Pat's Naps
Introduction To Pat’s Naps
Think you know your horse racing? Pat’s Naps gives racing fans the chance to test their tipping skills against friends, colleagues and other players across some of the biggest meetings and festivals in the calendar.
The game is free to play and simple to enter. Pick one horse in every selected race, nominate your strongest selection as your NAP and earn points whenever one of your horses wins. Scores are added together throughout the competition, with the leading players climbing the overall and mini-league leaderboards.
The next Pat's Naps game will take place from 28th July to 1st August for Glorious Goodwood 2026.
What Is Pat’s Naps?
Pat’s Naps is a free horse racing prediction game in which players attempt to select the winner of each race during a featured meeting or festival.
Competitions can take place across major events such as Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, the York Ebor Festival and leading National Hunt meetings.
Players choose one horse in each race and select one of their picks as their NAP, representing their strongest fancy of the day. Winning selections earn points based on the horse’s official starting price, while successful NAP selections receive a points bonus.
Scores are combined across the competition to produce an overall leaderboard. Players can also create private mini-leagues to compete directly against friends, family members, colleagues or members of a WhatsApp group.
How To Play Pat’s Naps
Entering a Pat’s Naps competition only takes a few minutes. Once entries are open, join the relevant competition and submit your selections before the published deadline.
The key rules and conditions are:
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Pick one selection per race: Choose one horse from the official racecard for every race included in the competition. Only one primary selection can be made in each race.
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Choose your NAP: Nominate one of your daily selections as your NAP. This should be the horse you consider your strongest pick of the day. A winning NAP earns double points, subject to the maximum points cap.
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Select backup picks: Players can choose a backup horse for each race. The backup provides cover in case the original selection is later declared a non-runner.
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Non-runners: When a primary selection is declared a non-runner after the entry deadline, the chosen backup will automatically replace it. No further action is required from the player.
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Meet the deadline: All selections must be submitted before the deadline displayed for that day’s racing. Once the deadline passes, picks are locked and late entries or changes cannot be accepted.
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Check your selections: Make sure every pick, NAP and backup selection has been saved correctly before entries close.
The site may also send a reminder shortly before the deadline to help players complete their selections in time.
How Scoring Works
Players earn points when one of their selected horses wins. Scores are based on the official starting price of the winning horse, rewarding players who successfully identify winners at bigger odds.
The main scoring rules are:
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A winning selection earns points based on its official starting price.
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A winner at 7/1 earns 7 points.
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A winner at 2/1 earns 2 points.
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Losing selections earn zero points.
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A successful NAP receives double points.
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For example, a winning 7/1 NAP earns 14 points.
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The maximum score available from a single race is 16 points, including any NAP bonus.
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Scores from each race are added together to create the player’s competition total.
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The player with the highest total score tops the leaderboard.
For example, selecting three winners at 2/1, 5/1 and 7/1 would ordinarily earn 14 points. Should the 7/1 winner have been nominated as the player’s NAP, it would score 14 points by itself, producing a total of 21 points from the three races.
The scoring system means short-priced winners can keep a player competitive, while correctly selecting a bigger-priced horse can result in a significant move up the leaderboard.
Mini Leagues
A Pat’s Naps mini-league is a private leaderboard that allows a smaller group of players to compete against one another within the main competition.
Mini-leagues are ideal for friends, families, workplaces, racing groups and WhatsApp chats. Every member’s selections still count towards the main Pat’s Naps leaderboard, but their scores are also displayed in a separate table containing only the players in that particular league.
To create a mini-league, visit the leaderboard page and select Create mini-league. Give the league a name and then invite other players by sharing the invitation link. Existing festival participants may also be added directly.
Players can join more personal competitions without needing to submit a second set of selections. Their original Pat’s Naps picks and scores will automatically count towards each relevant leaderboard.
Prizes
Selected Pat’s Naps competitions may offer prizes to the highest-scoring players.
The available prize, prize fund and number of winning positions can differ between meetings and festivals. Players should therefore check the relevant competition page before entering to see what rewards are available and whether any additional prize conditions apply.
For the 2026 Glorious Goodwood game the prizes are as follows:
- £100 Deliveroo voucher to the overall winner
- £20 Deliveroo voucher as a daily prize
Terms And Conditions
Players should read the full Pat’s Naps terms and any competition-specific conditions before entering.
Important conditions include:
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Players must be aged 18 or over.
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Only one entry per player is permitted.
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Pat’s Naps is free to enter unless the relevant competition explicitly states otherwise.
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Selections must be submitted before the displayed deadline.
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Late selections and changes cannot be accepted once picks have been locked.
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Players are responsible for checking that their selections have been submitted correctly.
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Backup selections will only be used in accordance with the published non-runner rules.
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Scores are settled using official race results and starting prices.
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Any advertised prize will be subject to the eligibility and verification requirements shown for that competition.
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Duplicate, misleading or fraudulent entries may be removed.
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Players must behave appropriately when using mini-league names, invitations or chat features.
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Pat’s Naps may investigate scoring queries, entry disputes or suspected rule breaches before confirming a final result.
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Participation in Pat’s Naps does not require players to place a bet.
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Anyone choosing to bet separately should only do so with a licensed operator and should gamble responsibly.
The full terms published on the Pat’s Naps website will take precedence if there is any difference between this guide and the official competition rules. The site states that picks are locked at the published deadline, late picks are not accepted and players should remain civil when using mini-league chat features
Pat’s Naps FAQs
Is Pat’s Naps free to enter?
Yes. Pat’s Naps is free to play. There is no entry fee and players do not need to place a bet to participate.
How many selections can I make in each race?
You can make one primary selection in each race. You may also be able to choose a backup horse, which will replace your original pick if it is declared a non-runner under the game’s substitution rules.
Do I get a NAP selection?
Yes. You can nominate one of your selections as your NAP each day. A winning NAP earns double points, although the score remains subject to the maximum 16-point cap.
How old do I have to be to play?
You must be aged 18 or over to enter a Pat’s Naps competition.
