When deciding to specialise in All Weather Racing, I set myself the objective of visiting Lingfield, Wolverhampton, Kempton and Southwell. That objective is now completed

Welcome to Southwell

I won’t bother with a review of the course given that a perfectly adequate report is available on the ORS Racing Web site. However, once I eyeballed the course layout I had another epiphany moment .

Course Config

The course is as flat as a billiard table and unlike Wolverhampton where the turns are tight, the turns here are sweeping and the straights deceptively long, especially the final 4 furlongs off the final bend. Additionally the course is galloping in nature allowing plenty of time for horses to gather a head of steam therefore most races are truly run affairs.

The famous fibresand surface is not as deep as it seems when viewing races on the TV although given my comments above and its unique consistency, Southwell for horses is like marmite, you either love it or hate it!

During my visit I met Maxilon 5 from the Racing Forum All Weather Lays and Plays thread (started by yours truly). As local racegoer he is a fountain of knowledge all things Southwell and the key factors of this unique venue. Our exchange of views and opinions was well worth the price of admission and my contribution to the gambling god’s coffers.

Things I picked up during our afternoon musings

  • When assessing the chances of horses running here its Southwell form, Southwell form followed by long and distant Southwell form
  • There are a subset of trainers that like this venue too
  • The market and betting ring is ultra efficient. There are a lot of punters at Southwell that know the time of day. The opinion of this silent minority is reflected in the prices in the final minutes before the off (Note to self – Because your tissue scream’s “value”, that does not give you the green light to hoover up drifting prices from “every” bookmaker in the ring!!)
  • Its difficult (but not impossible) to win draw wide over 6,7 and 8 furlongs
  • Stamina and early pace are key requirements at these distances for any horse running at Southwell. Did I also mention Southwell form?
  • I typically lump Class 5, 6 form together when assessing the chances of contenders in these grades. Based on some advise from Max I may need to modify my thinking as some horses suffered from the Peter Principle while others that ran poorly at other venues seem to thrive here.

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