Race type - Flat
Newmarket
Course details
Considered by the majority of racing folk to be the headquarters of thoroughbred racing in the UK, Newmarket has a long and rich history. It was James I that first instigated racing here and the work was carried on by his descendants Charles I (until he lost his head, literally) and his son Charles II.
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Right-handed, L-shaped courses with long straight of up to 1m2f.
Considered by the majority of racing folk to be the headquarters of thoroughbred racing in the UK, Newmarket has a long and rich history. It was James I that first instigated racing here and the work was carried on by his descendants Charles I (until he lost his head, literally) and his son Charles II. The latter was a passionate man, hence several mistresses including Nell Gwyn (who still has a race named in her honour), but he was equally in love with racing and his Newmarket residence became the home of the Jockey Club after his death, with the latter organization controlling British racing until its demise in 1993. Fast forward to the modern day and Newmarket is the busiest turf track staging 37 meetings between April and November, which includes a whole host of important races, including the first two Classics of the season, the 2000 and 1000 Guineas.
Track / Draw Bias:
July Course - the major draw biases that once existed are now a thing of the past due to some drastic course management. The course is permanently divided into two halves by a rail and generally speaking the two outside rails (stands' rail when they're racing on the stands' side half, far rail when the they're on the far-side half) ride faster than the dividing rail. When they're on the stands' side half and the ground is riding fast (particularly when watered), very low numbers are favoured in races up to and including 1m as there's a narrow strip of ground hard against the fence that rides quicker. However, on good to soft or slower ground, runners racing down the centre are favoured. On the far side half, there's rarely much in the draw apart from on slow ground when the far side (high numbers) rides faster.
Rowley Mile - As with the July Course, the biases have largely been ironed out, although it's still generally the case of the further away from the stands' side rail the better. Low numbers have dominated the 2m2f Cesarewitch for the reason that those on the inside can be switched off early, while those furthest out (high numbers) have to jockey for a good early position thus using up valuable energy.
Principal Races:
Too numerous to mention them all but the Group 1 contests are the first two Classics of the flat season, 1000 and 2000 Guineas for fillies and colts respectively, the Dewhurst Stakes, Middle Park Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes - all of which are contested by top two-year-olds later in the season - and the Sun Chariot Stakes. There are also several Tattersalls-sponsored races carrying ridiculous amounts of prize money and these can have a significant bearing on the destination of the trainer's title. The most richly endowed of these is the £500k Tattersalls Millions 2yo Trophy, run here in October. However, the races that punters really look forward to are the big handicaps, with the Cambridgeshire, which is run over the specialist distance of 1m1f, and the Cesarewitch over a marathon trip of 2m2f, forming what's known as the 'Autumn Double'. With huge fields assured, they represent a real challenge and bookmakers frequently go 10/1 'the field', ensuring a tasty price if you can find the winner.
Course Characteristics:
The first thing to note is that there are two courses: the Rowley Mile, which is used at the beginning and end of the season, and July Course, which is used in the summer months of June, July and August. Both are L-shaped and consist of two straight(ish) sections, meaning the runners in the longer races start well away from the grandstand, which is not great for viewing. In fact, most racegoers will watch the action on TV screens and don't catch sight of the runners until they enter the final two furlongs. The first section of the Rowley Mile is about 1m long after which the runners take a right hand bend into the home straight, which is 1m2f. It's very wide and galloping, so this is no place for those horses with stamina doubts. There are natural ridges throughout and horses can become unbalanced by these and the general consensus amongst jockeys is that it is best to be up with the pace as that gives horses a better view of what lies ahead. There is a noticeable dip about one and a half furlongs form the winning post, followed by a steady climb. The July Course is a shade shorter but rides similarly.
Top Trainers:
Richard Hannon generally trains more winners than anyone else per se so its no surprise to learn he's the leading trainer here in the past five seasons. His strike rate of 12% is nothing special but due to the competitiveness of the racing here you would have made a profit backing all his runners. Followers of the John Gosden stable would have fared even better with his 33 winners yielding a level stakes profit of over £60. The best strike rate of the leading trainers is the 20% of Sir Henry Cecil and with a bigger and potentially better team for 2012, there's no reason to think this will drop off. Mahmood Al Zarooni made a big splash in 2011 in only his second season as a trainer for the Godolphin operation with his 14 winners yielding a massive level stakes profit of £65 - keep all his runners on your side this season!
Top Jockeys:
As you'd expect for a Grade 1 track, it's the big boys that lead the way here with Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore a continual thorn in the side of bookmakers. Of the pair, Dettori can boast the best strike rate of 18% with the majority of his winners these days being supplied by Godolphin's trainers. Both were outdone in 2011, however, by Richard Hughes, whose 13 winners came a strike rate of 19% and overall they produced a level stakes profit of £38. Kieren Fallon is as hungry as ever and punters would do well to keep him on their side in races here, along with the underrated Jimmy Fortune, whose winners often go off at value prices.