Mithqaal will be back in action, at Southwell on Tuesday (2:20pm), following his victory, here in December. The Speightstown-sired gelding also won a Class 2 handicap at Headquarters in the Summer and looks the one to beat in this 1-mile encounter, despite facing a 6lb rise.
Vivat Rex has been handed an identical penalty, but should also go very close after winning a claimer here just last week.
Captain Revelation looks somewhat less-fairly treated, despite having a trio of Southwell victories already under his belt.
Fort Jefferson has not raced since last June and is best watched, as he makes his fibresand debut.
Bet Now!Horse Racing At Southwell
There are only four all-weather horse racing venues in Great Britain. Of those, Southwell is the only one to use a fibresand surface. Fibresand is a synthetic compound, which is made from and special fibres.
A fibresand surface is deeper than other synthetic surfaces. This means it provides more of a test for horses, in terms of stamina. This has a significant effect on the types of horses that are sent to race at this Nottinghamshire track.
Though it is better known for flat racing, some National Hunt racing does take place at Southwell. Several years ago, the Great Yorkshire Chase was actually held here. This was because of construction work that was taking place at the race’s regular home – Doncaster Racecourse.
Hayley Turner’s Southwell Roots
Superstar jockey, Hayley Turner, has fond memories of this track. She grew up under the shadow of Southwell and it was here that her career in racing began.
Despite being an all-weather track, Southwell is still at risk when the weather is extremely bad. Back in 2012, the course had to close down for a short while. Torrential rain had caused damage to both the buildings and the track. For a couple of months, Southwell races were held at Wolverhampton and Lingfield. Even when the course did reopen, repair work still being carried out.
Over 60 Meetings At Southwell, Every Year
This is an extremely busy racecourse, which holds more than sixty meetings in a single year. While it is regarded as relatively modern, horse racing has been taking place at Southwell since the time that Queen Victoria was still on the throne. The track is not far from the town of Newark-on-Trent. It is a stunning parkland venue and visitors often express surprise at the picturesque setting.
The flat racing (all-weather) course has been built around the outside of the jumps track. However, this is still a fairly tight oval. The horses run left-handed here. The main course has a spur of three furlongs. This allows for five furlong sprint races, which cannot take place at any of the other UK all-weather tracks.
Evening Action At Southwell
A lot of the racing at Southwell takes place in the evenings. Many events will not be very well attended, particularly in the very cold Winter months. The all-weather venues, like Southwell, Kempton Park, Lingfield and Wolverhampton are a relatively new phenomenon.
It is only recently that racing has taken place during the evenings. Previously, the action was strictly limited to daylight hours and you would never find a bookmaker that was open outside of office hours. Evening racing is very important to us at RaceBets and it is after work that many of our customers like to bet on the horses.
You won’t miss a single Southwell race, when you join RaceBets.com, so create an account right now!
