Haydock Park Racecourse is a massively popular race track due to its location halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.
It hosts flat and jump racing throughout the year and is renowned as one of the top racecourses in the UK, winning Racecourse of the Year on two occasions.
Haydock hosts some of the most popular and attended events on the Northern racing calendar, including the Grand National Trial in February, The Temple Stakes in May, the Sprint Cup in September, and the Betfair Chase in November.
Haydock Tips for Today
There’s a competitive seven-race card at Haydock on Saturday, including three races live on ITV Racing.
Our tipping experts, Alan Kelly and Charlie McCann, have free Haydcok betting tips on-site, including both an 11/1 selection - click on their links below for more information!
Check out more from the Freebets horse racing hub, including tips, stats, market movers and today’s racecards!
We’ve also highlighted two important betting angles to remember when placing a bet at Haydock.
Ground is key
The ground at Haydock has a big impact on how races can pan out, with front-runners having a strong record on fast ground, whereas on softer ground, more patient tactics are required, suiting hold-up horses more.
A tough test for novices
Despite not being as challenging as they once were, the fences at Haydock still provide a stern test for novice chasers, particularly on deep winter ground.
Top Haydock Jockeys
William Buick is the go-to man on the flat at Haydock, with a 33% strike rate over the last three years and showing a profit to level stakes.
While jump racing fans should keep an eye out for Harry Skelton - he’s operating at a stunning 45% strike rate over fences at Haydock.
Top Haydock Trainers
On the flat, Newmarket trainers are ones to keep a close eye on, with Charlie Appleby operating at a 36% strike rate with his runners over the last three seasons, while John and Thady Gosden have a 25% strike rate.
Over fences, Dan Skelton’s runners are worth keeping an eye out for, while Gary Moore’s rare runners at Haydock should be noted - four of his last runners over hurdles at the course have won.
Haydock Free Bets & Betting Offers
Betfair has a close relationship with Haydock Park, sponsoring many of its high-profile contests, including the Betfair Chase, which is only behind the Cheltenham Gold Cup and King George in status in jumps racing
So, you can rely on Betfair to have some excellent Haydock Park betting offers to coincide with their key races.
With a number of Haydock’s feature races covered by ITV Racing, bookmakers offer plenty of free bet offers, bet bonuses, and odds boosts for punters to enjoy.
As the track attracts enormous crowds, you can also expect to see large Tote pools, and The Tote currently have a generous sign-up offer for all new customers - perfect for using on the Haydock racing action.
Haydock Racecourse Layout & Info
For the most part, the Haydock Park course is flat, with only a very slight rise in the closing furlongs. This is a sizable course, a galloping track, one mile five furlongs in circumference, which is raced anticlockwise (left-handed).
A chute allows for flat races of up to six furlongs to be run on a straight course. There is a smaller chute for one-mile three-furlong contests.
In flat races using the bends (seven furlongs or further), jockeys typically stick towards the far rail but often switch to the near side of the track when the ground is testing.
Notably, sprinters typically race down the centre of the track, and the stats only show a slight draw bias favouring horses who are housed middle-to-high. Haydock race odds are rarely affected by the draw.
During the national hunt season, the course is notorious for handling lots of rain, so it rarely runs ‘heavy’, and its fences are not as tricky as they once were - overall, it’s a fair course.
Haydock Top Featured Races
Haydock Park is unquestionably one of the UK’s top racecourses, and it stages a long list of Group and Graded contests throughout the year.
In addition to the Group 1 Haydock Sprint in September and Grade 1 Betfair Chase in November, the track is home to nine additional Group 2 and Grade 2 races.
The table below lists the feature races at Haydock Park for both flat and jump racing.
| Race | Grade | Distance | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altcar Novices’ Chase | Grade 2 | 2 miles 5 furlongs | Chase | January |
| Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2 miles | Hurdle | January |
| Peter Marsh Chase | Grade 2 | 3 miles 1 furlong | Chase | January |
| Champion Hurdle Trial | Grade 2 | 2 miles | Hurdle | January |
| Rendlesham Hurdle | Grade 2 | 3 miles | Hurdle | February |
| Prestige Novices’ Hurdle | Grade 2 | 3 miles | Hurdle | February |
| Temple Stakes | Group 2 | 5 furlongs | Flat | May |
| Sandy Lane Stakes | Group 2 | 6 furlongs | Flat | June |
| Lancashire Oaks | Group 2 | 1 mile 3 furlongs | Flat | July |
| Haydock Sprint Cup | Group 1 | 6 furlongs | Flat | September |
| Betfair Chase | Grade 1 | 3 miles 1 furlong | Chase | November |
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