Equestrian in 2011. K Barney Clifford
All weather racing is one of the success stories of the equestrian industry, bringing new fans to the sport and keeping the coffers full when winter bites. But, like synthetic turf used in other sports, the surfaces require expert maintenance, as Jane Carley finds out at Kempton Park
The Middlesex course hosts ninety- five fixtures a year, eighty-four on the all-weather, and also steps in with extra race meetings as the British Horseracing Authority and Horserace Betting Levy Board moves to address loss of income when turf fixtures are cancelled due to ice or snow. “It’s a moveable feast,” says director of racing Brian (Barney) Clifford. “These fixtures are often arranged at short notice, so the racecourse team works hard to fit the meeting alongside existing conference bookings and make logistical arrangements, such as getting stewards, doctors and vets, as well as marketing the meeting to trainers and to racegoers.” Kempton Park is also famous for its national hunt racing and finished 2011 on a high, with a record fifth win for Kauto Star in the course’s flagship King
empton Park’s £18.78 million all-weather track is at the forefront of a new age for horseracing, which saw more than 6.15m visits to racetracks
George VI chase making headlines around the world.
“It was an emotional day for everyone, and the meeting was a huge success,” says Barney. There’s a distinct contrast between the buzz and glamour of a Christmas national hunt meeting and an icy weekday night on the all-weather, when all but the most hardy racegoers stick to the grandstand and only see the action via the television screen, but Barney states that the two sides of the business complement each other. Barney, a former jockey, who trained as a clerk of the course at Sandown Park, came to Kempton Park in 2000, and after a stint overseeing both Kempton and Wincanton, was appointed to the technical group created to develop the all-weather project in 2003. Construction began in 2005, with the brief that the layout should work for both the new all- weather track and the existing turf course. “The all-weather is laid out as an oval on the inside of the jumps track,
All weather - a racing cert?
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