In the lexicon of horse racing there are many different terms to measure the margin of victory. Going from closest to largest; a horse can win by a nose, head, or neck, by fractions of a length, or by a length or more.
Though sometimes, there is no margin of victory to measure – when horses reach the finish line equally together. When that happens, the familiar term Dead Heat is applied, normally after a several-minute wait while the racetrack stewards examine the Finish Line photo.
Dead Heats result in payouts from the pari-mutuel pool being divided. Instead of receiving a full win payout of a horse you bet $2 on at 8-1 odds (getting roughly $18 back), you would receive a lesser amount depending on the post-time odds of the other horse that finished first along with yours.
Payouts for finishing 2nd are also divided based on odds. And any multi-horse bets involving the top two finishers such as the Exacta, Trifecta, and Superfecta will have payouts divided and based on odds as well.
Horses can also finish in a dead heat for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and any position in the race (although bettors only get paid for top three finishes). Purse shares for any Dead-Heat finishes are split 50-50.
Few things are more exciting than a Dead Heat in a horse race. That said, there’s never been a Dead Heat for 1st-place in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, or Belmont Stakes.
However, there was a Dead Heat in the 2012 Travers Stakes– the prestigious Mid-Summer Derby at Saratoga when ALPHA and GOLDEN TICKET split the winner’s purse.
Only one Triple Dead Heat has been documented in a Stakes race held in the U.S., and that came at Aqueduct Racetrack way back in 1944.
Three runners reached the Finish Line together in the Carter Handicap– BROWNIE on the inside, BOUSSET in the middle, and WAIT A BIT on the outside. Pari-mutuel pools for Win, Place, and Show were divided based on odds, and purse for all three spots was split three ways.
As an expression, Dead Heat is used beyond the realm of horse racing, common in sports such as track and field and swimming, in auto racing, and in any competitive context where a Finish Line or end point is set.
