What does Nap mean in horse racing?

A nap is a tipster's banker — their single most confident selection of the day. The term is a fixture of British horse-racing journalism, where newspaper columnists and tipping services name their nap as the standout bet, set apart from their other, lesser-fancied selections. The word reportedly derives from Napoleon, a trick-taking card game in which declaring nap was a bid to win every trick — the boldest call available. In practice a racing page might list several selections across the card but flag just one as the nap, signalling that it is the tipster's strongest opinion. For example, a column could offer five tips for the afternoon's meetings while highlighting one runner as the nap of the day, the bet the tipster would back above all others. Some publications also nominate a next best, a notch below the nap in confidence. Why it matters: a nap is a useful shorthand for a tipster's conviction, and following a particular tipster's naps over a long run can be a reasonable strategy — but only if that tipster has a genuine, verifiable record measured to starting price or better. The common mistake is to treat a nap as a near-certainty; it is merely the day's most confident pick, not a guaranteed winner, and even the best tipsters endure losing runs. Confidence is not the same as value, so a short-priced nap may still be poor betting value. See also banker, tipster and value bet.