Wolverhampton punting pointers: speed is more important than stamina and position is everything

Of the five all-weather tracks in the UK, Wolverhampton and Lingfield are the most comparable. Both are sharp in nature and place the emphasis much more on speed than stamina. Kempton and Chelmsford feature more sweeping bends, while Newcastle is a law unto itself with its uphill straight track.

Position is crucial at any track, but both Wolverhampton and Lingfield would feature highly on any list of courses where it is at a premium. This is not only due to the layout of the track, but also how races tend to be run.

Taking the last ten meetings at Wolverhampton as a potted history, 54.4 per cent of races were won by horses that either led or raced prominently, while a further 26.6 per cent were won by horses from mid-field. Given that the latter category is rather broad and can feature horses ridden just in behind the front three or so, the bias towards being on the pace is evident.