How to run a Grand National or race-day sweepstake

A race or one-off event is over in an afternoon, which is exactly why it's so popular — everyone gets their runner, watches together, and it's settled by teatime.

Setting it up

Use New competition → Something else (or Find by sport and pick Horse Racing, Golf or Motorsport), and choose One-off event or race as the format.

Add the runners on the competitors tab. Paste field is quickest. The seed here is called Favourite order — 1 is the favourite, which you can take from the betting.

Wait for the final field

The runners in a big race can change right up to the final declarations, a couple of days before. If you draw too early, someone could be holding a horse that doesn't run. For the Grand National, the final field of up to 34 is confirmed two days before the race.

Once members have been given runners, the field is locked, so draw once you're confident it won't change.

How many runners each?

A 34-runner Grand National between 10 people gives everyone three, with four people getting a fourth. With more people than runners, you'll need to pair people up, or run two sweepstakes.

Points for placings

A one-off event has three bands: Ran, Placed and Winner. By default only Winner scores (32 points). If you want the placed runners to count — second, third and fourth in the National, say — press Points per round on the Results tab and give Placed some points.

Entering the result

When the result is official:

1. On the Results tab, set each placed runner to Placed.
2. Set the rest to Ran (or leave them — they score nothing either way).
3. Press Mark winner on the winner. The competition finishes and the winning member is emailed.

Non-runners and fallers can simply be set to Ran.