All Weather Races

All-weather racing in the UK was first introduced to provide racing throughout the winter months when turf fixtures are liable to cancellation due to inclement conditions.

All-weather racing has now become established as an integral part of the racing calendar with nearly 1/3 of all British Races being run on artificial tracks.

The now internationally famed Polytrack surface, first introduced as a racing surface at Lingfield Park, has now also been installed at Wolverhampton, Kempton and Great Leighs. The surface attracts quality horses and a watershed was reached in 2005 when the first ever Group race was run on Polytrack at Lingfield Park.

There is also an All-weather Championship to recognise and reward the owners, trainers, jockeys and stable staff who support all-weather racing. The Championships are now administered by the British Horseracing Authority and cover the winter racing season between November and March, culminating with the Winter Derby at Lingfield Park on in mid-march.

All Weather Racing Courses

Currently in Britain there are five all weather racecourses:

• Lingfield (Surrey)
• Southwell (Nottinghamshire)
• Wolverhampton (West Midlands)
• Kempton (Middlesex)
• Great Leighs (Essex)

Please note due to licensing issues Great Leighs racecourse is currently not hosting any racing fixtures.

The Sand - The Different Artificial Surfaces>

Currently in Britain there are two types of surface. Fibresand is now only used at Southwell whilst all the other courses are using Polytrack.

Fibresand (Southwell)

This is the slowest of the two surfaces and is more demanding of horse and jockey.

The results produced on this surface are similar to the results of turf races on soft ground - runners usually finish strung out and race times are slower compared to the Polytrack surface.

Polytrack (Lingfield, Wolverhampton, Kempton, Great Leighs)

Polytrack leaves less of an impression when raced on and it quickly regains its original shape after hoof penetration.

Polytrack is a much faster surface than Fibresand. The going will be similar to good / good to firm on the turf.

Both types of surfaces will be worked regularly with machines such as Power Harrows and Rollers and Gallop Masters. Sometimes this can create temporary draw biases but this happens most when there has been a distinct change in the weather such as recent heavy rain or a sharp frost.

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• Guide to Going Racing
• Guide to Betting
• Guide to Flat Racing
  • The Classics
  • Major Events
  • Structure of Races
  • All Weather Races
• Guide to Jump Racing