WikiRacing
RacingWeather & going
Seasons of the year, each course's weather, how the going is worked out, frost and the forecast.
Every racecourse has its own weather and its own ground. Rain softens the turf, dry days firm it up again, and the time of year sets the odds: summer is fast ground, winter is heavy. The going on the race card is the real ground at that course on the day, and the This week page forecasts the next few days so you can plan your entries.
The time of year
The year turns with the racing season: each 28-day season is one time of year, in the order spring, summer, autumn, winter, so a full year is 16 weeks (season 1 spring, season 2 summer, season 3 autumn, season 4 winter, and round again). The current season and its time of year are shown at the top of the Ground & weather section on This week.
| Time of year | Wet days | Firm turf | Good turf | Soft turf | Heavy turf | Frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30% | 23% | 48% | 20% | 9% | never |
| Summer | 15% | 59% | 30% | 8% | 3% | never |
| Autumn | 43% | 15% | 21% | 28% | 36% | never |
| Winter | 44% | 2% | 9% | 21% | 67% | 10% |
- Spring: showers come and go. Mostly good or soft ground.
- Summer: long dry spells (10% chance of rain after a dry day). Firm and good ground; soft only after a wet spell.
- Autumn: the rain sets in. Soft and heavy ground, the odd good day.
- Winter: the wettest time, and the ground dries slowest. Heavy ground, and on a clear, cold day a frost can stop the turf.
Weather: wet and dry spells
Each course has its own weather every day. Rain is more likely after a wet day than after a dry one, so wet and dry spells last: in autumn a course has a 58% chance of more rain after a wet day but only 30% after a dry one (before the course’s own rainfall). A dry day is clear or overcast. On clear evenings in autumn and winter the evening meeting runs at dusk under the lights; that is only the look of the broadcast, the ground is dry.
How the going is worked out
The ground holds water. A wet day adds 80 to 200 points of moisture (out of 1,000) in autumn; a clear day dries a share of it, an overcast day 60% as much, a wet day none. The going follows from the moisture and the surface:
| Surface | Going |
|---|---|
| Turf | Firm below 250, good below 500, soft below 750, heavy from 750. Never firm while it rains. |
| Dirt | Good until the track is very wet (moisture 900+), then heavy. |
| Synthetic | Always good: the all-weather drains whatever the sky does. |
Weather and going always agree: you never see rain on firm ground. How much soft or heavy going costs a horse depends on its adaptability (and a mudlark loves it): see Stats & aptitudes. Soft-ground shoes take the edge off it: see Entering a race.
Each course’s weather
The six courses share the time of year but not the weather. A course with more rain gets more wet spells; one that drains well dries faster (a clear summer day dries the share shown, out of 1,000).
| Course | Surfaces | Wet days | Soft or heavy turf | Summer drying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashcombe | Turf, Dirt | 33% | 54% | 110 / 1,000 |
| Kestrel Downs | Turf, Synthetic | 29% | 32% | 154 / 1,000 |
| Saltmarsh | Turf | 39% | 51% | 168 / 1,000 |
| Bellmont | Dirt, Synthetic, Turf | 26% | 37% | 139 / 1,000 |
| Larkspur | Turf, Dirt | 33% | 49% | 124 / 1,000 |
| Harrowgate | Turf, Dirt | 38% | 66% | 95 / 1,000 |
A race always runs at a course that races its surface: synthetic only at Kestrel Downs and Bellmont, dirt at Ashcombe, Bellmont, Larkspur, Harrowgate, turf everywhere. The Weekend Feature, its Plate and the Season Finals run at Ashcombe, the Feature Qualifiers at Bellmont.
Frost
In winter, a clear day brings frost 40% of the time. Frost stops the turf at that course for the day: its dirt and synthetic still race, and turf races go to another course. A big race whose home course is frozen moves too. If every turf course is frozen at once, the turf race moves to the all-weather.
The forecast
This week has a Ground & weather section listing every course. The days already on the race card (it is published 24 hours ahead) show the real going and weather. The next 4 days are an outlook: the most likely going and the chance of rain, worked out from the last day on the card with the same odds the weather uses. Like any forecast, it can be wrong: a dry spell can break early.
By the numbers live from the rules
- Exact
- Every day with a race on the card (24 hours ahead)
- Outlook
- 4 more days: likely going and chance of rain
- Weekend Feature
- Likely going from Monday, the real going once it is on the card
Planning around it
- A horse that hates soft ground: wait for a dry spell, pick a fast-draining course, or run it on the all-weather.
- A mudlark or a horse with high adaptability: autumn and winter are its time.
- Check Saturday’s likely going on Monday before you pick which horse to qualify for the Weekend Feature.