Best Bookmakers for Ante Post Betting
The best ante-post betting bookmakers do three things well: they open their books early, they offer non-runner no-bet (NRNB) on the races that matter, and they keep standard ante-post markets running alongside so you can choose between the higher price and the safety net. Everything else is secondary. Taking 16/1 in October about a horse that goes off 4/1 in March is the whole point of ante post betting, and the bookmaker you use decides how much of that edge you actually keep.
Every bookmaker on this page is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and prices up the big National Hunt and Flat targets months in advance. We rank them on when their books open, how much of the major festivals they cover with NRNB, their each-way terms on ante post handicaps, and how clearly they settle bets when plans change. Welcome offers are listed for completeness but do not decide the order.
-
Bet365
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets 5.0 / 5Best for overall & oddsBet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
-
Paddy Power
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets 4.0 / 5Best for offers & concessionsNew customer offer - use promo code YSKAST. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £30 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Pay by Bank, Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly
-
William Hill
Get £40 in Free Bets 4.5 / 5Best for each-way racesGet £40 in Free Bets. New customers only; minimum deposit £5, minimum odds 1/3, 10x wagering, free bets valid for 7 days. 18+, T&Cs apply.
-
LiveScore Bet
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets 4.0 / 5Best for app & in-playBet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets. New customers only; minimum odds 1/2 (1.5), free bets valid for 7 days (accept within 7). 18+, T&Cs apply.
-
Midnite
Get £40 in Free Bets when you spend £10 4.0 / 5Best for modern appGet £40 in Free Bets when you spend £10. New customers only; minimum odds 1/1 (2.0). 18+, T&Cs apply.
Top Ante Post Betting Bookmakers
-
Bet365
The bet365 new customer offer for horse racing follows a simple structure, sign up, place a qualifying bet, and a bet365 free bet offer gets credited to your account. The bet365 sign up bonus doesn’t require you to jump through endless hoops, which already sets it apart from competitors who bury their terms under layers of conditions. If you’re wondering about a bet365 promo code horse racing, the platform typically runs it’s bet365 open account offer through a standard registration flow, enter the code where prompted during sign-up, meet the qualifying criteria, and the free bets land in your account. No waiting days for manual approval. One thing to keep in mind, the qualifying bet usually needs to be placed at minimum odds, so don’t just throw a stake on a 1/20 favourite and expect the bonus to trigger, read the specific terms before placing that first bet. The bet365 welcome bonus horse racing offer refreshes periodically, so the exact value can shift depending on when you’re signing up. Check the promotions page directly for the current bet365 horse racing promotions rather than relying on outdated third-party listings. The structure has remained consistent for a long time, though. And the process from registration to receiving your free bets takes minutes.
-
Paddy Power
The Paddy Power welcome offer is structured around a free bet for new customers, and the sign-up process is about as painless as it gets, you register, place a qualifying bet, and receive your Paddy Power free bet once that first wager settles. The exact value shifts depending on the promotion running at the time. Always check the current Paddy Power new customer offer before you commit, the terms page spells out everything. One thing that separates the Paddy Power sign up bonus from some competitors is that the qualifying bet usually applies to horse racing markets directly. That matters. Some bookmakers restrict their welcome offers to specific sports or minimum odds that steer you away from racing entirely, here, you can use it on the 2:30 at Kempton if you want. No hoops. If there’s a Paddy Power promo code horse racing deal running alongside the standard offer, it’s usually promoted on the homepage or through their social channels. Don’t skip the terms, though, free bet stakes are not returned with winnings. And there’s a minimum stake need attached to the qualifying bet. Simple stuff, but the kind of detail that trips people up if they don’t read the fine print.
-
William Hill
The William Hill welcome offer is built around a free bet for new customers. At the time of writing, the William Hill sign up bonus grants new accounts a free bet upon placing a qualifying wager, and the process is simple, register, deposit, place your first bet at the required minimum odds. And the William Hill free bet lands in your account. No William Hill promo code has been necessary for recent iterations, though that can shift depending on the promotion cycle. How to use William Hill free bet credits is where some punters stumble, free bets usually return winnings only, the stake isn’t included in the payout. Standard across most UK bookmakers, but worth remembering when you’re calculating potential returns. The William Hill new customer offer holds it’s own against the likes of Ladbrokes and Coral, during festival season when William Hill Cheltenham offers and William Hill Grand National betting promotions tend to stack additional value on top of the base package. One thing that separates William Hill from some competitors is the frequency of William Hill existing customer offers, daily racing specials, William Hill enhanced odds horse racing boosts, accumulator incentives, the promotional calendar stays active well beyond your first week on the platform.
-
LiveScore Bet
The LiveScore Bet welcome offer is structured around a free bet incentive for new customers, pretty standard across the industry, but executed well here. At the time of writing, the LiveScore Bet sign up bonus gives you a free bet credit after placing your first qualifying wager, the exact value shifts depending on the current promotion cycle, so checking the terms before you sign up is worth the thirty seconds it takes. How to claim the LiveScore Bet welcome bonus is simple, register, deposit, place a qualifying bet at the minimum odds specified, and your LiveScore Bet free bet lands in your account once that first wager settles. No LiveScore Bet promo code has been required in recent iterations, though the site occasionally runs limited-time codes through partner channels. Spot one? Use it, there’s no downside. One thing that separates the LiveScore Bet new customer offer from some competitors is the absence of needlessly convoluted wagering conditions on the free bet itself. Some bookmakers attach rollover requirements that make the bonus feel more like a chore than a reward, liveScore Bet keeps it cleaner than most. always read the full terms, the minimum stake need and odds thresholds matter, and missing them means missing the bonus entirely.
-
Midnite
The Midnite welcome bonus is structured to give new customers a clean entry point without burying the value behind impossible wagering requirements, the Midnite sign up offer centres around a free bet, deposit a qualifying amount, place your first bet. And receive a Midnite free bet to deploy across the sportsbook. No confusing multi-step hoops. What separates this from some other horse racing betting sites is flexibility. The Midnite new customer offer doesn’t chain you to specific markets or minimum odds that render the bonus practically unusable. You can apply your free bet across UK and Irish horse racing, which gives you genuine room to manoeuvre on race day. always check whether a Midnite promo code horse racing specific deal is running, seasonal promotions around events like the Grand National or Royal Ascot sometimes carry sharper terms than the standard offer. One thing to keep in mind, the Midnite minimum deposit to qualify sits around the £10 mark at the time of writing, industry standard. The terms are transparent, and the bonus lands in your account quickly once the qualifying bet settles.
How We Rank
We score every bookmaker on the same factors: when ante post books open, how many of the major races get NRNB and how early, whether standard and NRNB books run together, each-way terms on ante post handicaps, and how clearly bets are settled when a horse is withdrawn or switched races. We check concessions against each bookmaker's own announcements and update this page as the season develops. Welcome offers are recorded but not scored.
How we evaluateFrequently Asked Questions
bet365, for running standard and NRNB books side by side and its record of going NRNB early. Paddy Power is the pick for full-card Cheltenham NRNB, and William Hill for the Grand National.
Under standard ante-post rules the bet is a loser. If you backed it in an NRNB market, your stake is returned.
Usually, for horses with several entries or an uncertain target. If a horse has only one clear objective and is fit, the bigger standard price often offers better value.
Typically between early January and mid-February. For 2026, Paddy Power, Sky Bet and LiveScore Bet announced their concessions at the end of January, with bet365 covering all 28 races around five weeks before the Festival.
No. Best Odds Guaranteed only applies to bets placed on the day of the race.
Yes. The each-way terms are fixed at the time you bet, so check the number of places and the fraction before you confirm.
Betting Guides
18+. Please gamble responsibly.
Ratings on this page reflect our own editorial review, not a guarantee of outcome. Betting offers are time-limited and can change without notice, so always confirm the live terms on the operator’s own site before you deposit. You can check any operator’s current licence status on the UK Gambling Commission’s public register. If you’re worried about your gambling, or someone else’s, support is available at BeGambleAware.org.