Catterick Course Guide

Left handed, sharp. Oval-shaped track, measuring just nine furlongs, with a downhill run-in of three furlongs. Its undulations combined with its exceedingly sharp nature makes it a difficult course for a big, long-striding animal, and speedy types who race handily are at a definite advantage. Course form is more significant here than other venues, and many horses having their first experience of the track take time to adapt.

The dips and rolls at Catterick catch out plenty of horses and you often see hotpots from the south turned over because they can’t handle them. I’d compare the track to The Low Moor at Middleham and anything used to galloping on that should be alright. It’s certainly a big advantage for a jockey to be on one that can kick on from the home turn in the longer races, especially on fast ground, because it’s really hard to make up the leeway. Lots of Catterick races are lost early on by a lack of tactical pace.

View from the saddle: Jason Weaver

Left handed, sharp with minor undulations. Fences generally regarded as fairly easy, but chases are normally well run and result in many more casualties than might be expected. Going rarely gets that testing, with nippy sorts generally at an advantage over gallopers who take time to quicken. Beware deceptive camera angle as runners swing into the home straight, those who stay towards the centre often seeming closer to the lead than they actually are.

The most important requirement for a jockey riding over jumps at Catterick is to have a horse under you that’s travelling. If you’re off the bridle there with a circuit to go, or even turning into the back straight, it’s a tough task to get back into contention. I’d say that if you see a horse come from way off the pace to win at Catterick, you can back it with confidence on a stiffer track. Front-runners, or those who like to race handily, invariably go well there and it takes a pretty good one to win coming from behind.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald