Like FP I used to think AW was rubbish but that was because the standard was very low. I'm beginning to warm to the AW more and more from a punting angle because:
1. Horses that are trained and raced on the AW have uninterrupted training on the surface on which they will race. I would qualify that by saying for example trained and raced on Tapeta, trained and raced on Poytrack etc. Turf is a different kettle of fish as the changes in going during race preparation and/or at race time can be a nightmare. This can turn form upside down
2. Race times are a more reliable guide on specific surfaces
3. A lot of AW racing is shown on ATR and therefore free videos available afterwards to help assess a horse's chances
From an enjoyment angle, there are some decent horses running on the AW these days, with bigger prize money on offer and I would imagine that a night out watching the races under the lights could be interesting and, in some cases, spectacular.
I'm sure some AW courses will become more popular as more money is pumped in and new courses built. This could be bad news for some existing courses but for horse racing it will be good news as new courses will be more up class with big races attracting top class horses
