SOUTHWELL

Left handed, tight. A course whose character changes dramatically depending on underfoot conditions, the emphasis being very much on speed on firmish ground yet completely the opposite on heavy ground, long-distance races under such conditions often resulting in very few finishers. The fences are of the portable variety yet offer more of a test than plenty of courses that attract a similar standard of runner. The brush-type hurdles penalise less-fluent jumping more than the traditional variety.

The all-weather track at Southwell goes left-handed in a flat mile-and-a-quarter oval which has a run from the home turn of three furlongs and a spur to provide a straight five furlongs, those drawn low have often been seen to good effect on the sprint track. The fibresand surface used until August 2021, which produced a lot more kickback than the ones used at the other all-weather courses and lent itself far more to the course specialist, has now been replaced with tapeta.