What is Going?

How Going Works

In Britain, the official going is assessed and announced by the racecourse clerk of the course, typically on the morning of a meeting and updated if conditions change. For flat racing on turf, the scale runs from Firm at the fast, dry end through Good to Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, and Heavy at the slow, wet end. Fibresand and Polytrack all-weather surfaces use their own descriptions such as Standard or Standard to Slow. National Hunt racing uses a broadly similar turf scale, though you may also see descriptions such as Soft to Heavy.

The going is measured using a penetrometer, a device pushed into the turf to record resistance; a reading below roughly 3.5 typically indicates Firm, while readings above 5.5 move into Soft territory, though courses apply their own judgement. Wind and shade mean going can vary significantly between different parts of the same track, so clerks sometimes issue composite descriptions such as 'Good to Firm in the straight, Good on the round course'. Trainers and owners can withdraw horses without penalty if the going is outside what they consider safe or suitable for their animal.

Worked Example

Suppose a tipster advises backing Hillside Racer in a mile handicap at Newbury, and at the time of selection the going is Good. Overnight rain arrives and by race morning the clerk announces the ground has changed to Soft. Hillside Racer's form figures on Soft ground read 0–0–0, while on Good they show three wins from five starts. The trainer withdraws the horse under the non-runner provisions rather than risk a poor run on unsuitable ground.

As a punter following that tip, the bet either stands as a non-runner (in which case stakes are returned under standard bookmaker rules) or it may have been placed ante-post, where the position depends on the individual operator's terms. The key point is that the tipster's original reasoning — a horse suited by fast ground — has been undermined entirely by the change in conditions. This is not necessarily poor tipping; it illustrates that going is a variable the tipster cannot control at the time of advising.

Why Going Matters When Judging or Following a Tipster

When reviewing a tipster's record on TipsterCheck, it is worth checking whether their advised selections are consistently profitable across all going conditions or only under specific ground types. A tipster who exclusively advises horses with a strong preference for fast ground may show excellent results during a dry summer but deteriorate sharply in an autumn or winter period of heavy rainfall. Raw yield and profit-in-points figures do not automatically filter for this, so digging into the underlying data by going type is a useful step before subscribing.

Equally, a responsible tipster should note the going requirements of each selection in their write-up and flag when conditions are borderline or changeable. If a tipster repeatedly backs horses on going they demonstrably dislike, or never acknowledges going as a factor in their reasoning, treat that as a caution. Conversely, a tipster who adjusts selections when the going changes overnight, or who advises pulling out of a bet if conditions deteriorate, is showing the kind of contextual awareness that adds genuine value beyond a simple win-or-lose record.

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