Each-Way AtlasGlossary: each-way, odds and racing terms
Starting price (SP)
Starting price, or SP, is the price of a horse at the moment the race starts, and bets placed at SP are settled at that price. It is the price you do not know when you place the bet. The numbers are on the page about early price or starting price. In UK betting it appears on bet slips and in settlement rules.
Editorial team of Each-Way Atlas · Checked
What the term means
If you take SP, you accept whatever price the horse has at the off. If you take a price now, that is an early price, described under early price.
How the starting price is fixed is set out in the racing rules and in each operator's terms. We have not yet recorded that wording, so the method is Not verified here.
The short version: SP is settled at the start, so the price on your slip is not final until the race begins.
How it differs from an early price
An early price is fixed when you place the bet. A starting price is fixed when the race starts. A horse can shorten or lengthen between the two, so the same bet can pay differently.
Why this matters to you: for an each-way bet, the price also sets the place part, because the place odds are a fraction of the win odds.
The link with Best Odds Guaranteed is that operators describe it as comparing the two prices on eligible bets. Conditions differ by operator and are Not verified here; see Best Odds Guaranteed explained.
Where you meet it
You meet SP as an option on the bet slip and in the settled bet. Each bookmaker's policy is tabulated under Best Odds Guaranteed on racing.
| Operator (candidate; licence to be confirmed) | How the rules describe SP | Date read |
|---|---|---|
| William Hill | Not verified | Not verified |
| Ladbrokes | Not verified | Not verified |
Common mix-ups
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SP follows the rules for fixing it, so do not assume it equals any price you saw on screen before the race. * It is not a guarantee of a better price than the early price.
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Fractional odds, such as those explained under fractional odds, are a way of showing any of these prices.
The short version: choose SP only if you accept not knowing the price when you bet.
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