Long before there was an “all weather” course at Southwell, I knew an old boy that stood there as the rep for one of the big bookies because he could easily get the train to the track.
Southwell racecourse is right next to Rolleston Junction station on the line between Lincoln and Nottingham.
I was led to believe that it was never very well attended; hence the bookies sending a rep who lived locally rather than have somebody travel, especially since on the days that Southwell raced there was usually a bigger meeting or two somewhere else.
I cannot imagine that Southwell is especially well attended when the action is not on the turf, so like several other venues that were under the auspices of Ron Muddle, the switch to polytrack was entirely driven by fixture list potential and the money that was generated off course.
As somebody who scarcely gives racing on artificial surfaces a second look, I could not comment on how favourable the results are to punters. Obviously punters will always be keen on tracks where they perceive they have the advantage over the old enemy but over a period of time he does eventually cotton on and adjust his odds accordingly.