Race Distance
The length of the race in metres, from trap opening to finish line. UK greyhound distances range from ~265m (sprints) to 800m+ (marathons). Sprint, standard and stayer dogs specialise differently.
The distance of a greyhound race is measured from the trap opening to the finish line, in metres. Standard distance bands:
- Sprint — under 400m. Often a single straight or one bend. Favours early-pace dogs.
- Standard — 400–500m. The most common range; two-bend racing in UK 4-bend ovals.
- Middle — 500–600m. Three-bend territory; rewards stamina alongside early pace.
- Stayer / marathon — 600m+. Largely a stamina test.
Why distance specialisation matters: a dog with strong sprint form may struggle at 500m+ because the energy profile is different. The model uses distance as a feature and derives distance-specific stats like trap×distance win-rate and form-at-this-distance.
Live insight: across 746 settled bets, distance bands showed real differences. Sprint < 400m had only a 25.6% win rate (worst); 500–600m middle had 31.2% (best). The model picks at longer distances more profitably, which informs how the segment-prior estimate is built.