Race type - Flat
Salisbury
Course details
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Almost straight 1m track with adjoining right-handed loop for longer races.
Set in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside, Salisbury is a flat racing only venue, staging 15 meetings between early May and mid-October. The first recorded meetings took place here in the sixteenth century, making it one of the oldest courses in Britain, but it wasn't until the Bibury Club relocated here in 1899 that it really took off. The Club had been formed in the seventeenth century for the purpose of organising race meetings for its members (gentleman only) and various locations were used, including Bibury (hence the name) and Stockbridge. The latter venue had to be abandoned after part of the land was inherited by a deeply religious lady, who considered gambling to be a sin! The name 'Bibury' is synonymousus with the racecourse today and the annual Bibury Cup one of its morprestigiousus races. As the course is considered a good test by trainers, it's not unusually to see some quality animals in action, particularly later in the season.
Track / Draw Bias:
It used to be an advantage to be drawn low against the inside rail as this was the quickest part of the track, and punters were quick to take advantage of this. However, more recent results suggest this to be no longer case, with selective watering the likely culprit, although a bias does still exist on very slow ground, with 'good to soft' being the cut off point. In these conditions, the stands' rail (low) is the best place to be and whoever races hardest against the fence can prove difficult to pass.
Principal Races:
The two-year-old races held here in the second half of the season tend to attract the better quality juveniles and the winners are often capable of holding their own in Group company. The Group 3 Sovereign Stakes, which is contested by male horses aged three or older over a distance of one mile, is the course's only race of that nature and is the feature of 'Salisbury Splendour', which is the marketing name given to the two-day meeting held here every August. At the same fixture, the fillies get to struttheir stuff in the "Exceed And Excel" Upavon Fillies' Stakes, which is one of four Listed races staged at the track; along with the Cathedral Stakes, Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes and Stonehenge Stakes - the famous stone circle is close by so punters can easily combine a visit with an evening at the races.
Course Characteristics:
Consisting of an almost straight mile with an adjoining right-handed loop, it's safe to say that Salisbury is not your typical flat racing venue. It's also more testing as it appears as there is a gradual climb throughout, meaning those horses with stamina doubts invariably fail to 'get home', and it often pays to back runners who have form over a longer trip. Naturally, all races of up to a mile take place on the straight course with the right-handed loop utilised for races between 1m2f and 1m6f, which is the longest distance the course can accommodate. Horses in these races (and those over 1m4f), start off by running the wrong way down the straight course, before taking the loop and then rejoining the straight course just below the 7f pole. The course's configuration is best suited to the big, galloping type of horse, as opposed to the nippier types who are better suited to racing around a turn.
Top Trainers:
For champion trainer Richard Hannon, this is his local track and he's top dog here by some way with 65 winners over the past five seasons, which is more than double the total of Andrew Balding, who sits in second place in the table. The latter does have the better strike rate, though, with 19% of his runners passing the post in front to Hannon's 17%. Between them, they tend to farm the two-year-old races run here and punters should always give their runners maximum respect. Other trainers worthy of a mention are Hughie Morrison, Ralph Beckett and John Dunlop, who doesn't well with his older horses.
Top Jockeys:
Thanks to a steady of supply of Hannon-trained winners, Richard Hughes is comfortably the top rider at the track with his 45 winners since 2007 putting him well clear of his nearest rival Dane O'Neil. The latter has proved more profitable to follow, though, with many of his winners going off at value prices, and anything he rides for trainer Henry Candy is worth close consideration. Honourable mentions must also go to Pat Dobs, who operated at a strike rate of 26% in 2011, Jim Crowley and Jimmy Fortune.