What is a horse race called when two horses finish exactly level?

A horse race in which two horses finish exactly level is called a dead heat.

In a dead heat, the judges determine that the horses cannot be separated at the finishing line. Instead of selecting one winner, the race is recorded as a tie between the horses involved. The winners normally share the prize money and receive equal recognition in the official result.

Modern racecourses use high-speed cameras and photo-finish equipment to examine very close finishes. A photograph can show that one horse's nose reached the line first, but if the evidence still cannot distinguish the runners, the result remains a dead heat.

Dead heats are uncommon because even tiny differences in a horse's nose, head, or body position can decide an ordinary finish. The term is also used in greyhound racing and other competitions. It should not be confused with a photo finish: a photo finish is the reviewing process, while a dead heat is the official tied result.