All Weather Racing

It is probably true to say that a class 6 all weather sprint at Wolverhampton hardly has the allure of an exiting National Hunt 3 miler at Cheltenham, but for gambling, it can serve its purpose. Some people like all weather racing, some avoid it like the plague - however one of the keys to successful gambling is to specialise. I’m sure most of you have heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, master of none”… When it comes to horse racing, this phrase is apt for most punters. It is virtually impossible to be an expert in every type of race, yet many punters will keep backing horses no matter what race it is. Bookies love the guys who feel the need to bet in every type of race. With an ever increasing number of races run each year (in an already packed calendar) it is impossible to digest and analyse the lot. Focusing on a particular type of race can pay dividends. There are a number of areas that that you can focus on in all weather racing, which can prove profitable.

 What is an AW track?

To make any money out of all weather, you must understand the type of surface used.  When betting on the turf, there are many different types of ground to consider, so when it comes to all weather you should take advantage of the fact that UK tracks have only 2 surfaces to come to terms with:

Polytrack
Most horses can handle this surface ok. This is a fairly consistent type of surface and horses running on it will usually go at a good enough speed - which is something to consider when betting. Polytrack could be (loosely) compared to fast-ish going on the turf. Polytrack is basically sand which has been covered around 6 inches deep in a rubbery (polymar) substance. This ‘rubberised’ sand is designed to minimise the amount of sand being kicked into the horses’ eyes.

Fibresand
Not every horse is cut out to run on Fibresand. This surface is deep sand based, and is a ‘tougher’ surface to run on, which could be loosely compared to heavy-ish ground. This type of surface produces significant ‘kickback’ of sand into the horses’ eyes; therefore, front running horses are preferred on Fibresand - this may be something to note if you back horses in-running.

History of All Weather Racing

All weather started life as ‘filler’ races in 1989, to compensate for the amount of races being cancelled due to bad weather. It originally included hurdles, but after a few horses were killed in the early days, this was discontinued, and nowadays every all weather race is over a flat surface. While most people generally consider the all weather races as part of the flat season, it should be treated as a separate entity by any serious punter. All weather racing is held twelve months of the year, but the real season starts in early November, and comes to a head with the Lingfield winter derby in the following March. There are 4 all weather tracks in the UK (Lingfield, Wolverhampton, Southwell and Kempton). A fifth track (Great Leighs) was due to open in 2006 but is experiencing setbacks. Organisers hope to hold their first race sometime this year. Kempton has only begun holding all weather meetings last year, so most of this discussion will be on the other 3 tracks. There is no reason why you should not have a bet at Kempton, but the trends will not be as solid for a couple of years to come. Make sure you note that these tracks also hold turf meetings, so check the race card, which should clearly state A.W. at the top. Ireland does not have an all weather track, but there is one planned for Dundalk, due to hold its first race in August 2007. It remains to be seen what fixtures will go ahead at Dundalk, but HRI (Horse Racing Ireland) have made it clear that it won't simply be a dumping ground for all of the low-grade races. For anyone interested in speed ratings, AW tracks are preferable to turf.

All Weather Form

Remember, form from turf cannot always be transferred to all weather, so you must check out how the horse has performed previously before placing a bet. When looking for a horses previous outings, The Racing Post website has a mine of statistics at the click of a button. If you simply click on the horses name, it will bring up its previous results, the going it ran on, the distance, the track, the race it took part in etc. The type of surface, distance and draw can all have a big effect on a race. Simply looking at one of these variables alone will not find you a winner, but you must consider all aspects and variables that may affect your bet.  After some time, you will become familiar with the trainers and jockeys that appear on the all weather frequently. When gambling on the all weather, make sure you note the jockey on board, and more importantly the trainer records in the race. Some trainers are excellent on the all weather and some are poor. Soon you should be able to spot horses that look like they have been very carefully selected by a trainer for a particular track. All weather races use starting stalls. Some starting stalls have proven to be more profitable than others, so a draw is made to determine the stall that each horse will run from. Note that the horse's number on the racecard, and the stall number are completely separate.

All Weather Courses

Lingfield - (Polytrack)
This is a left-handed, sharp, almost tri-angular track. Regarding the draw - in 5 & 6 furlong races, stalls 1-5 have a significant advantage, with the higher stalls losing more often. In races OVER 6 furlongs, the highly drawn horses are still at a disadvantage, BUT so are horses drawn in stalls 1 & 2 which seem to get boxed in at the rails. Statistically, stall 3 does fairly well overall at Lingfield, but if the horse is not good enough, the draw is irrelevant, so make sure you check the form too. It seems to be difficult for a horse to make all the running here, and because the Polytrack surface does not have much sand kickback in comparison to fibresand, NON front-running horses often tend to do well at Lingfield. This may be something to consider if you are betting in-running, and see a horse dashing out to take the lead early on - he could be a value in-running lay.

Wolverhampton - (Polytrack)
Again, a left-handed course that is oval shaped. It appears that it is best to be drawn in a high stall at Wolverhampton. LIke Lingfield, the polytrack surface at Wolverhampton does not produce much 'kickback'. Something to note about Wolverhamton, is that in the Winter-time, especially after particularly bad weather, the surface close to the inside rail is much ‘deeper’ or heavier - thus, stall 1 has a poor record after heavy rainfall. This is especially true over short sprints of 5 or 6 furlongs. Some speed ratings experts have noted Wolverhampton as a particularly reliable track time wise.