About Polytrack
A Polytrack surface is a combination of new and recycled products including silica sand, synthetic fibres and rubber, blended with a wax coating. The result is said to be “a kinder, more consistent surface that requires less maintenance and provides all- weather performance”. The surface forms part of an
off with cutting the track in the evening, which usually takes us past midnight to complete. We ensure we cut every bit of turf to make it as presentable for race day as possible, before rising at 4.30am on the morning of the Derby to cut the lawns, mark and stripe the parade ring and mark up the winners circle, watering if necessary.” Given the Derby’s high profile, Nigel knows how vital it is to make sure there’s enough back-up, so staff don’t get swamped on the day. Some twenty casual staff are brought in for race meetings, a figure that doubles on Derby day, with groundstaff from Sandown Park and Kempton Park also called on to ‘muck in’. With staffing well in hand, the only other issue to worry about on the day is conduct. “We have to treat whoever we meet or speak to with respect, regardless of who they are. People will ask you all manner of questions
on the day, so we have to prepare ourselves by making sure we know the answers to the ones most frequently asked. “You get a real mix of people at the Derby;
from the strong traveller following to the Royal visits. It’s a hugely rich and colourful event.” After the races, Epsom usually plays host to a hive of entertainment in front of the grandstand, which continues for at least an hour, Nigel says, before the chore of cleaning up the site begins in earnest.
Then, as the racing calendar draws to a close for another year, Nigel prepares the course for autumn and winter. “At the end of the season we mow the track down to an inch, remove all the clippings, finish with a light harrow and overseed with ryegrass.”
Images © speedmediaone
entire system that also encompasses a specially designed vertical drainage system. The top surface provides a soft cushion for the horse and rider, whilst also absorbing some of the concussion from the horse’s weight when the hoof hits the surface. When it rains, the wax
coating on the surface materials allows water to flow down through that layer into the sub-llayers below, which include porous macadam and dense aggregate rock, providing a solid foundation, whilst housing the vertical drainage design that carries water away from the track, leaving the top layer damp but not waterlogged.
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