Tom James meets Andy Waitt, Clerk of the Course and Estates Manager at Folkestone Racecourse, and finds that ...
The Waitt goes on!
I
t’s a rare occasion in horseracing when all you can do is sit back and wait for the weather to improve, but climate change has shifted the rails somewhat.
When heavy rain falls, good drainage systems will generally disperse water and, likewise, in hot conditions, irrigation will allow race meetings to proceed. Yet, for the first time in many years for racecourses in the south of England, the extreme winter snowfalls have meant cancellations and mounting frustration for grounds professionals, who have been helpless to prevent cancellations and instead have had to wait for the ground to clear. When Pitchcare visited Folkestone Racecourse, the heavy snow had all but dispersed, but only after two race meeting cancellations in the previous two months - rare for Kent’s only racecourse and damaging to any bottom line. In the depth of the white-out emerged Clerk of the Course and Estates Manager, Andy Waitt, who took up the dual position on New Year’s day. Tasked with the job of overseeing the
grounds maintenance programme and the general running of the course, he was still able to raise a smile amid the
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mayhem caused by the weather, as he confidently predicted racing on 19 January. “We’ll make it,” he said defiantly, speaking against the backdrop of a rather bedraggled-looking sporting venue, recovering from its deep blanket of snow and a frozen ground that stages both National Hunt and flat racing. But, his first days in post were taken up elsewhere. “Much of my first week was spent clearing snow from my old course at Lingfield Park, where I still live,” he says. Both courses are operated by Arena Leisure plc as part of a seven-strong stable including Royal Windsor, Wolverhampton and Southwell, that stages around 25% of all racing fixtures held each year, making them, what is claimed to be, the UK's largest operator of horseracing, including the world’s oldest classic race, the Doncaster St Leger, as well as the Monday Night racing season at Royal Windsor. All of Arena’s racecourses provide
conferencing and banqueting facilities, two also include 18-hole golf courses, one of which also provides a leisure club, and an integrated, branded hotel at a third racecourse. Developments are underway for two further hotels, a casino, new spectator
viewing areas and extensive conference and exhibition facilities, the company reports. With a career spanning some twenty- eight years, Andy, 46, is now at his fourth site and, in that time, has occupied a variety of positions, placing him in a strong position to take over the reins at Folkestone.
He spent the biggest chunk of his
career at Sandown Park, starting there in 1981 as a groundsman before moving away in 1997. He speaks fondly of his sixteen years there. “It’s a beautiful viewing course with excellent facilities,” he notes.
But, it was while at Lingfield Park turf and all-weather course in Surrey that he underwent his training as Clerk of the Course, which he completed in 2006, after rising to the post of head groundsman, then estates manager in new millennium year. “Completing my Clerk of the Course training was the proudest moment in my career,” he beams. “You spend twelve days at other courses shadowing Clerks of the Course and several other days with various officials. It’s a fascinating experience.” Andy retains strong links with the course and still lives on site, and talks
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