Matched Betting 2nd to SP Favourite Offers

Refund if 2nd to SP Favourite is an offer ran by many bookmakers regularly and can be profitable for matched bettors. This is an advantage play offer which means that you will not make a profit every time but providing you find close matches, the offer has a positive expected value and so you will make a profit over time.

What is the 2nd to SP favourite offer?

Bookmakers who run this offer will refund your stake, usually as a free bet, if the horse you back finishes 2nd in nominated races or meetings, to the SP favourite. SP stands for ‘Starting Price’ and so the ‘SP Favourite’ is the horse with the shortest odds when the race starts.

To trigger the refund, two things have to happen in the race.

1. The SP favourite must win the race
2. The horse which you backed must finish 2nd

As you can expect, the chances of hitting a refund are relatively low and so it is essential that you only do this offer when you find a VERY close match on a horse. You should also not back the favourite to win as your horse must finish 2nd to the favourite. If you back the favourite then the two triggers above can’t both happen and so you won’t be able to qualify for the refund.

Which bookmakers offer 2nd to SP favourite?

Many bookmakers run this offer with some of the more popular being Boylesports, Betfred, Totesport, Betsid & BetMcLean. The maximum refund amount will vary between bookmakers and so it is important to check this prior to placing any bets. Some bookmakers may also offer a refund on 3rd place as well as 2nd which makes the offer more appealing as it gives you an additional chance to trigger the refund.

How to profit from 2nd to SP favourite

This offer is relatively simple to do via matched betting and involves backing and laying a horse and then hoping that it finishes 2nd to the SP favourite. Although, receiving the refund involves a bit of luck, there are ways to increase the chances of that happening.

One way to increase your chances is to find a race where there is a CLEAR FAVOURITE. By doing so, this increases the chances of:

1. It being the favourite at the start of the race
2. The horse winning

This increases the chances of one of the two triggers being hit and so next, you must hope that the horse you back finishes 2nd to the favourite.

To find close matches for horses in eligible races you can either use an OddsMatcher or a dedicated tool such as the Horse Racing Matcher. The Horse Racing Matcher on MatchedBets is pre-configured for 2nd to SP favourite offers for bookmakers who are running the offer and so it saves time filtering the results manually.

How much profit can you make?

As mentioned, the chances of receiving a refund are relatively low and so you may go many races without being in profit. However, if you keep your qualifying losses to a minimum, the profit you make when you do trigger a refund should be more than your losses overall.

Your profit will also depend on the max refund for the offer. Generally, bookmakers offer around £25 as the maximum refund, from which you can expect an EV of around £2-£3 per race.