| Do you study the official Going report when | | | | The first thing we can do is to get down to the |
| considering a bet? Weighing up the chances of a | | | | paddock before a race and check out the size of the |
| horse winning a particular race is a bit like completing | | | | horses' feet. Why? Well, generally a horse with big |
| a jigsaw. And I'm not talking about the jigsaw you | | | | hoofs akin to 'soup-plates' will be much better suited |
| bought for your 2 year-old last Christmas. I'm talking | | | | to softer ground. This is because the weight of the |
| about one of those 2,000 piece monsters you never | | | | horse is spread across a bigger area, and it is able to |
| seem to be able to finish. There are so many things | | | | 'skim' over the ground rather than getting stuck in |
| to consider. But each little bit of information, each | | | | the mud. Horses with smaller 'donkey' feet are more |
| scrap of historic performance, has a bearing on | | | | likely to sink that little further, and their progress will |
| whether your horse is likely to finish in front, or to be | | | | be that more labored. |
| an also-ran. | | | | Once the horses have left the paddock its time to |
| But there is one vital piece of the jigsaw that often | | | | take your position in the stands, and train your |
| gets lost under the sofa. Many punters gloss over it, | | | | binoculars on the horses as they go to Post. Although |
| and some leave it out of their calculations altogether. | | | | the horses will not be running flat out, the shrewd |
| But I consider it to be one of the single-most | | | | observer can still take away a few more golden |
| important factors when weighing up a race-card -- | | | | nuggets of information before deciding whether or |
| the Going. | | | | not to place a bet. |
| It doesn't matter whether I am analyzing the runners | | | | The thing to look out for is the horse's 'action'. By |
| for the Vodafone Derby, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, | | | | that I mean exactly how the horse strides along. A |
| or a class 6 apprentice handicap at Southwell -- the | | | | horse with an action described as 'rounded' actually |
| one question I always ask myself is "Will my horse | | | | lifts its knees much higher with each stride, and will |
| be able to act over the prevailing ground conditions?" | | | | most likely perform better on soft ground. A horse |
| This one piece of information, in my opinion, is more | | | | with a 'daisy-cutting' stride barely lifts his hoofs off |
| important than the distance to be raced, the track, | | | | the racing surface. This type of horse is more likely |
| the reputation of the trainer, and the jockey riding | | | | to appreciate going which is firmer under foot. These |
| my horse. | | | | generalizations are obviously never going to be 100% |
| The Going is the official state of the ground as | | | | accurate, but you would be amazed how many times |
| judged by the race official known as the Clerk of the | | | | you can avoid placing a stupid bet on a horse who is |
| Course. The state of the Going underfoot can be | | | | not likely to relish the conditions. Making a profit from |
| categorized from one extreme to the other by one | | | | betting is just as much about avoiding losers as |
| of the following descriptions: Hard, Firm, Good to | | | | spotting winners. |
| Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, and finally Heavy. | | | | When you are betting on a race for 2 year-olds |
| Traditionally the ground had been described after | | | | there is often very little form to work on. So if the |
| race officials had walked the Course and prodded the | | | | conditions underfoot are leaning towards either end |
| ground with a walking-stick. Thankfully, today the | | | | of the Going scale, then you can uncover a value bet |
| technology exists to provide a much more consistent | | | | by observing the horses as they canter to the |
| and objective assessment. | | | | starting stalls. You can save yourself a bundle if you |
| The Going is very important because often horses | | | | determine that the horse at the head of the market, |
| will have a preference for running (or "acting") on one | | | | is in fact showing signs that he will not find the Going |
| type of ground over another. Its not surprising that | | | | to his liking. |
| horses of differing physical and genetic make-up will | | | | If you know why and how one horse acts well on a |
| behave differently in they way they handle various | | | | certain surface, whilst another does not, then you |
| racing surfaces. | | | | are well on your way to increasing your returns from |
| So how can we as punters take advantage of these | | | | the bookmakers. |
| differences? | | | | |