What Does PU Mean in Horse Racing? PU, UR, F and BD
The letter on the racecard tells you what happened. It does not tell you what happened to your money, and the two do not line up in the way most glossaries imply.
§ ON THIS PAGE · 9 sections
What each code means
Form runs left to right, oldest race first. Numbers are finishing positions:
“The numbers 1-9 indicate the position the horse finished in the race”
“The number 0 indicates that the horse finished outside the first 9”
A letter means the horse did not complete the course. The definition of PU is published by The Jockey Club:
“P or PU indicates that the horse was pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race”
Most of the others belong to jump racing:
“The following abbreviations normally apply to jump racing:”
| Code on the form line | What happened in the race | Whose decision or fault |
|---|---|---|
| P or PU | Pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race | The jockey, usually on the horse's condition |
| F | The horse fell | The horse at an obstacle |
| UR or U | The horse unseated its jockey | The horse stayed up, the rider did not |
| BD | Brought down by another runner | Another horse in the race |
| R | The horse refused | The horse declining to jump |
| 0 | Finished outside the first nine | Completed the course, so not a non-finisher at all |
- What happened in the race
- Pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race
- Whose decision or fault
- The jockey, usually on the horse's condition
- What happened in the race
- The horse fell
- Whose decision or fault
- The horse at an obstacle
- What happened in the race
- The horse unseated its jockey
- Whose decision or fault
- The horse stayed up, the rider did not
- What happened in the race
- Brought down by another runner
- Whose decision or fault
- Another horse in the race
- What happened in the race
- The horse refused
- Whose decision or fault
- The horse declining to jump
- What happened in the race
- Finished outside the first nine
- Whose decision or fault
- Completed the course, so not a non-finisher at all
The last row is there because it is the one people misread. A zero is a completed race, not a failure to finish, and it settles like any other losing run.
Runner or non-runner decides the refund
Every refund question in racing turns on one line: did the horse take part in the race. A pulled up horse did. A withdrawn horse did not.
| What happened to the horse | Status | Your stake | Effect on other runners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawn before coming under starter's orders | Non-runner | Returned | Rule 4 deduction on winnings |
| Came under starter's orders but never raced | Treated as a void bet by published rules | Returned | No deduction for this |
| Started and was pulled up, fell or unseated | Runner | Lost | None |
| Started and finished outside the places | Runner | Lost | None |
- Status
- Non-runner
- Your stake
- Returned
- Effect on other runners
- Rule 4 deduction on winnings
- Status
- Treated as a void bet by published rules
- Your stake
- Returned
- Effect on other runners
- No deduction for this
- Status
- Runner
- Your stake
- Lost
- Effect on other runners
- None
- Status
- Runner
- Your stake
- Lost
- Effect on other runners
- None
The second row is the narrow exception, and operators publish it precisely:
“Sky Bet will void single and multiple bets if a horse comes under starters orders, but doesn't race.”
“It applies to stalls starts (horse left in the stalls) or tape starts (where the tape is lifted and the horse doesn't go with the field).”
A horse standing in the stalls when the gates open is not the same event as a horse that jumps off and is pulled up two miles later. The first returns your stake. The second does not. The withdrawal case sits earlier still:
“In the event of a horse being withdrawn, not under starter's orders, stakes on that selection will be returned.”
That withdrawal path is what triggers a Rule 4 deduction on everyone else's winnings, and the Rule 4 deductions page owns that scale. Nothing on this page produces a deduction, because a horse that ran does not reduce the field.
Deemed to have finished last
Failing to complete is not a blank result. It is a defined finishing position:
“A selection that fails to complete the race is deemed to have finished last for settling purposes.”
That single sentence answers a set of questions that glossaries leave open.
Each-way bets. Both parts lose. There is no place to be paid on, so the place stake goes with the win stake. A £20 each-way bet is £40 staked and £40 lost.
Forecasts and tricasts. The horse cannot fill a named position, so any combination containing it loses.
Match bets. The completing horse wins, even if it finishes last of the finishers:
“If one horse in a match fails to complete, or takes the wrong course, the other will be considered to have won the match.”
Winning distance and beaten-distance markets. A non-finisher has no official distance, so it drops out of the calculation rather than counting as a huge margin.
Settlement laboratory
A pulled up horse costs both halves of an each-way bet
loss = win stake + place stakeHad the same horse finished a well-beaten sixth in a race paying four places, the return would still be £0. The code changes the story, not the settlement. Only a faller concession or a non-runner refund changes the money.
Which codes a faller refund covers
This is the only place where the letter itself changes what you get back, and it is a promotional concession rather than an industry rule. Betfair publishes the covered list:
“If the horse falls, unseats the jockey or is brought down the bet stake is returned.”
And the excluded list, which is where pulled up sits:
“It does not apply to horses that Slip Up, Refuse, Run Out or get Carried Out.”
Code by code
What each non-finisher code returns
The first two columns never change. Faller insurance is an optional market and its covered list is set by each operator, so read the published terms before assuming a refund on a code in the bottom half of this table.
The pattern is worth stating out loud, because it explains why so many bettors feel wrongly settled. Falls, unseats and brought down are things that happen to a horse. Pulled up, refused, ran out and carried out are read as the run itself going wrong. The concession follows that line, not the line between finishing and not finishing.
When the race itself falls apart
Three published outcomes sit past the individual codes.
Nobody completes. The race has no result to settle against:
“No Finishers - If there are no finishers in a race, it shall be treated as void.”
One runner and a walkover. A walkover is a race in the record but not a betting event:
“Walkovers and void races count as races but any selection involved will be treated as a non-runner.”
The race is voided or abandoned. Different rules apply, and the void bet rules page covers them.
Non-finisher settlement check
- Read the code on the result, not the commentary. Pulled up, fell, unseated, brought down, refused, ran out and carried out are different events.
- Confirm the horse came under starter's orders. If it did not, the stake is returned and a Rule 4 may apply to other bets in the race.
- If it came under orders but never raced, expect the stake back under the stalls and tape rules rather than a losing settlement.
- If it started and failed to complete, expect a loss on both the win and the place part of an each‑way bet.
- Check whether you were on a faller insurance market rather than the standard win market. They are separate bets with separate rules.
- If you were, match your code against the covered list before claiming a refund. Pulled up and refused are commonly excluded.
- If no horse completed the course, expect the race to be void and the stake returned.
A settlement that survives all seven steps follows published rules. One that fails step three or step six is a documented question to raise with the operator in writing, with the official result and the settlement side by side.
Ownership boundary
This page owns the non-finisher codes and what each one does to a bet. Neighbouring pages own the rest:
- Rule 4 deductions explained for withdrawn runners, which are the refund case this page is not.
- Void bet rules for abandoned and voided races.
- Stewards enquiry rules for results changed after the finish rather than runs that never reached it.
- Each-way betting explained for how the place part is calculated when the horse does complete.
- What does SP mean in horse racing for the price a non-finisher would have been settled at.
The racing refund that is an industry rule, not an offer
A horse that never starts returns your stake and cuts everyone else's winnings. A horse that starts and stops does neither. The line between them is coming under starter's orders.
Evidence manifest3 primary sources mapped to this guideView sources
Each source below is retained with the claims it supports. Operator sources describe published terms, not independent first‑hand performance.
- The Jockey Club, reading the form (opens in a new tab)
- P or PU indicates that the horse was pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race
- F indicates the horse fell
- R indicates a horse refused
- BD indicates the horse was brought down by another runner
- U or UR indicates that the horse unseated its jockey
- The numbers 1-9 indicate the position the horse finished in the race
- The number 0 indicates that the horse finished outside the first 9
- The following abbreviations normally apply to jump racing:
- Sky Bet help centre, horse racing rules (opens in a new tab)
- A selection that fails to complete the race is deemed to have finished last for settling purposes.
- Sky Bet will void single and multiple bets if a horse comes under starters orders, but doesn't race.
- It applies to stalls starts (horse left in the stalls) or tape starts (where the tape is lifted and the horse doesn't go with the field).
- Walkovers and void races count as races but any selection involved will be treated as a non-runner.
- Betfair Sportsbook horse racing rules (opens in a new tab)
- If the horse falls, unseats the jockey or is brought down the bet stake is returned.
- It does not apply to horses that Slip Up, Refuse, Run Out or get Carried Out.
- No Finishers - If there are no finishers in a race, it shall be treated as void.
- If one horse in a match fails to complete, or takes the wrong course, the other will be considered to have won the match.
- In the event of a horse being withdrawn, not under starter's orders, stakes on that selection will be returned.
FAQ
What does PU mean in horse racing?
PU, sometimes shown as P, means the horse was pulled up by the jockey and did not complete the race. It appears in the form line in place of a finishing position.
Do you get your money back if a horse is pulled up?
No. The horse took part in the race, so the bet is a loser and the stake is not returned. Published rules treat a selection that fails to complete as having finished last for settling purposes.
What is the difference between PU, UR, F and BD?
PU means pulled up by the jockey, F means the horse fell, UR means it unseated its rider, and BD means it was brought down by another runner. All four lose a standard win bet, but a faller concession typically covers F, UR and BD while excluding PU.
Is a pulled up horse a non-runner?
No. A non-runner is withdrawn before the race and returns your stake. A pulled up horse came under starter's orders and ran, which is why the stake stays with the bookmaker and no Rule 4 deduction arises.
What happens if no horse finishes the race?
The race is treated as void and stakes are returned. That is a rule about the race rather than about your selection, and it applies however your own horse failed to complete.