under its stated betting-interest condition. If scratches affect whether a pool will be offered or continued, the track's current rules and race-day announcement control.
What to check before and after you build a ticket
A scratch can leave a multi-race ticket covering a different interest from the one originally selected. A check before submitting, and another after the scratch board changes, makes that treatment visible.
- Read the track's own scratches and changes page for the card you are betting, not a third-party summary
- Confirm whether a turf race has been moved to the main track, which activates main-track-only entrants and scratches others
- Note the number of betting interests remaining, because some pools require a minimum field to be offered
- For a multi-race ticket, find the host track's stated rule for scratches in that specific pool before you buy it
- After a scratch, recheck your ticket and your account balance rather than assuming the adjustment matched what you expected
See also: How to bet on horse racing, step by step
Common questions
What does scratch mean in horse racing?
A scratch is the withdrawal of a horse from a race after entries have been taken, which means the horse will not run. A trainer or owner may request a withdrawal under track procedures, and a veterinarian or the stewards may order one under the applicable rules. Veterinary-list consequences and return requirements vary by jurisdiction.
Do I get my money back if my horse is scratched?
For a win, place, or show bet, yes. New York's Thoroughbred racing rule provides that money bet on a horse excused after betting has begun is refunded, and NYRA states the same for win, place, and show tickets. For a single-race exotic such as an exacta or trifecta, only the combinations containing the scratched horse are refunded and the rest of the ticket stays live. Multi-race wagers are handled differently and may produce a substitution or a consolation payout instead of a refund.
What happens to a Pick 4 or Pick 5 if a horse is scratched?
It depends on the host track's jurisdiction and the specific pool. Under New York's Pick 5 and Pick 6 rules, a bettor may change the selection or cancel before the first leg runs, and otherwise the wager transfers to the designated horse, which is the betting interest with the most money in that race's win pool at the close of win betting. Under California's Select Four rule the actual favorite by win-pool money at the start of the race is substituted, while California's Pick Three rule refunds affected wagers before the first leg and pays a consolation afterwards rather than substituting anything. Check the rule for the pool you are betting.
Why did I receive a consolation payout instead of a refund?
A consolation payout applies when a sequence has already started and a horse in a later leg is scratched, so the ticket cannot simply be cancelled. New York's daily double rule, for example, turns tickets combining the first-race winner with a scratched second-race horse into consolation tickets, paid at a price derived from the net pool divided by the total purchase price of all tickets holding the first-race winner. The amount is calculated from the pool and is not a fixed percentage of what you staked.
If one half of a coupled entry is scratched, is my bet refunded?
It depends on how the interest was ticketed and on the host rule. Under the cited New York rule, at a track with the specified totalisator capability, wagers selecting the coupled entry continue on its remaining horse or horses while wagers on the scratched individual constituent are refunded. If the entire entry or field is scratched, the entry wagers are refunded.
Does a scratch change the odds on the other horses?
Indirectly, yes. Refunded money leaves the pool, and pari-mutuel odds are calculated from the money that remains, so the displayed prices on the surviving horses will move. A scratch also changes the race itself, which can shift how the remaining money is bet. Neither effect is a promise about the final payout, which is only calculated after wagering closes.
Further reading
Official definitions and help
- Cornell LII: New York 9 NYCRR 4009.20, refund when a horse is excused
- Cornell LII: New York 9 NYCRR 4011.10, daily-double scratches
- Cornell LII: New York 9 NYCRR 4011.25, pick-five pools
- Cornell LII: New York 9 NYCRR 4011.26, pick-six pools
- Cornell LII: California 4 CCR 1977, Pick Three
- Cornell LII: California 4 CCR 1978, Select Four
- NYRA: official wagering information and betting FAQ
- Del Mar: official wagering menu
- Churchill Downs: today's scratches and changes
- Woodbine: official racing glossary