AINTREE toYORK
Dogs, ramblers, joggers, footballers and wannabe golfers... oh and the racecourse! Adrian Kay faces fresh challenges as he takes up his new position at York Racecourse
It was a wrench leaving Aintree after ten years but, although there will always be room to improve the course, I felt I needed fresh challenges to keep my appetite in overload. York racecourse looks set to provide me with just that, as I have found in my first few weeks in charge here. A fresh challenge to get to grips with is that the whole race track is open to the general public. The Knavesmire (of which the track is within its boundaries) is owned by the local council and, therefore, people have a public right of way across the it.
In a normal working week, we have to
share the course with joggers, walkers, dogs, and the centre of the track with footballers and wannabe golfers! At Aintree the courses and grandstands
were mostly secure (except for the odd light fingered local), a fenced fortress with no public access outside of race days and corporate events. Immediately at York, I face dilemmas over health and safety issues, having to work around the public and their pastimes. At Aintree we had, over the years, built up a personnel and machinery infrastructure that was realistic to the demands of the job in hand. Now, at York, I have started to assess the current
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status of both these important factors and construct a forecast for current and future additions to allow us to move forward and achieve the standards and expectations that are realistic. To achieve these standards, as in every discipline of groundsmanship, we require the backing of our management and their committees. I feel confident that the backing is evident here at York to achieve my personal objectives.
Racecourse maintenance has evolved considerably since my early days in the sport, and continues to do so, and the appreciation of a quality race course is recognised by all involved within the industry. Every maintenance procedure is now analysed to ensure that all is done to achieve a safe and consistent surface for horse and jockey.
My capital equipment wish list for 2007 will be as follows;
JD 1600T wide area mower- This ride-on tri-deck rotary mower will be primarily used on the racetrack and other large area lawns (car parks). This will replace the tractor driven, electric rotary mower.
De-Compactor (vertidrain or terra spike) - 2.6metre, tractor driven, will be solely used on the race track.
2.0 metre Disc seeder - This will be utilised in the racetrack following racing and general over seeding.
Utility vehicle - for getting around site, providing a faster and lighter foot print, without the need to use tractor and trailer for all operations.
Fertiliser spreader - Tractor mounted fertiliser spreader will allow the application of granular fertiliser to the racetrack and large lawns. This will combine with 7 metre sprayer for a flexible approach throughout the year.
Ride-on triple mower - To enhance the quality of the lawn areas throughout the racecourse.
Current staffing levels; six groundstaff (including myself) and one gardener, plus casual groundstaff throughout the summer.
ONE of my main objectives is to provide a consistent racing surface (going), as well as providing a dense coverage of grass. These two objectives sometimes provide challenges within themselves, with regard to the size of the course and the different indigenous soil textures and structures that is evident through the course. Newly constructed bends, shaded
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