What Is A Nap in Horse Racing?

If you’ve ever glanced at a racing column or followed horse racing tips online, you’ve probably come across the term “nap.” You might have seen something like:

You might be wondering exactly what this means, and if you are new to reading racecards and watching horse races, terms like ‘nap’ can be quite confusing. Here, we are going to run through what nap means, how they are used and how it compares to other horse racing terms.

In horse racing, a “nap” refers to a tipster’s best bet of the day. Out of all the horses running that day, the nap is the one they believe has the strongest chance of winning.

Think of it as the tipster’s most confident pick, the one they’d put their money on more than any other. However, this is only advice from tipsters, meaning the horse is not guaranteed to win, as horse racing is unpredictable.

A nap is useful if you are not sure what selection to choose, and you are looking for some advice or horse racing tips from an experienced horse racing tipster.

The term ‘nap’ actually comes from the old card game of Napoleon, where ‘nap’ refers to the highest possible bid, basically meaning that the player will win all the tricks in the hand. Racing borrowed this term to indicate confidence in a selection.

Professional tipsters (those who write for newspapers, websites, or betting services) will usually publish a daily nap. This is designed to focus bettors' attention on the strongest selections in the tipster's opinion, rather than sifting through dozens of races and horses.

You might see something like this:

The nap is typically listed alongside the NB, which stands for Next Best — the tipster’s second-most confident bet of the day.

While naps are based on a tipster’s analysis of form, stats, track conditions, and other factors, they’re not guaranteed. Even the best horses can get beaten — that’s the unpredictable beauty of racing.

So, if you’re betting:

Whilst Nap is one of the most popular terms when it comes to betting tips, here is a quick glossary of some other frequently used terms:

In short, a nap is the bettor's shortcut to spotting a tipster’s top selection for the day. Whether you're a seasoned bettor or a racing newbie, keeping an eye on naps can help point you toward smart wagers, but always remember that even the best picks sometimes fall short.

If you are looking for more guidance when it comes to horse racing, then Racing TV is the place to be. With livestreams to watch horse racing, and different tips and guides which revolve around the sport, the site is filled with fantastic content for horse racing fans!