First past the post is a popular term you will need to be aware of in horse racing betting. This is simply the name of a promotion that is set by the bookmakers where they payout on the horse which finishes first, regardless of what happens to that horse.
For example, if there is a situation where the horse crosses the line first but is then demoted to second as the horse interfered with the other following a stewards’ enquiry, with the horse which finished second being awarded the winner, the bookmakers will still have to pay out on the official winner, which is where the ‘first past the post’ comes into play.
When does first past the post not apply?
Disqualification will be ok in the first past the post market, but if your horse is disqualified for a few reasons, the first past the post won’t apply. For example, if the jockey weighed in carrying less weight than what they were supposed to be, first past the post won’t matter. Another one is when a horse is disqualified for taking the wrong course and in antepost bets, while if the race is declared void, nobody would have theoretically passed the post, so this also won’t count.