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“We are lucky to be self sufficient but are very conscious that we should use water wisely”


Seamus Buckley, Clerk of the Course, Goodwood Racecourse


“Having an unexpected burst pipe or a leakage is my worst nightmare. There are four to five miles of piping around the course supplying all the water at a six Bar pressure. If the pressure drops below that we know we have a problem. Discovering the course has flooded on race day is probably the worse case scenario for any clerk of the course.” Goodwood’s water supply is sourced


Seamus Buckley on race day


through the main borehole that feeds the whole estate, bringing major savings on water bills. “We are lucky to be self- sufficient, but are very conscious that we should use water wisely, and having the right machinery helps us to do this.” The racecourse runs a variety of machine types from a number of manufacturers, including John Deere, Toro and Ransomes. With such a vast space and differing terrain, being able to buy the right equipment for the job is paramount, Seamus maintains. “Goodwood has been very good with


Glorious views across the Sussex Downs


equipment. They supply all we need and we always aim to get the best products we can. We do all our maintenance in-house as part of the whole estate. The machines are


Upton irrigator in action


the whole area without missing a drop.” No matter how prepared Seamus may be, there’s always the chance that something unexpected might crop up on race day. Irrigation is his biggest worry.


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maintained centrally and this is a very useful aid.” With a budget of £100,000 for purchase and maintenance each year, Seamus has all the tools he needs to keep standards high. “We use John Deere tractors with special floatation tyres so as not to put too much pressure on the grass. We’ve fitted front- mounted Vortex cutters so we can be sure we are getting a good even cut.”


“Overall, I run five tractors, a hollow tine


cutter, a number of Ransomes ride-on mowers and Hayter models as well, which are sturdy, robust machines.” Despite having only two races a month on average, maintenance of the course


requires a well-planned programme run throughout the year, including careful management during winter. Like Bill Payne, Seamus believes a successful course comes down to the dedication of the team. “It helps that we all really love the job, although it’s hard during the season with lots of early mornings and late nights, sometimes having to stay on all night if a problem arises, but it’s a labour of love.” Preparation for the racing season starts in autumn. “We first put down 3:9:9 fertiliser to stimulate the roots. I don’t want lush green grass throughout the winter as this can cause problems for cutting in the spring when preparing for the new season.


“Come spring, we apply a higher rate


of nitrogen to help feed the leaf, cutting three or four times a week without collecting the cuttings as this helps to put nitrogen back into the turf.” Although visitors may marvel at the glorious flint work of The Kennels, the stone that is a characteristic of the region can prove more of a peril than a pleasure, for horse, human and machine, because it naturally lies only inches under the topsoil. “We tine down to a six-inch depth, as deep as the topsoil goes,” Seamus says. “The flint below the topsoil means maintaining the course is sometimes tricky. It’s important to make sure no flint gets on to the grass, especially when vertidraining, to ensure we don’t pick up any flint from underneath the topsoil as it could be potentially damaging to the horses. These are the problems with being located in West Sussex, but we do our upmost to ensure this doesn’t happen.


The only fertiliser Seamus applies is


Vitax. “In my opinion it is the best on the market and has delivered proven results over a number of years.” “On the sward, we usually put a lot of liquid iron down, especially close to big race days like the ‘Glorious Goodwood’ festival. It is essential that the turf is as strong as possible. Downland courses are hard to maintain at the best of times so we have to be on top our game. As a rule, we don’t use much fertiliser on the course, usually only about four or five tonnes per hectare. I like to keep it relatively low as I don’t like a lot of flush growth. We give it two applications throughout the racing season.” When tackling weeds, less is more,


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