What Does ‘Post Time’ Mean in Sports Betting?

“Post Time” is a term you’ll hear almost exclusively in horse racing.

It simply means the scheduled start time of a specific race.

If you are at the track or looking at a betting app, you will see a countdown clock (like “10 Minutes to Post”). This tells you exactly how much time you have left to get your bets in.

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Why Is It Called That?

The term comes from the old days when horses had to walk from the stables to a physical wooden post on the track to start the race.

• “The Post”: The starting gate.
• “Post Time”: The time the horses are expected to be at the gate, ready to run.

A Practical Tip for Bettors

In horse racing, betting closes the second the race starts.

While “Post Time” is the scheduled time (e.g., 2:45 PM), tracks often run a few minutes late. You can usually bet right up until the moment the starting gates fly open (the “Off”), but once they do, the windows close instantly.