Longest Travellers Today — Horses Travelling Furthest to Race

Why the longest traveller matters

Sending a horse a long way to race costs a yard time, fuel, staff and often an overnight stay. Trainers rarely do it on a whim: a long trip tends to mean the race was picked out because the conditions suit, or because the horse is in good order. That is why punters look at the longest travellers, especially at small meetings where most of the field comes from local yards.

It is a pointer, not a system. Big yards in the south send runners north every week, and a horse can travel a long way simply because nothing closer suits it. The 12-month table above shows the effect is real but largely priced in by the market, so the trip works best alongside form, ratings and the trainer's record at the course.

Where this data comes from

RaceMetrics is built on the Proform Racing database — British and Irish racing data professionals since 1995. Declarations and results feed in daily. The same data powers the Trainers in Form table, RaceMetrics Ratings and the System Builder. RaceMetrics provides data analysis only — we do not accept bets or provide gambling services.

Common questions

Which horses are travelling the furthest to race today?

The table at the top of this page lists today's longest travelling horses across UK and Irish racing, furthest first, with the miles from the trainer's yard to the course, the trainer and the race. It refreshes through the day, and once a race is run the result column shows how each long traveller got on.

Why do punters follow the longest travellers?

A long trip costs a trainer time, diesel and staff, so few yards send a horse hundreds of miles without a reason. A long journey often means the trainer has picked out the race and expects the horse to run well, which is why the longest traveller is a popular angle.

Do the longest travellers win more often?

Yes. The 12-month table on this page shows the win strike rate rising with the distance travelled, so runners that came the furthest win more often than runners from yards near the course. The return to a £1 stake at Starting Price is less negative too, but still below break-even, so the trip is a pointer to use with form rather than a system on its own.

How is the distance travelled measured?

The distance is the miles from the trainer's licensed yard to the racecourse. Runners whose trainer has no yard on file, such as overseas raiders, have no distance recorded and are left out of the lists.