Form & performance
Late Scratching
A late scratching is a withdrawal after markets are trading, usually on veterinary grounds or because of a barrier incident. Fixed-odds bets on the scratched runner are refunded, and depending on the operator, remaining fixed-odds bets may be reduced under a deduction rule reflecting the withdrawn runner's price. A late scratching also reshapes the pace map, which can matter more to the result than the removal of the horse itself.
In use
The late scratching of the only genuine leader turned the race into a tactical crawl.