Rule 4 Deductions
A withdrawn horse priced between evens and 6/5 triggers a 45 pence deduction on every single pound of profit on a settled ticket. Backers holding what looked like a clean win at locked-in early odds discover their return has dropped the moment a market rival exits before the start.
Mechanics of the Pence-Per-Pound Sliding Scale
The arithmetic behind the Tattersalls Rule 4 framework is simple once separated from betting jargon.
Calculations from deductions are quoted strictly in pence per pound against the price of the withdrawn horse. The scale steps down systematically as that non-runner's odds lengthen. A heavily backed runner leaving the race alters the mathematical probability for every remaining horse far more than a longshot scratching at the gate.
One operational detail catches punters out repeatedly. The deduction applies exclusively to winnings. It never touches the original stake.
A 20p deduction equates to a 20 per cent reduction of pure profit while the stake is returned in full. If a bettor wagers ten pounds at 5/1 to win fifty pounds of profit, the operator subtracts ten pounds. The bettor receives forty pounds in profit alongside the original ten-pound stake. The stake remains completely protected throughout the process.
The Published Deduction Bands
The rate subtracted from a slip depends on the price of the horse that was scratched, not the price of the horse you backed.
The published scale sets out the tiers in force:
- Evens to 6/5 non-runner: 45p deduction per pound won
- 5/4 to 6/4 non-runner: 40p deduction per pound won
- 13/8 to 7/4 non-runner: 35p deduction per pound won
- 15/8 to 9/4 non-runner: 30p deduction per pound won
- 5/2 to 3/1 non-runner: 25p deduction per pound won
- 10/3 to 4/1 non-runner: 20p deduction per pound won
- 9/2 to 11/2 non-runner: 15p deduction per pound won
- 6/1 to 9/1 non-runner: 10p deduction per pound won
- 10/1 to 14/1 non-runner: 5p deduction per pound won
A horse scratched at 3/1 removes 25p from each pound of profit, while a runner priced at 8/1 extracts 10p.
Settling a Slip: A Twenty-Pound Worked Example
Take a ticket struck with a £20 stake at decimal odds of 6.00.
In fractional notation, 6.00 equals 5/1. On an unadjusted settlement, that £20 bet generates £100 in pure profit and returns £120 in total cash.
Suppose a competitor trading at evens withdraws shortly before the race. An evens withdrawal falls directly into the 45p band.
The arithmetic runs in sequence:
1. Identify the gross profit on the wager: £100.
2. Apply the 45p deduction per pound: 45 per cent of £100 equals £45.
3. Subtract £45 from the £100 profit, leaving £55 in net winnings.
4. Add the original £20 stake back to the adjusted winnings.
The final payout equals £75. The bettor collects £75 rather than £120 because the market leader came out of the field.
Starting Price Rules and the Fourteen to One Threshold
Not every withdrawal alters the payout.
Any withdrawn horse priced at 14/1 or longer carries a 0p deduction. Outsiders at those prices do not alter the balance of the market enough to warrant docking returns. If a 16/1 runner pulls out, a winning ticket pays out at the exact price agreed at the time of the wager.
Bet type also dictates liability. Starting Price bets are exempt from Rule 4 adjustments. When you take the Starting Price, your odds are determined at the off, meaning the market has already factored in the absence of the non-runner.
An exception applies only when a withdrawal happens so late that there is insufficient time for a new market to be formed. In that specific scenario, Starting Price tickets face the standard scale based on the withdrawn runner's last quoted price.
