THE TRACKS

A left handed floodlit polytrack circuit with two chutes for 7f and 8f races and a 2f home and back straight.

Address:
Great Leighs Racecourse, The Showground, Chelmsford, Essex,
CM3 1QP
01245 362 412
Web: www.greatleighs.com
Location:

Five miles north of Chelmsford on the A131.
Train:
Chelmsford Station from Liverpool Street (27min). A bus shuttle
to the racecourse will operate on race days.

Great Leighs is the first new racecourse to be built in Britain since 1927 and has an 8½f polytrack circuit which meets the HRA upgraded specifications for a 135m minimum radius bend. There are chutes for 7f and 8f races. Due to delay in construction it is scheduled to start racing in 2008.

LINGFIELD

A sharp undulating left handed track with a downhill stretch into the home bend and a short run in. The polytrack course is 1m2f round.

Address: Lingfield Park Racecourse, Lingfield, Surrey, FH7 6PQ
01342 834800
Webb: http://www.lingfield-racecourse.co.uk/
Location: South East of town on B2028 Edenbridge Road.
M23 junction 9, M25 junction 6.
Train: Lingfield Station, adjoining course. From London Victoria
journey time 35mins.

The first all weather meeting in this country was staged at Lingfield Park on October 30th 1989, where Niklas Angel won Britains first all weather race. After twelve successful years the equitrack surface was becoming tired and worn. After losing meetings in early 2001 a new polytrack surface was laid. This new surface 70% synthetic with a wax coating can withstand temperatures down to -12° Celsius. It provides more cushioning and subsequently less jarring than the old equitrack which could be like concrete in wet conditions. The new polytrack surface has very little kick back by comparison and is more popular with both jockeys and trainers.
On July 9th 2005 Lingfield Park made history again when it staged the first Group race ever run on an all weather surface. The Ladbrokes Silver Trophy had been re-routed from Ascot and was won by Autumn Glory.

The contours of the track favour well balanced horses who can run down hill. The old equitrack surface was notorious for producing a strong low draw bias. The kickback was so harsh that any horse who made a dash for the inside and ran from the front would tend not to get beaten. But in 2001 the surface was replaced with the more kickback friendly polytrack. For the first few weeks of racing the low bias still existed but in recent years the bias has been negated by specific course work which has made part of the track slower than others.
Polytrack is the easiest surface to manipulate, it is so versatile that the ground staff can vary the going across the complete width of the track. Subsequently the strip nearest the far rail is often slower than the rest of the track. In races over 7f and 1m horses drawn middle to high have the edge. There is a longer run to the first bend which allows hold up horses from higher stalls to secure a good early pitch. The only draw bias of any significance is over 1m2f. It can be hard to get into the race, you hit the first bend after only a furlong and from a high draw you can lose five or six lengths. Horses who exert a bit of energy early on to get a good position are often caught in the final stages of the race.

WOLVERHAMPTON

A left handed oval track with sharp bends and a short run in of only 380yards. The polytrack course is 1m round.

Address:
Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton,
West Midlands, WV6 0PE
0870 220 2442
Web: http://www.wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk/
Location:
One mile north of the city centre, off A449 Stafford Road. Follow
the brown tourists signs to Dunstall Park. M6 (jct 10A) follow M54
(jct 2). Approach via A449
Train:
One mile Wolverhampton Station. From London Euston and
from Birmingham New Street (every 10 mins).

There has been a racecourse at Wolverhampton since 1887 although it has changed location slightly since the early years. Floodlit all weather racing was pioneered at Dunstall Park in 1993. The old style course had been re-vamped with a new all weather fibresand track running inside the turf track. The majority of racing was on the all weather with just a few jump fixtures a year. Formerly privately owned the racecourse was purchased by Arena Leisure in 1999.

During the winter of 2000/01 problems were beginning to develop. The surface which had been in use for seven years had inevitably become worn and tired. This was reducing its ability to drain properly. In extreme cases of wet or cold the track was becoming unfit for racing. During July and August 2001 Arena Leisure laid 140 new drains and 7000 tons of fibresand.
In 2004 the fibresand track and the turf track were replaced with a polytrack surface. The new track is slightly bigger as it has encompassed what was left of the old turf course. This has brought the action closer to the stands and made the bends slightly less severe. Each year has seen the fixture list grow and in 2006 Wolverhampton hosted 110 fixtures.

Although the new surface is similar to Lingfield, it is riding much slower and front runners are being collared close to home. In 5f races draws 4-6 are best. The low drawn horses can be trapped on the rail and those drawn high have too much ground to make up. In 6f races, horses have the length of the back straight to sort themselves out but coming out of the 7f chute they are soon into the bend and horses drawn wide can be at a severe disadvantage.

SOUTHWELL

A left handed oval fibresand course, 1m2f round with a straight 5f.

Address: Southwell Racecourse, Rolleston, Nottingham, NG25 0TS
01636 814481
Web: http://www.southwell-racecourse.co.uk/
Location: Southwell has free parking for 1000 vehicles and is situated
at Rolleston, 3miles south east of Southwell and 7miles
west of Newark. Access from the A1 and M1 via the A46
and the A617
Train: Station Rolleston adjacent to course on Nottm - Newark line.
Journey times six minutes Newark, 20 minutes Nottingham.

Southwell is the only track with a fibresand surface and was extensively refurbished in August 2000. With its long straights and sweeping bends it is ideal for relentless gallopers. However the surface can be deep and testing particularly after dry or frosty weather. Subsequently Southwell rides the slowest of the all weather tracks and tired horses often get caught. Hold up horses fare better, and in the longer races you need to look for horses with form beyond the distance they are running as they often prevail, particularly during the winter season. The kickback is considerable and races up to a mile usually develop from the front. In longer races it is more difficult to make all the running. In October 2004 further refurbishment was carried out using tons of second hand fibresand from the old Wolverhampton surface. Drainage was improved and the track actually raised a few inches. This altered the draw bias. Before the refurbishment a low draw was essential to get into the race, but now on the round course low numbers are at a big disadvantage. In fact in the first 125 starts over 1m following the refurbishment, stall one only won once, a strike rate of 0.8%. In races from 6f to 1m consider laying any fancied horse in stall one. On the 5f straight, horses drawn low have a significant advantage. They get the faster part of the track over the first few furlongs and can then grab the favoured middle of the track when they join the round course. Beware of publications and pundits who still think that high is disadvantageous, since the refurbishment it isn’t.

KEMPTON

S H Hyde a 19th century businessman and Tory party agent was enjoying a carriage drive in the country when he came across Kempton Manor and Park for sale. Hyde leased the grounds formed a company and a racecourse was built. The first fixture took place on Thursday 18th July 1878.
Kempton Park has been the home of the prestigious King George V1 Chase since 1937 when only four runners went to post. Past winners include Arkle, Wayward Lad, One Man, Best Mate and the legendary Desert Orchid who won the race a record four times.
During the two world wars Kempton Park was requisitioned by the War Office. In 1915 it was used as a depot for military vehicles and in 1939 it became a prisoner of war camp. Kempton reopened for the Easter meeting in 1947 and raced non stop until closing on May 2nd 2005 for re development. On the 25th March 2006 Kempton Racecourse proudly opened its new £18.5 million floodlit all weather track.

A right handed polytrack course. 5f and 1m2f use the inside course. The rest use the outside.

Address: Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex. TW16 5AQ 01932 782292

Web: Kempton@rht.net

Location: On the A308 Kingston Road, 1/2mile from M3 Jct 1 and is well signposted from the motorway.

Rail: Kempton Park Station, from London Waterloo (1/2 hour)

Air: London Heathrow, (6 miles)

The new polytrack surface took time to bed down and for the first few months high numbers were doing badly. In the summer horses drawn high started to win.

In races over 5f, 6f and 7f there is a slight advantage to be drawn high. Over 1m and 1m4f it is better to have a low draw. To date there seems to be no advantage from being drawn high or low over 1m 2f.