In an athletics sprint race, such as the 200 metres, the curvature of each lane increases as the lane number decreases. But, in distance terms at least, a runner drawn in lane two still has to run just as far as rivals in the outside lanes if they're to land the spoils. Switch your attention to the world of horseracing and, despite its best attempts, it's far more difficult for a racetrack to guarantee similar levels of fairness for all runners.

Despite this, seasoned punters often manage to overlook the fact that, for many races run up to a distance of a mile (and, as we shall see, even further on some occasions), the effect of the draw at particular racecourses can often have an important bearing on the outcome of a race.

In fact, in some contests the draw is just as crucial a factor to take into consideration when trying to determine the result of a race as the more obvious variables which punters usually latch on to, such as going, recent form, jockey, trainer and so on.

Starting stalls

In flat racing, the draw is defined as the position a particular horse is allocated in the starting stalls before it races. Prior to each meeting, the racecourse executive will also make it clear where the stalls themselves will be situated in relation to the track. They can be positioned either towards the stands-side or far-side rail, or be placed in the centre of the track. Due to the way in which the stalls are numbered in the UK, starting stall number one is always furthest to the left from the perspective of the runners as they leave the stalls.

If you're going to take account of the draw, then, it's worth familiarising yourself with this notion because in the UK, some courses race left-handed (anti-clockwise) and others right-handed (clockwise).

Say, for example, you're at home watching the televised Lincoln Handicap, which is run at Doncaster, a track where the runners charge towards the finishing post from the left. On Doncaster's left-handed course, stall one is the closest to the far-side running rail. However, if you're watching the Stewards' Cup held at Goodwood's right-handed track and where the runners charge down the straight from your right, stall one will be the trap closest to the nearside running rail.

Round the bend

Unlike our earlier athletics example, where the curvature of the running track is accommodated by a staggered start for the athletes, starting stalls don't enjoy the same versatility. So if the horses in a sprint are due to run into a bend shortly after the start of the race, the draw advantage is crucial. Clearly, in this instance, those drawn on the inside of the track will enjoy a considerable advantage.

This is a scenario which commonly takes place at Chester's tight, little racetrack known as the Roodeye. It's just a mile in circumference, so low-drawn runners in sprint races have enjoyed considerable advantages down the years.

So well known is the benefit of an inside berth in a Chester sprint that some trainers have actually been known to withdraw their charges should they have had the misfortune to be handed a double-figure draw.

Sometimes, the effect of the draw can be compounded further by the prevailing weather conditions. Once upon a time, if the going turned soft at Thirsk and the stalls were positioned on the stands rails, high-drawn runners had such an advantage that punters who'd backed low-drawn runners may as well have torn up their betting slips before the gates even flew open.

Rummaging through the top draw

To exploit the advantages that a draw can confer on a particular runner at a particular course, take a look at the Top Draw section in the Racing Post. For each day's race meetings, the Top Draw feature produces a table highlighting the extent to which the draw can be regarded as an influence on a particular race.

Factoring in the effect of the draw is a bit like taking into account the effect the going is likely to have on a racehorse. It may not always result in uncovering a sure winner, but if it can help prevent punters from having a daft bet on a short-price fancy when it palpably had little chance of winning from a poor draw then it has to be worthy of consideration.