A photo finish in horse racing is a finish too close to call by eye, so the Judge decides the placings from the finish camera's image. Under the Australian Rules of Racing, the Judge places the horses as they pass the winning post, a camera may be used to help, and each horse's position is judged by its nose alone (AR 214(1) and (2)).
How the Judge reads the print
The finish camera is lined up on the winning post. Rather than taking one snapshot of the track, it records the line of the post over and over as the horses cross it, so the image shows each horse at the moment it reached the line. The Judge reads it by lining a vertical marker up on each nose: the first nose on the line is the first horse home.
Around that reading:
- The Judge must place at least the first four horses (AR 214(3)).
- The Judge can correct a mistake until the placed riders have weighed in (AR 214(4)).
- The Stewards can change the Judge's placings, before or after correct weight, if satisfied on the evidence, prints and images included, that the Judge got the order wrong (AR 214(4)).
- If the Judge cannot separate two horses, the result is a dead heat.
Why settlement waits for the result
A bet on a race that ends in a photo waits: it settles on the placings at correct weight, which the Stewards declare once the placed riders have weighed in and any protest is decided (AR 212), and the photo comes before both. For NSW on-course bookmakers, Racing NSW's Rules of Betting send bets to the backers of the horses the Judge places, subject to any change made before weight is declared (BR 6(1)); online bookmakers settle under their own terms.
A protest is heard against the Judge's placings, so the photo comes first, as correct weight and protests explains; the stewards' inquiry entry covers changes made after correct weight.
When the photo shows a dead heat
When the Judge cannot split them, the Rules of Racing share the prize money (AR 213), and a betting rule book decides the bets. WA's Rules of Wagering divide a WA bookmaker's return by the number of runners tied (r 58). Racing NSW's Rules of Betting, for NSW on-course bookmakers, pay half the ticket's face value for a dead heat for first, or for the last paying place (BR 16).
With an illustrative $20 win bet at $3.80 in a two-way dead heat for first: $20 x 3.80 / 2 = $38.00, an $18.00 profit instead of the $56.00 an outright win makes. Online bookmakers write their own dead heat rules, and dead heat rules works through places, exotics and the tote. Horse racing betting sets the photo beside racing's other settlement rules.
Prices before the jump, results after it
A photo is settled by the Judge, the Stewards and your bookmaker's terms; the part you control is the price you take before the jump. The Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports side by side, with Betfair back and lay and closing lines, so you can set that price beside the others offered on the same runner. Its prices can lag a bookmaker's own, so check the price in your account first. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. Bookmaker names are trade marks of their owners. B337 is not affiliated with them. Betfair is a trade mark of its owner, and B337 is not affiliated with it.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A runner that looks to have won on the replay can lose the photo, and a dead heat at a short price can return less than your stake. See responsible gambling for limits and support.