Southwell betting at William Hill

Guide to Betting at Southwell

Southwell stages National Hunt racing on turf, but most of its meetings are flat races on the all-weather. Southwell betting on the all-weather is for races on Fibresand, which is a unique surface to racecourses in the UK.

It’s one of the busiest racecourses in the country and hosts around 50 all-weather meetings a year.

Check William Hill promotions for the latest Southwell odds. There are also special offers and price boosts on the day’s racing action.

Betting at Southwell – The Big Meetings

Southwell is a key part of the All-Weather Championship season, which is made up of 200 fixtures during the winter months. The Championship consists of over 1,400 races held across the all-weather venues of Southwell, Kempton Park, Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Wolverhampton and Chelmsford City.

The climax of the series is the £1m All-Weather Championships at Lingfield at Easter.

There are no major meetings at Southwell, but Ladies’ Day in August has proved particularly popular and always attracts a large crowd.

Family Fun Day in mid-July provides extra entertainment for young racegoers. Nottinghamshire Sports Day at the August Bank Holiday meeting is another very busy Southwell betting day.

Southwell Betting – The Big Races

The Aintree Grand National may not have any obvious link to Southwell betting, but the 2009 winner Mon Mome ran here in 2007.

Southwell was the temporary home of the Skybet Chase in 2006 and 2007, while Doncaster racecourse was being renovated. The race was formerly known as the Great Yorkshire Chase, a significant trial for the Grand National.

Both races at Southwell were won by jockey Andrew Thornton, aboard A Glass In Thyne (2006) and Simon (2007).

Simon survived a bad mistake before going on to beat Ardaghey, with Mon Mome back in fourth place. Simon then followed his Southwell victory by winning the valuable Racing Post Chase at Kempton. He was among the Grand National favourites in 2007, but fell at the 25th fence.

Mon Mome was trained by Venetia Williams and finished only 10th in 2008. The following year he started at odds of 100-1 and stormed clear of Comply or Die to win the Grand National by 12 lengths.

Southwell Betting Tips

When considering your Southwell bets, a low to middle draw may have a slight advantage in 5f races. Horses that have come from a long way off the pace on a different all-weather surface may struggle on the Fibresand.

Trainer Michael Appleby has a good record at Southwell, while the runners from the Karl Burke stable are usually worth noting. Derek Shaw’s runners also regularly feature among Southwell betting tips.

Jockeys Andrew Mullen and Luke Morris are among the leading jockeys on the all-weather at Southwell. It can also pay dividends to note the booking of Paul Mulrennan.

In National Hunt racing, Dan Skelton and Jonjo O’Neill are trainers to follow at Southwell. Jockeys Harry Skelton and Sean Bowen both ride the course particularly well and are worth a mention in our Southwell Tips.

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Southwell Course Characteristics

Southwell’s all-weather track is on the outside of the turf course. It is a left-handed oval track of 1m2f with a run-in of 3f. There is a straight 5f course for sprint races.

Fibresand is deeper than Tapeta or Polytrack and creates more kick-back, making it comparable to the American dirt tracks. The severity of the kick-back makes it difficult for horses coming from behind.

When placing your Southwell bets, you should put greater emphasis on stamina than the other UK all-weather tracks.

Runners tend to spread out across the course in the home straight in order to avoid the kick-back.

The far rail can get quite deep, so the leaders tend to drift towards the centre of the course. A strong Southwell tip is to look for previous course form. Southwell is a track that does not suit every horse, so previous experience can be an advantage.

The turf track is a sharp, left-handed track which favours speed horses on fast ground. However, it can become very testing in soft ground and conditions can have a big influence on Southwell betting.

Southwell Racecourse - How to get there

Southwell racecourse is in Rolleston, about two miles east of the town of Southwell in Nottinghamshire. Rolleston Railway Station is adjacent to the course, with direct train services from Nottingham and Newark.

Road users should follow racecourse signs from the A617 towards Mansfield and Southwell.

Southwell Horse Racing History

The first Southwell race meetings were recorded in the mid 1800’s at Burgage Green. Racing then took place on land alongside the Ropewalk and Kirklington Road from 1886 until 1897. This course was closed for safety reasons following the tragic death of a jockey.

Racing began on the existing Southwell racecourse on 16th May 1897. The course was upgraded in 1965, with the opening of the new Enclosure Stand. The most significant landmark in Southwell’s history was the opening of the all-weather track in November 1989.

The artificial surface was originally used for both National Hunt and flat racing. The high level of fatalities led to the abandonment of jumps racing on the all-weather. Major flooding washed away the fibresand surface in 2012 and caused £6 worth of damage.

Southwell’s fixtures were temporarily moved to Wolverhampton and Lingfield while extensive repairs were carried out. Racing at Southwell resumed two months later.

Famous Southwell Races and Racehorses

One of the most popular Southwell betting tips in recent years was La Estrella, a gelding trained by Don Cantillon. He retired at the grand old age of 15 after winning 16 races at Southwell.

He was almost given away as a riding horse in 2009, but was lame going on to the horsebox. He returned to racing and his subsequent victories included six in succession at Southwell in 2011.

Even more popular among Southwell tips was Tempering, who won a record 22 times here.

He started his career with Sir Henry Cecil in 1989 but only had a win in a Redcar maiden to his name when joining David Chapman the following year. Although he raced 127 times, that remained his only victory away from Southwell.

Jockey Hayley Turner is a native of Southwell and has featured in many Southwell bets for her local fans. Turner began her career with local trainer Mark Polglase before attending the Northern Racing School. Her first ride was aboard Markellis at Southwell on 27th March 2000.

In 2008, Turner became the first female to ride 100 flat race winners in the UK in a calendar year. Her 100th victory was on Mullitovermaurice at Wolverhampton, while her biggest career wins were on Dream Ahead in the Group 1 July Cup and Margot Did in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in 2011.

Turner announced her retirement as a jockey in 2015. She signed off with a winner at Southwell on Yul Finegold, but returned to the saddle in 2018.