When it comes to horse racing betting, the weather is a very critical factor to consider at all times. A good analysis of horse racing leads to the conclusion that the weather is very important as this can make or mar everyone’s day. Therefore, if you want to win, the weather will be of use in whatever strategy you choose.
All-Weather Courses and Turf
The term 'turf' refers to racing that occurs on the grass, while the term 'all-weather' racing is run on a larger surface, with a Tapeta mixture composed of synthetic wax, rubber, or sand or, sometimes it's barely just sand. In Europe, several races take place on the turf and it is very well affected by weather conditions, but with the ‘all-weather’ racing, there is barely any interference from the weather.
When it rains lightly, turf racing is difficult to play, which implies that there is less to ‘give’ under a horse’s foot than usual and the track is described as ‘Good’ or ‘Good to Firm’. But when it rains heavily, it is also a strong determiner of the weather condition, which in turn affects the pitch.
During sunshine, some of the horses tend to turf hard underfoot with the track rattling fast. Horses like that are the winning ones and so it's best to watch for them and bet on them, for maximum win. The rainy season makes the turf soft, which causes the racecourse to be described as ‘heavy’ or ‘good to soft’. This particular kind of ‘going’ is usually the norm in the winter period but it seldom occurs during the summer.
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Now irrespective of frost weather, heavy rain, making use of an 'all-weather' surface at the racecourse takes all that away. If you use Fibresand, Tapeta, Polytrack for the 'all-weather' surface, good racing is secured.
An ‘all-weather’ surface as the name implies can withstand any sort of weather condition, though a thick fog, snowy or stormy day is an exception. Extreme weather conditions can last for about 5-8 race days and sadly such conditions cannot be helped. Here are some instances and effects of extreme weather conditions.
Overcrowded horse walkers: some horses may not be able to work at all.
Frozen water: this makes it impossible to get fresh water for horses.
Frozen/Snowed gallops: the horses cannot work out at full stretch.
Frozen Automatic Managers: this brings about extra work to feed the horses.
How to Use the ‘Going’ To Your Advantage
In horse racing odds, the ‘going’ is significant. For good betting odds, carefully observe horses that fall into the following ‘quick going, slow going, fast going, and soft going. Whatever selection you try to make, make sure to match the current going on the day with the latest performance of the horse. So if you notice that the horse you picked does well under certain weather conditions, then it may repeat the same.
An instance of this is the review of Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. Assessment of the form of all runners shows that the winner, Ballyoptic is not inconvenienced going underfoot. Ballyoptic had good stamina and could withstand harsh conditions, especially the rainy season.
Final Thoughts
In my own opinion, the track conditions are something to take strong note of as it does not always remain consistent all through a race day. If you are making bets in Ireland or the UK, bear in mind that the weather there is quite unpredictable, so try not to place your bets early. Especially ante-post wagers, which usually do not retain the same value on the ‘off’, when the weather affects the track.