What does “nap” mean in horse racing?
Nap — A tipster’s single most confident selection of the day.
Also: nap of the day, going nap
In horse racing, a nap is the one bet a tipster is most confident about on a given day — the selection they would stake the most on. If you only followed a single tip, the nap is the one to take.
The word comes from the 19th-century card game Napoleon, where declaring “nap” meant betting you would win every trick — the boldest call in the game. Tipsters borrowed it for their strongest shout of the day.
You’ll often see it paired with an NB (“next best”), the tipster’s second-favourite. On this site the Nap is chosen purely by data — the horse our ratings separate furthest from its race — and only ever at 2/1 or bigger, never a short odds-on favourite, because those don’t return a profit over time.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Is the nap always the favourite?
No. A nap is the tipster’s most confident pick, which is often — but not always — the favourite. Ours is deliberately never a short odds-on favourite, because the data shows those don’t profit long-term.
What’s the difference between a nap and an NB?
The nap is the tipster’s single strongest selection of the day; the NB (“next best”) is their second choice. Back the nap if you only take one bet.
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