Understanding Going & Ground Conditions

How Going Is Measured

The official going at UK racecourses is determined by the clerk of the course, who uses a GoingStick — a handheld electronic device that measures the penetration and shear characteristics of the ground. The clerk takes multiple readings at various points around the track, typically at intervals of one to two furlongs, and averages the results. The GoingStick produces a numerical reading that corresponds to an official going description.

GoingStick readings are taken on the morning of racing, and the clerk can update the going description throughout the day if conditions change. Heavy rainfall during a meeting can transform good ground into soft or heavy within a matter of hours, while strong sunshine and wind can dry the ground noticeably between races. Many courses also use artificial watering to maintain safe ground when conditions are excessively dry, which is why you will sometimes see going described as "good, good to firm in places (watered)."

Going Descriptions and GoingStick Readings

The table below shows all official going descriptions used on UK turf courses, their corresponding GoingStick reading ranges, a plain-English description of the conditions, and which types of horses tend to prefer each surface.

How Going Changes During the Day

The going is not static — it evolves throughout a race meeting. Rain is the most obvious factor: a sudden downpour can turn good to firm ground into good to soft within thirty minutes. But other factors are also at play. As races are run, the ground near the inside rail gets churned up and can become significantly softer than the ground further out. This is known as "false ground" and explains why you sometimes see jockeys angling their horses away from the rail in later races.

Sunshine and wind can also dry the ground between races, particularly at exposed courses. On a warm day with a breeze, the going can improve by one description (for example from good to soft to good) over the course of an afternoon. Clerks of the course update the official going description when significant changes occur, but these updates may lag behind actual conditions. Experienced racegoers often walk the course or watch earlier races closely to get a real-time sense of how the ground is riding.

Using Going in Your Analysis

When analysing a racecard, always cross-reference each horse's form with the prevailing going. Most form databases allow you to filter a horse's record by going description, showing you its win and place rate on each type of ground. A horse with five wins from eight runs on soft ground but zero wins from twelve runs on good to firm is clearly a ground-dependent performer, and its chances fluctuate dramatically based on conditions.

Pay particular attention to horses encountering a going description for the first time. A lightly-raced horse that has only ever run on good ground may or may not handle soft — there is genuine uncertainty that the market may not fully account for. Conversely, horses with proven form on the prevailing going deserve respect even if their recent form figures are modest, because they may have been running on unsuitable ground.

All-Weather Surfaces

All-weather racing in the UK takes place on three types of artificial surface: Polytrack, Tapeta, and Fibresand. These surfaces are designed to be consistent and safe regardless of weather conditions, which is why all-weather racing continues through the winter when many turf courses are waterlogged or frozen.

Polytrack is used at Chelmsford, Kempton, and Lingfield. It consists of a blend of fibres, rubber, and wax-coated sand that provides a consistent, cushioned surface. Tapeta, used at Wolverhampton and Newcastle, is made from a mix of silica sand, wax, and fibres and tends to ride slightly quicker than Polytrack. Fibresand at Southwell is the most distinctive surface — it is deep and demanding, more similar to soft turf going, and produces a different type of winner.

All-weather going descriptions use different terminology: Standard, Standard to Slow, Standard to Fast, Slow, and Fast. Some horses are all-weather specialists with vastly better records on artificial surfaces than on turf, while others struggle to adapt from their preferred natural ground. When betting on all-weather racing, checking a horse's specific surface record (Polytrack form versus Tapeta form, for instance) can provide an edge, as horses that excel on one type of surface do not always transfer their form to another.

Going and Race Type

The impact of going varies between flat racing and National Hunt racing. On the flat, extreme going at either end of the spectrum (hard/firm or heavy) tends to exaggerate the advantage of horses suited to those conditions, creating more polarised results. On good ground, the best horse usually wins because the surface is a neutral factor. In National Hunt racing, going plays an even more significant role because jump racing takes place primarily during the autumn and winter when soft and heavy ground are commonplace. The Cheltenham Festival, for example, often features ground described as soft or heavy, and Festival form is heavily influenced by going preferences.

For more on how to use going data alongside other form factors, see our reading form guide. Understanding the going is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is a piece that many casual punters overlook — and that oversight creates opportunities for those who take it seriously. Always check the going before betting, always review each horse's ground preferences, and always be prepared to adjust your selections if the going changes between declaration time and race time.