What is "The Going" in Horse Racing?

Horse Racing The Goings Explained



If you are a newcomer to horse racing, or an occasional horse racing punter then one thing you will see and hear about is the going. You may have a little understanding of this, but what is the going in horse racing?

This is the term used to describe the ground, and if you are going to have any success at all when you are placing your horse racing bets, it is something you need to consider. When a race meeting takes place on turf, the clerk of the course will declare a going, which is determined by a going stick, and how far the stick goes into the ground.

The going can range from being firm, which is when we have not had any rain for a long period, all the way down to heavy, which is when the ground is very soft after a lot of bad weather. The going changes depending on the weather, so if you are looking for the going, try and look on the day of the meeting.

In the winter months, the going is left natural, because there is nothing we can do to make conditions better if there has been a lot of rain. However, in the summer, racecourses will often water the track ahead of racing to try and make conditions a little easier on the horses. In terms of flat summer racing, the ideal scenario would be to have the going as good or good to firm. In the winter, where jump horses prefer softer going, the ideal scenario would be to have soft or good to soft ground.

The Different Types of Ground

In order of quickest to slowest, here are the different types of ground you will see:

  • Firm
  • Good to Firm
  • Good
  • Good to Soft
  • Soft
  • Heavy

Officially, there is one more type of going, which is known as ‘hard’. However, due to concerns over horse safety, if the ground is ever described as hard then the meeting will not go ahead. This is considered too hard to run on.

How the Going Affects Your Betting

The going is incredibly important for horses, and can seriously harm their chances of winning, so when it comes to your betting, you should treat it as exactly the same.

To highlight this, let’s look at a prime example, Battaash, who is regarded as one of the best sprinters in the world.

He’s ran a total of eight races in the past two seasons, winning six of those.

Four of those six wins, and his best performances, have all been on ground described as good to firm. The two losses came on good ground and heavy ground, so you can clearly see that this horse much prefers faster ground.

In terms of your betting, you are going to be far more confident of a Battaash win if he is running on good to firm ground, based on what has happened in the past. This horse may of course be good enough to win on softer ground, but he is not as strong a betting proposition, and one you may want to leave.

By evaluating horses in terms of class, then adding the ground factor in, you can either swerve a horse because of it, or be even more confident with the selection you are backing.

How Long Before a Meeting Will We Know the Going?

Going descriptions are given in the build up to a meeting, and can easily be found on the internet. However, remember that either watering by the course if the weather is hot or natural changes due to rain if that is forecast, will definitely change things.

The closer to the race you can leave things, the better, and the going may even change in between races if conditions take a turn.

Is the Going More Important for National Hunt Racing or Flat?

The answer to this is that they are both as important. It is the changes from what horses are more familiar with that is the key here. For example, faster ground for national hunt racing and heavy ground for flat racing are the two instances where horses will really be affected.

Heavy ground for national hunt racing and firm ground for flat racing will affect some horses of course, but more are likely to be fine with this, because it is similar, just slightly worse, to what their regular ground would be.

You might also be intersted in:

Each Way Betting and Place Terms Explained

Rule 4 Deductions Explained

How to read the Racing Form

Top 20 Betting Offers

SportingIndex
SportingIndex
Bet £10 Get £20Claim Offer

New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free fixed odds bets. 18+ begambleaware

Betfred
Betfred
Bet £10 and get £50 in BonusesClaim Offer

New customers only. Register (excl. 13/04/24) with WELCOME50. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get Free Bets: £20 In-Play, £20 Acca & 50 x £0.20 (£10) Free Spins on Fishin’ Frenzy within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply.

BetMGM
BetMGM
Bet £10, Get £40 in Free BetsClaim Offer

New cust only. 7 days to opt in by placing a £10 qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater, to receive 4 x free bets. 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply.

BetUK
BetUK
Bet £10, Get £30 in Free BetsClaim Offer

New customers, Deposit & Place a bet of £10 at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 free bets: 1 x £10 Horse racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. Free bets expire in 7 days. Stake not returned. T&C’s Apply. 18+ begambleaware.

Bresbet
Bresbet
50% Bonus up to £25Claim Offer

T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place 3 x £10 sportsbook bets to qualify. Money back as free bets up to £25. Must use code welcome25afs when creating an account.

Betway
Betway
£30 Matched Free BetClaim Offer

Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00+ (2/1). If first bet loses free bets will be credited after bet settled. 100 Free Spins on Gold Blitz credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way. Full terms apply

Copybet
Copybet
Bet £10, Get £50 in Free BetsClaim Offer

Full T&Cs apply. New UK customers only. The qualifying bet should be a single bet, start at £10, and have 1.9 or greater odds. 5 Free bets include: 1 x £10 Free bet on horse racing, 1 x £10 Free bet on football, 2 x 10 Free bet in-play, 1 x £10 Free bet Acca. 7 day expiry. Max payout – £500

Bzeebet
Bzeebet
Bet £10, Get a £10 Free BetClaim Offer

18+. New Customers Only. Max one £10 Free Bet. Qualifying bets at Odds of 1/1 or greater. Paid as Bonus Token Min 4/5 Odds Req. Skrill, Neteller, Paypal not eligible. T&Cs Apply

talkSPORT BET
talkSPORT BET
Get up to £40 in football free betsClaim Offer

18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet via mobile up to £40 (min. £20) on any football market at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly.

Kwiff
Kwiff
Get a £30 Surprise BetClaim Offer
Qualifying real money bet of £10. Min odds greater than or equal to 1.5 required. E/W bets excluded. Offer credited within 48 hours. Additional Free Bet T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. 18+ begambleaware.
BoyleSports
BoyleSports
Bet £10, Get £20 Free BetClaim Offer

New UK customers. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. £20 Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. 18+. Free bet T&Cs apply.

BetZone
BetZone
Up to £60 in Free Sports BetsClaim Offer

Promo Code: NEWWELCOME60. For NEW UK customers only, deposit using UK debit card, and certain qualifying bets of Evens or greater. Terms apply 18+

William Hill
William Hill
Bet £10, Get £40 in Free BetsClaim Offer

18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £40 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Further terms apply. #ad

NRG Bet
NRG Bet
Bet £20 Get a £10 Free BetClaim Offer

New Customers sign up and make a minimum deposit of £20.Then place a min £20 bet with min odds of Evens (2.00) and receive a £10 free bet upon bet settlement. Full Terms apply. 18+ begambleaware.

32Red
32Red
150% Casino Bonus up to £150!Claim Offer
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New accounts only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD
DAZN Bet
DAZN Bet
Bet £5 Get £20Claim Offer

New customers only. Opt-in required. Offer available 00:00 28/03/24 - 23:59 09/04/24. Place min. £5 bet at min. odds of 2.0 on any sports market. One £20 free bet credited per customer within 48 hours and valid for 6 months, stake not returned. UK only & excl. Northern Ireland. 18+ T&Cs apply.

SBK
SBK
Bet £10, Get £30 in Free BetsClaim Offer

Place a bet of £10 at min odds of 1.5 and get £10 upon settlement. Further £10 Multiple token will be credited after 24 hours and a further £5 Horse Racing Multiple token and a £5 Football Bet Builder token will be credited after 48 hours. Full T&Cs apply.18+. BeGambleAware.org.

Bet365
Bet365
Bet £10, Get £30 in Free BetsClaim Offer

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required

NetBet
NetBet
Bet £5 Get £10Claim Offer

New Customers, deposit and place a qualifying bet with bet builder, min stake £5, min odds 3/1 (4.0). Receive a £10 free bet, valid for 7 days. Full Terms apply, 18+ begambleaware.

Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free BetsClaim Offer

18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Stake not returned. Restrictions + Free bet T&Cs apply.