To advertise in this section contact
Peter Britton on 01747 855335 email:
peter@pitchcare.com
Classifieds THE GOING STICK Racing SPARE PARTS
SLITTERS, SPIKES & TINES For a
Free Brochure please contact us at:
P S Marsden (Lawnmower Services) Ltd
TEL: 0115 9614734 FAX:
0115 9615473 Website -
www.protine.co.uk E-mail -
sales@protine.co.uk
High Performance, Standard & Custom-Made Tines Tines
Slitters Scarifiers
for turf maintenance machinery
Tel: (0044) 0114 251 3344 Email:
sales@tines.co.uk
Fax: (0044) 0114 251 3000
www.tines.co.uk
THE UK’s PREMIER SUPPLIER FOR ALL YOUR GOLF AND TURF MACHINERY SPARES
INTERNATIONAL LTD SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS SPORTS TURF CONTRACTORS
Natural & synthetic pitch design & construction
During a year long trial, in 2007, the GoingStick was used by all 58 turf racecourses in the UK for 24 and 48 hour declarations and race day readings of the going. Now the racing industry’s governing body is considering its use as mandatory. But, what is the GoingStick? Dr Colin Mumford explains
www.agripower.co.uk Broomfield Farm, Rignall Road, Gt. Missenden, Bucks, HP16 9PE
Email:
info@agripower.co.uk Tel: 01494 866776 the pitch of performance
Football, Hockey Multi-Sports, Cricket, Tennis & Bowls
Design and construction of synthetic and natural sports surfaces and facilities
Tel: 01474 364320
www.activeleisurecontracts.co.uk
Avonmore Associates sportsfield construction
25 year of experience in bowling greens, fine turf management, pitch design, sportsfield construction and irrigation
Tel: 01789 293439 email:
info@avonmore-associates.co.uk www.avonmore-associates.co.uk
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GOLF COURSE & SPORTSGROUND CONSTRUCTION
RENOVATION & MAINTENANCE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS LAND DRAINAGE SCHEMES WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Tel. 01722 716361
www.mjabbott.co.uk
racecourse for racing. Key to producing safe surfaces, to minimise any potential for serious injuries to occur, is the assessment of the racing surface condition, more commonly referred to as the “going”. The going is, essentially, a measure of how hard or soft the racing surface is and its assessment has two main functions. It can determine the suitability (safety) of a surface for racing on a given day, and it can be used as a tool to guide the management regime around the various points of the racecourse, to achieve the conditions required. On race day, going can influence whether trainers will run a horse and betting by punters. Moisture softens the racing
T
he welfare of the horse and its rider is the number one priority when preparing a
measured standard of going was not widely available in the UK racing industry. Instead, the industry, like many other countries, has relied on subjective measurements based on a person’s judgement and experience. The methods employed range from monitoring the weather forecast and predicting the effects of any rainfall or sunshine, to personal knowledge of the racecourse and its nuances, such as areas that drain quickly or slowly.
surface, resulting in deeper penetration of the horses’ hooves and slower race times. Individual horses tend to prefer specific types of going. Some relish wet (soft/heavy) going, whereas others run better on firm surfaces. Trainers want to know the going as they may choose not to run a horse if the surface is not suited to it. Serious punters want to know the state of going as accurately as possible when determining which horses to bet on. Therefore, the correct
determination of the level of going is vital if safe racing surfaces are to be produced and people involved within the industry are making informed decisions before the start of a race.
Subjective determinations Until recently an objectively
has involved the use of a stick, whether it is a walking stick or staff. The size and shape of the stick varies from course to course, as does the user of the stick. It is pushed into the ground and levered back to determine the surface conditions. The general rule of thumb is the greater the resistance to penetration, the harder the going. With this technique, like all subjective methods, it is inevitable there will be disagreement as to what is the correct determination of the level of going, especially where more than one person assesses the same racecourse. An objectively arrived value of going is more desirable, as it removes any human bias or pre- conceived notions. A prime example is the thermometer analogy. Person A says that they feel cold today, whereas person B says they think it is quite warm. Which is correct? The two people’s subjective opinions give two differing views for the same temperature, but a thermometer reveals that the temperature is what it is, 19°C for example. This demonstrates that, with an
The most popular assessment
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