How Greyhound Grades Work at Nottingham: A1 to Open Explained

Every Race Has a Class — Here’s How It’s Decided

The greyhound grading system at Nottingham determines which dogs race against each other, and it is the single most important structural element that shapes every card at Colwick Park. Without grading, the fastest open-class runner in the country could end up in the same race as a dog that has never won above A7 level. The result would be uncompetitive, unbettable and unwatchable. Grades exist to prevent that — to match dogs of similar ability so that races are close, markets are meaningful and the sport functions.

Yet for all its importance, the grading system is one of the least understood aspects of greyhound racing among casual followers. Most punters know that A1 is higher than A5. Fewer understand how a dog moves between grades, why the same dog might race at different levels on consecutive visits, or what an “open race” designation actually means in competitive terms. Grades tell the story of every dog’s career trajectory, and learning to read that story is essential if you want to interpret a Nottingham racecard with any depth.

The Grade Ladder: A1 Through A11 and Beyond

The core of the grading system is the A-grade ladder, which at Nottingham runs from A1 at the top down through A2, A3 and so on. The exact number of grades available depends on the track — larger venues with deeper dog populations may use more rungs. Colwick Park, as one of the more active tracks in the GBGB-licensed network that recorded 355,682 runs across 21 tracks in 2026, uses a range wide enough to accommodate everything from the fastest local dogs to those still developing their racing careers.

Each grade corresponds to a performance band, primarily defined by a dog’s recent race times at a specific distance. A dog graded A1 at 480 metres is expected to run within a certain time window that reflects the fastest performers at the track over that trip. A dog graded A5 at the same distance runs measurably slower — typically by several tenths of a second — and competes against dogs of similar pace. The system is distance-specific, which means a dog could theoretically hold different effective grades at different distances, though in practice most dogs are specialised and race primarily over one or two trips.

Below the standard A-grade ladder, some tracks operate additional categories. These might include D-grades for dogs in the early stages of their careers, or special development grades designed to give younger or less experienced runners competitive opportunities without exposing them to the highest class immediately. At Nottingham, the lower rungs of the ladder tend to feature older dogs on the downgrade, younger dogs still finding their level, or runners returning from injury who need a few races before they regain their previous form.

The important thing to understand is that grade is not a permanent label. It is a snapshot of where a dog sits right now, based on recent performance. A dog graded A3 this week might be A2 next week if it wins convincingly, or A4 the week after if it disappoints. The ladder is in constant motion, and the dogs on it are always moving — which is precisely what keeps Nottingham’s racecards competitive from top to bottom.

For bettors, the grade tells you two things simultaneously: the approximate standard of the race and the context in which to judge every dog’s form. A time of 29.80 over 500 metres means something very different in an A1 race, where the dog was chasing elite company, than in an A6 race, where it was the fastest runner on the card. Learning to read form through the lens of grade — rather than treating all times as equivalent — is one of the clearest edges available.

Open Races and Invitational Events

Above the A-grade ladder sits a category that operates by entirely different rules: open races. An open race has no grade restriction. Any dog, from any track, of any standard, can theoretically be entered — provided the trainer and racing manager agree. In practice, open races attract the best available runners because the prize money is higher, the prestige is greater and the competition is national rather than local.

Nottingham has hosted some of the most significant open events in UK greyhound racing. The English Greyhound Derby moved to Colwick Park in 2019 and 2020, and the 2026 edition of that competition offered £175,000 to the winner from a total prize fund of £235,000 — the richest single prize in the sport. Open races at that level draw dogs from across the country, many of whom have no previous form at Nottingham. That introduces a unique analytical challenge: you cannot rely on local track data when the field includes runners whose entire career has been spent at Romford, Shelbourne or Towcester.

Below the headline events, Nottingham also programmes regular open races and invitational competitions throughout the year. The Eclipse, Select Stakes and Puppy Classic are among the track’s own showcase events, each with its own format, distance and prize structure. These competitions sit between standard graded racing and the national-level Derby in terms of competitive intensity, and they offer an important stepping stone for dogs moving up from graded ranks toward the highest level.

For bettors, open races are simultaneously the most exciting and the most dangerous races on the card. The quality of competition is higher, which means the form is harder to separate. The fields often include unfamiliar dogs with no local track data. And the market tends to be more efficient because open races attract sharper punters who do their homework. If you are going to bet on an open race at Nottingham, you need to be working harder than the market — or you need to accept that you are betting for entertainment rather than edge.

Grade Changes: How Dogs Move Up and Down

The grading system is dynamic by design. Dogs move up the ladder when they win or run fast, and they drop down when they lose or slow. The mechanism is straightforward in principle but nuanced in practice, and understanding it adds a layer to form analysis that many punters overlook.

A dog that wins a race will typically be raised one grade for its next start. Win at A4, and you will likely be graded A3 next time. The logic is simple: if you were good enough to beat A4 opposition, you should be tested against stronger runners. Conversely, a dog that finishes consistently out of the places — particularly if its times have deteriorated — will be dropped down. The downgrade gives the dog a better chance of being competitive, which keeps races close and maintains the integrity of the betting market.

What makes grading interesting is the grey area. A dog that finishes second by a short head in an A2 race may not be upgraded because it did not win, even though its performance was arguably A1-calibre. A dog that wins an A5 race by six lengths in a very fast time might be jumped up two grades rather than one, because its performance so clearly outstripped the opposition that a single-grade rise would leave it mismatched. These discretionary decisions are made by the track’s racing manager, who balances competitive fairness with the need to keep racecards filled.

For bettors, grade changes are a signal. A dog dropping from A2 to A3 might be declining — or it might have been unlucky at the higher level and is now a class above its new opposition. A dog rising from A5 to A4 after a dominant win is on an upward curve, but the stiffer competition at A4 might expose weaknesses that were hidden at A5. The direction of movement matters, but so does the reason behind it. A dog regraded after a fast win is a different proposition from one regraded after three poor runs. Both show up as a grade change on the racecard. Only one is a positive signal.

The grading system, for all its apparent simplicity, is the engine that keeps Nottingham’s racing programme competitive. It ensures that every card offers races where the outcome is genuinely uncertain — which is, after all, the entire point of the sport.