Going report explained: descriptions, GoingStick and watering

What is a going report and who issues it?

A going report is the official description of the ground at a racecourse, issued by the clerk of the course. It appears at declaration time and is updated on race day whenever the ground changes.

The clerk of the course walks the track, pushes a stick into the turf at set points, checks rainfall gauges and forecasts, and then publishes an official description. That description is printed on every racecard next to the meeting name, so the going you see on the card is the same one the jockeys and trainers are working from.

A full report usually carries more than the headline words. It may split the description by course, for example hurdles and chase tracks at a jumps meeting, and it adds the latest GoingStick number, how much rain has fallen in the last day or two, whether the track has been watered, and the forecast. Reading every line, not just the first two words, tells you how the ground is likely to ride.

What is the official going scale on turf?

British turf going runs hard, firm, good to firm, good, good to soft, soft and heavy. Irish reports use the same ends of the scale but add good to yielding, yielding and yielding to soft in the middle.

Each step is a judgement of how much the turf gives under a horse. Firm and good to firm ground is quick, and races are run in fast times. Soft and heavy ground is testing: horses sink in, races are slower and stamina counts for more. Hard ground is so rare in modern British racing that you will almost never see it on a card, because courses water well before it arrives.

Combined descriptions sit between the main steps. A report reading soft, heavy in places sits between soft and heavy, and Irish reports use soft to heavy as its own description. When comparing a horse's past form with today, match the full description, not just the first word, because good and good to soft can produce very different races.

What do all weather going descriptions mean?

All weather going runs fast, standard to fast, standard, standard to slow and slow. Standard is the normal state of the surface, and most all weather meetings are run on it.

Synthetic tracks such as the Polytrack at Lingfield and Chelmsford and the Tapeta at Wolverhampton and Newcastle drain freely, so rain changes them far less than it changes turf. Cold weather, heavy frost or a fresh harrowing can still make a surface ride quicker or slower, and the clerk reports that shift with the same five words.

The practical rule is simple: a move from standard to standard to slow matters more than it sounds, because times on synthetic tracks are consistent and a slower surface can blunt a horse that relies on speed. Horses with form on one all weather surface do not always transfer to another, so check the track as well as the description.

What does in places mean on a going report?

In places qualifies the main description. Good to soft, soft in places means most of the track is good to soft but some sections, often low lying or shaded, ride softer.

Courses are not uniform. A straight course may drain differently from the round course, the far side of a track may catch more rain, and ground near trees can stay softer for days. The in places qualifier warns you that part of the race will be run on different ground from the headline description.

Where the report names sections, use them. At a jumps meeting the hurdles and chase courses can differ, and at a Flat track with a straight mile the report may split the straight from the round course. A horse drawn on the softer side, or racing on the softer course, may meet ground a full step slower than the card suggests.

What does a GoingStick reading show?

The GoingStick is a probe pushed into the turf that measures penetration and shear. Courses publish the averaged number beside the official description, and higher readings mean firmer ground.

The reading is an average of many probes taken across the track, so it gives a number to compare day to day at the same course. A fall in the reading between the morning and the afternoon shows ground getting softer, and a rise after a dry, windy day shows it drying out.

Use the number with care between courses. Soil type, grass cover and the way each course takes its readings differ, so the same figure can match different descriptions at two tracks. The GoingStick supports the clerk's judgement rather than replacing it, which is why the official description, not the number, is the going recorded in the result.

How do watering, rainfall and forecasts change the going?

Clerks water turf in dry spells to keep it safe and consistent, and rain softens it. A going report records both, so it can change between the declaration stage and the first race.

Watering is published as millimetres applied and when, for example 5mm applied overnight to the round course. Rain is logged the same way. A good report lets you work out the direction of travel: ground that was good to firm with rain forecast may be good by the first race, while ground watered heavily under hot sun can ride quicker than the words say.

Going changes are announced through the day and are printed on the racecard. When a change comes, check each runner's record on the new description, because a horse declared to run on good may be facing good to soft by the time its race comes round.

• Check the time of the latest update, not just the words
• Note rainfall in the last 24 and 48 hours
• Read watering notes in dry spells, especially on the Flat
• Compare the GoingStick with the same course's earlier readings
• Watch for changes announced after the first race

How does the going affect today's runners?

Some horses need fast ground and others need it soft. Comparing each runner's record on similar going with today's report shows which runners have proven form on the ground.

Start with the horse's own record: wins and places on the same or neighbouring descriptions count most. For lightly raced horses, the sire's record on the ground is a useful clue. Then check how the ground shapes the race itself: testing going stretches stamina, widens winning distances and can turn a sprint trip into a test of staying power.

The live panel on this page shows how favourites have fared by going over jumps, and the full going tables sit on the favourites by going data page. Use those figures as background, and give most weight to each runner's own record on the ground.

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