Racecourse Guide

Southwell
National Hunt

Rolleston, Nottinghamshire · the turf jumps course beside Britain’s busiest all-weather track

⬤ National Hunt
Turf
Left-Handed
Tight

Shape

Oval ~10f

Track Type

Tight, Level

Fences

7 per circuit

Hurdles

Brush type

Home Straight

3 fences

Run-in

220 yards

Direction

Left-handed

Course Highlight

Handicap-Only no Graded races

Course Overview

Track Breakdown

Southwell is best known as one of Britain’s busiest all-weather Flat venues, but it also carries a separate turf National Hunt course — a genuinely distinct circuit from the Fibresand-then-Tapeta oval next to it, not merely the same track with fences added. The jumps circuit is a tight, level oval of around ten furlongs with sharp bends, especially the home turn, and a short 220-yard run-in that leaves little room to make up lost ground. The present Rolleston site dates to the 1890s, with a new grandstand in 1965 and a hurdles track — complete with an innovative watering system — added around 1968, the closest dateable point for organised jumping here. Southwell has been run by Arena Racing Company since ARC’s formation.

One remarkable, little-known fact belongs to this course: when the all-weather Fibresand surface opened on 1 November 1989, the very first winner on it came over jumps — a novice hurdle won by Zulu, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Jonathan Lower, generally regarded as Britain’s first-ever all-weather jumps race. Frankie Dettori rode the first Flat winner on the new surface a week later. All-weather jumping itself was discontinued in 1994 on safety grounds — but that is a separate story from the turf jumps course profiled here, which has continued uninterrupted ever since and is unaffected by that change. Southwell’s jumps programme runs spring and summer only, a modest, seasonal slice of a calendar the all-weather side dominates numerically year-round.

The Chase Course

Circuit Left-handed, ~10f, a tight and largely level oval — a separate layout from the all-weather track, sharing the same site
Fences 7 stiff portable fences per circuit — 3 down the back straight, 1 at the top of the course, 3 approaching and in the home straight; no confirmed open ditch or water jump
Run-in 220 yards from the last fence — one of the shortest in Britain
Run style The sharp home turn and short run-in punish horses that drop off the pace; handy, prominent racing is favoured, especially in small fields

The Hurdles Course

Circuit Shares the same tight, level oval
Hurdles Brush-type flights, which penalise untidy jumpers more than standard hurdle designs; exact count per circuit not published
Run style Accurate, fluent jumping matters given the sharp turns and short run to the line

Notable Races

The Racing Calendar

Handicap Chase · May

Southwell’s Feature Handicap Chase

About 2m4½f. Regularly cited as one of the most valuable races on Southwell’s jumps calendar, though — like most races here — it carries a rotating bookmaker sponsorship rather than a fixed traditional name.

Throughout the Season · Spring/Summer

Regular Handicap & Novice Programme

No Listed or Graded races are run at Southwell over jumps. The calendar is built from maiden hurdles, novice hurdles, novice handicap hurdles, handicap hurdles, handicap chases and novices’ handicap chases.

Seasonal Fixture · Spring/Summer Only

A Jumps Programme in the Shadow of the AW

Southwell’s all-weather Flat side runs year-round and dominates the fixture list numerically. Jumps racing here is confined to a handful of spring and summer turf meetings — a modest, honest counterpoint to the course’s all-weather reputation.

Pace Bias

The Number That Matters

No quantified pace-bias data exists for Southwell’s turf jumps course specifically. Genuine percentage-based statistics do exist for Southwell’s all-weather Fibresand/Tapeta sprints (front-runners winning around 44% of 5f/6f handicaps against hold-up horses under 19%, with an A/E of 1.6 for front-runners at 5f) — but that data describes a completely different track and discipline and must not be applied to the jumps course.

Run Style Bias — Chases & Hurdles (qualitative)

▲ Front-runners / Handy

─ Favoured

─ Mid-Division

─ Manageable

▼ Hold-up

─ Toughest Ask

Treat these bars as a reasoned read on the course’s well-documented character rather than a data-backed statistic. Course guides consistently describe the short 220-yard run-in and sharp home turn as leaving little room to recover lost ground, particularly in small-field chases. Ground matters too: Southwell rides on genuinely good summer going much of the time, but once conditions turn soft or heavy, stamina becomes far more important and long-distance races can produce very few finishers.

Statistics · Since 2010

Top Trainers & Jockeys

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Skelton, Daniel	452	95	21.02%	204	45.13%	0.86	-82.98
2 O’Neill, Jonjo and AJ	467	76	16.27%	169	36.19%	0.88	-119.94
3 Henderson, N J	197	61	30.96%	105	53.30%	0.91	-32.55
4 Murphy, Olly	251	56	22.31%	105	41.83%	0.95	-47.08
5 O’Brien, Fergal	283	44	15.55%	115	40.64%	0.82	-66.70
6 Keighley, M	267	42	15.73%	87	32.58%	1.11	-0.15
7 Longsdon, C E	240	42	17.50%	76	31.67%	1.00	+22.69
8 Twiston-Davies, N A	237	37	15.61%	75	31.65%	0.90	-46.27
9 Pauling, Ben	202	37	18.32%	80	39.60%	0.92	-6.49
10 Bailey, Mrs Caroline	192	35	18.23%	76	39.58%	1.14	+22.98
11 George, T R	168	35	20.83%	72	42.86%	1.02	-5.07
12 Newland, Dr R D P	142	32	22.54%	58	40.85%	0.99	-31.02
13 Vaughan, Tim	222	31	13.96%	75	33.78%	0.87	-47.16
14 Mulholland, N P	244	30	12.30%	76	31.15%	0.83	-73.59
15 Morgan, Miss Laura	228	29	12.72%	53	23.25%	0.98	-100.83
16 King, A	177	29	16.38%	71	40.11%	0.77	-71.37
17 Bowen, Peter / Michael	171	28	16.37%	63	36.84%	0.90	-13.51
18 Bailey, K C	170	27	15.88%	74	43.53%	0.82	-28.50
19 Greenall, O / Guerriero, J	151	26	17.22%	56	37.09%	1.10	+33.51
20 Greatrex, W J	117	20	17.09%	49	41.88%	0.82	-17.08

Southwell NH, since 2010. Daniel Skelton leads the page on volume (95 wins from 452, 21.0% SR, A/E 0.86), though the market prices that in. Oppose the over-bet A King (A/E 0.77).

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Skelton, Harry	396	96	24.24%	197	49.75%	0.91	-71.61
2 Bowen, Sean P	338	78	23.08%	147	43.49%	1.07	+34.67
3 Johnson, Richard	314	67	21.34%	142	45.22%	0.89	-67.72
4 Brennan, P J	264	61	23.11%	121	45.83%	1.13	+52.79
5 Hughes, Brian	317	52	16.40%	116	36.59%	0.97	-5.17
6 Twiston-Davies, Sam	318	48	15.09%	106	33.33%	0.83	-93.73
7 McCoy, A P	163	47	28.83%	96	58.90%	0.94	-19.69
8 Boinville, Nico	159	44	27.67%	74	46.54%	1.09	-4.08
9 Coleman, A	264	38	14.39%	93	35.23%	0.76	-94.30
10 Sheehan, Gavin	210	35	16.67%	68	32.38%	1.00	+132.82
11 Scudamore, Tom	204	35	17.16%	82	40.20%	0.97	-4.54
12 Wedge, Adam	285	33	11.58%	81	28.42%	0.83	-125.27
13 Woods, K K	263	28	10.65%	87	33.08%	0.79	-71.93
14 Fehily, Noel	117	28	23.93%	46	39.32%	1.09	-5.18
15 Bass, David	185	27	14.59%	76	41.08%	0.81	-45.21
16 McLernon, R P	225	26	11.56%	54	24.00%	1.01	-66.41
17 England, Jonathan	169	26	15.38%	50	29.59%	1.17	-18.37
18 O’Neill, Jonjo (Jr)	127	26	20.47%	49	38.58%	0.95	-32.40
19 Burke, Jonathan	168	24	14.29%	59	35.12%	0.88	-9.92
20 Aspell, Leighton	129	24	18.60%	56	43.41%	1.07	+31.73

Southwell NH, since 2010. Harry Skelton leads the riders on volume (96 wins from 396, 24.2% SR, A/E 0.91), though the market prices that in. Oppose the over-bet A Coleman (A/E 0.76) and K K Woods (A/E 0.79).

Sire Statistics · Since 2010

Top Sires

Sire	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Kayf Tara	404	56	13.86%	144	35.64%	0.89	-72.19
2 Presenting	366	49	13.39%	116	31.69%	0.79	-124.01
3 Milan	321	45	14.02%	111	34.58%	0.88	-98.07
4 King’s Theatre (IRE)	198	43	21.72%	83	41.92%	1.09	-13.17
5 Midnight Legend	289	42	14.53%	98	33.91%	0.95	-39.96
6 Flemensfirth (USA)	223	36	16.14%	72	32.29%	1.02	+8.87
7 Westerner	247	35	14.17%	90	36.44%	0.79	-99.22
8 Oscar (IRE)	269	33	12.27%	88	32.71%	0.87	-48.50
9 Yeats (IRE)	166	33	19.88%	67	40.36%	1.09	+57.04
10 Beneficial	267	31	11.61%	73	27.34%	0.77	-95.19
11 Mahler	232	31	13.36%	72	31.03%	0.85	-44.90
12 Getaway (GER)	251	27	10.76%	73	29.08%	0.71	-51.52
13 Court Cave (IRE)	163	21	12.88%	46	28.22%	0.92	-54.77
14 Malinas (GER)	97	21	21.65%	38	39.18%	1.08	+13.77
15 Doyen (IRE)	115	20	17.39%	44	38.26%	1.08	+46.82
16 Gold Well	111	18	16.22%	40	36.04%	1.17	-13.43
17 Scorpion (IRE)	133	17	12.78%	34	25.56%	0.89	-27.90
18 Fame And Glory	102	17	16.67%	41	40.20%	1.09	+31.15
19 Alflora (IRE)	138	16	11.59%	43	31.16%	0.94	-32.04
20 Stowaway	123	16	13.01%	34	27.64%	0.77	-20.42

Southwell NH, since 2010. Kayf Tara tops the sire list (56 wins from 404, 13.9% SR, A/E 0.89), though the market prices that in. Oppose the over-bet Getaway (GER) (A/E 0.71), Beneficial (A/E 0.77) and Stowaway (A/E 0.77).

Insider Knowledge

Betting Angles

🏇

Follow the Midlands Circuit, Not the Postcode

Olly Murphy, Dan Skelton and Alan King all post strong Southwell records despite being based well outside Nottinghamshire — a “travels well” trainer angle rather than a literal local-yard one.

🎯

Sean Bowen Is the Standout Jockey

A 23% strike rate and a five-season level-stakes profit above +£34 make him the clearest rider angle at the track.

⚡

Respect the Short Run-in

At just 220 yards from the last obstacle, combined with a sharp home turn, there’s little room to recover lost ground — handy, prominent racing is favoured, especially in small fields.

🌧️

Stamina Takes Over on Soft Ground

Southwell rides on genuinely good summer ground much of the time, but once it turns soft or heavy, long-distance races can produce very few finishers — respect proven stayers when the forecast turns wet.

🚫

Don’t Borrow the All-Weather Numbers

Southwell’s Fibresand/Tapeta track has well-documented, strongly front-biased pace data, but that’s a completely different surface and discipline — no equivalent quantified dataset exists for the turf jumps course.

🐎

The Fences Have More Bite Than the Prize Money Suggests

Described as stiff for a minor track with an above-average faller rate, Southwell’s obstacles are a genuine jumping test despite the modest race values.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applying Southwell’s well-known all-weather pace-bias statistics to the jumps course. They describe a completely different track and surface, and no equivalent data exists for the turf circuit.
Expecting a Graded or Listed race at Southwell. None exist in either code — every race here, jumps included, is a handicap or novice event.
Assuming a Flat-code run at Southwell by a jumps horse means anything for the jumps course itself. The two tracks are physically separate and the form doesn’t cross over.

Common Questions

Southwell Racecourse FAQs

Is Southwell an all-weather-only track?

No. Southwell is best known for its all-weather Fibresand/Tapeta Flat track, but it also has a separate turf National Hunt course — distinct from courses like Chelmsford City or Wolverhampton, which run all-weather only.

Does Southwell host any Graded or Listed jumps races?

No. Every race at Southwell, on the Flat or over jumps, is a handicap or novice event — there are no Graded or Listed races in either code.

Is there a genuine pace bias at Southwell over jumps?

No quantified data exists for the jumps course specifically. Course guides consistently describe a short 220-yard run-in and a sharp home turn that favour handy, prominent racing, but this is editorial consensus, not a published statistic — and it must not be confused with Southwell’s separate, well-documented all-weather pace data.

What was Britain’s first all-weather jumps race?

A novice hurdle at Southwell on 1 November 1989, the day the Fibresand surface opened — won by Zulu, trained by Martin Pipe. All-weather jumping was discontinued in 1994 on safety grounds, though Southwell’s turf jumps programme has continued separately ever since.

Explore

Other Jumps Tracks

Aintree

Home of the Grand National — Mildmay and National courses.

Cheltenham

Old Course and New Course — the home of jump racing.

Kempton Park

Sharp, flat right-hander — home of the King George.

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