What Does PU Mean in Horse Racing? Pulled Up Explained

Last updated: 10/11/2026

What does PU mean in horse racing? It stands for pulled up: the jockey stopped the horse before the finish, so it didn't complete the race. If your money was on it, win or each-way, the bet has lost, and unlike a non-runner, there's no refund.

What Does PU Mean in Horse Racing?

In horse racing, pulled up means the horse started the race but its jockey chose to stop riding before the line, usually because it was tired, beaten or not moving right. Starting is what matters for your bet. A non-runner never comes under starter's orders, so its stake is refunded. A pulled-up horse has run and lost.

The Midnite Take: PU in Horse Racing: When a Horse Doesn't Finish the Job

By Dave Learmont, Creative Copy Lead at Midnite

Spot a 'PU' next to a horse's name on the racecard? It's not a comment on the smell of the stables.

PU stands for 'pulled up'. It means the jockey stopped the horse before it completed the race.

There are several reasons this might happen. The horse could be tiring, struggling with the conditions or showing signs that something isn't right. Rather than pushing on, the jockey decides not to continue.

It's worth noticing when studying previous form, but a pulled-up result doesn't tell the whole story. The circumstances behind it matter just as much as those two letters.

Why Do Jockeys Pull a Horse Up?

Jockeys pull a horse up when carrying on would do it no good. Over fences, that can happen a long way from home. The usual reasons:

• Tired or tailed off: nothing left, or too far behind to matter.
• Lame or injured: something goes wrong in its stride.
• Lost its action: it stops moving with its normal rhythm.
• A bad mistake at a fence or hurdle: a heavy blunder can leave it winded.
• Broken or slipped tack: a slipping saddle makes it unsafe to go on.

Under British Horseracing Authority rules, a jockey who keeps riding a lame or injured horse can be suspended, as the BHA's penalty guide sets out.

A jockey was given a 10-day ban for failing to pull up a tailed-off horse in the 2026 Grand National, GB News reported.

What Happens to Your Bet When a Horse Is Pulled Up?

A pulled-up horse is settled as a loser: it ran and didn't finish, so it can't win or place.

The same goes for a horse that falls or unseats its rider: it came under starter's orders, so a bet on it loses.

An each-way bet is a win bet plus a place bet. A horse that doesn't finish can't place, so both halves go.

In multiples, a pulled-up selection is a losing leg. In a Lucky 15, only the bets that include it lose. Under Midnite's non-runner rules, a non-runner drops out instead, so a treble becomes a double.

Rule 4 belongs to non-runners too. When a horse is withdrawn after you've bet, a deduction can come off your winnings, from 90p in the £ if it was 1/9 or shorter down to 5p at 10/1 to 14/1, capped at 90p overall. It can hit starting price bets when there's no time to re-form the market. A horse pulling up mid-race triggers none.

P and PU in the Form Figures

What does P mean in horse racing form? Pulled up, the same as PU. The PU meaning in horse racing doesn't change: P is the letter in the form figures, PU the abbreviation in results and race comments.

Form reads left to right, latest run last. From a Midnite racecard:

1P2/

• 1: won, the oldest run shown.
• P: pulled up next time.
• 2: second on its latest run.
• /: a long break, covered in our guide to reading form figures.

A P isn't the same as finishing last, which still means completing the course and getting a position. A P means it didn't, and the race comment says why.

Mind the case: a lower-case p can mean cheekpieces, and on Timeform a horse likely to improve. The rest of the card is in how to bet on horse racing.

Other Codes for Horses That Don't Finish

PU is one of several codes for a horse that didn't finish, most of them from jumps racing. These follow the Jockey Club's reading the form key and Timeform.

Midnite's racecards show P, F and U. The rest are in our horse racing terms glossary.

How Often Are Horses Pulled Up?

Over 9% of UK National Hunt runners were pulled up between 1 January 2019 and 30 November 2024, about 15,000 horses, according to an analysis by geegeez. That's one analyst's data, not an official figure, and there's no published Flat equivalent.

Jumps races are longer, over obstacles and often on soft ground, so PU turns up most in the jumps season.

Bet Responsibly

Fix your spend for the afternoon before the first runner goes to post, and only stake money you can afford to lose. A horse pulling up in the first race isn't a reason to win it back in the second.

In the Safer Gambling section of your Midnite account you can set a deposit limit, cap deposits minus withdrawals with Net Spend Limits, or take a Cool Off of 24 hours to 30 days. The Responsible Play hub has every tool, and GamCare offers free, confidential support. 18+.

FAQs

Do You Get Your Money Back If a Horse Is Pulled Up?

No. A pulled-up horse took part and didn't finish, so win and each-way bets on it lose. Stakes come back only on non-runners, horses that never came under starter's orders.

What Do You Call a Female Jockey?

A jockey. British racing has no separate word: women ride in the same races, under the same rules, with the same title.

Did Insurance Pay Out on Shergar?

Partly. Shergar was stolen on 8 February 1983 and never found. Lloyd's paid the policies that covered theft, but mortality-only policies didn't pay, and Norwich Union refused on its share, per Wikipedia. Reported totals vary.

What Does PU Mean in a Horse Race?

It's short for pulled up. The rider stopped the horse before the winning post, so it's recorded as not finishing.

How Much Does Willie Mullins Charge to Train a Horse?

His fees aren't published. The last reported figure was €55 a day from 1 October 2016, up from €50, according to The Irish Field.

Pulled Up, in Two Lines

PU means the horse started and didn't finish, so bets on it lose. A non-runner never started, so its stake comes back. Every runner's form is on today's racecards.

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About the author

Jordan Willmott is Sportsbook Experience Senior Manager at Midnite, where he leads the team behind sportsbook operations and propositions, from bet settlement and price boosts to the range of markets and specials available across every sport on site. He has spent 13 years in sportsbook and trading, previously in similar roles at BetVictor, Sporting Index and Sky Betting & Gaming. He writes here on how markets are built, made available and settled once the whistle goes. Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.