It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but with the current bad weather the UK is experiencing the majority of the racing having taken place since the New Years Day meeting at Cheltenham has been on the artificial surfaces. With no let up in the weather this week it seems an appropriate time to take a closer look at the All Weather action.

There are a number of ways to spot a potential winner on the All Weather, certain courses have draw and pace biases, and also particular trainers consistently perform well each year. Before we expand on these angles we should first understand the type of surface that is used and how it compares to the turf.

LINGFIELD, KEMPTON and WOLVERHMAPTON all use a Polytrack.

Most horses can handle this surface okay. It is a fairly consistent type of surface with STANDARD going being the normal track condition, although extremes of weather can make it ride fast or slow, but the going forecast by the course officials is usually pretty accurate. Polytrack could be compared to good / good-firm going on the turf. Polytrack is basically sand which has been covered around 6 inches deep in a rubbery (polymer) substance, which is designed to minimise the amount of sand being kicked into the horse’s eyes.

SOUTHWELL has a Fibre Sand surface

This has a unique nature and not all horses can act on it. This surface is a deep sand base and can be a testing ground similar to soft/heavy going on the turf. Fibre Sand has more kickback and can make it more difficult to come from off the pace.

DRAW BIAS

LINGFIELD – Middle to low drawn horses have a slight advantage over 5/6f but it is not particularly significant. Over 7f very low draws have statistically been at a slight disadvantage. Over 1m+ there is no draw bias.

WOLVERHAMPTON – Over 5f low draws have traditionally had the advantage and although it may not be as strong as it used to be, you would definitely prefer a low draw over a high one. Over 6f a lower draw has a slight advantage. 7f+ there is no draw bias.

SOUTHWELL – Over 5f on the straight course very high draws tend to be at a disadvantage. This is because they are often forced to rail under the near side where the ground is slower. From 6f upwards there is no draw bias. More on All Weather Racing