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by Kaz
(UK)
What is the relationship between book % and number of runners in a horse race?
Answer: The book % is the assigning of odds by a bookmaker to each runner in a horse race to at least break even 100% (the round) and then an additional % profit (the overound)
Consider a 5 horse race where odds of 4.0 are assigned to each runner which equates to 25% so that 5 x 25% = 125%
If the bookmaker takes an equal amount on each horse his profit would be 25%
The number of runners would not affect the book % as the bookmaker would always try to achieve the same % profit by adjusting the odds of each horse relative to their chance of winning