Equestrian
overlapping after the finish post and at the end of the back straight. Previously, national hunt horses had to cross the old sprint course after the finish, which received a lot of water and thus presented very different going,” Barney explains. “They now run onto all- weather on the bend, and cross a raised turf area which makes the ground more level and consistent, and I believe there is far less risk of injury as a result.” Large volumes of water needed to
produce the ideal all-weather going necessitated investment in a state of the art irrigation system, which uses a high capacity ring main fed from a borehole with a 86 cu.m licence via powerful pumps to Briggs reels and booms. The irrigation system can put 25mm of water on the entire track in forty-eight hours, which also benefits the turf course.
The surface itself was commissioned
from Martin Collins Enterprises and is a new generation Polytrack mix of sixty-three percent silica sand, recycled materials and binding waxes. “Water is added to give ‘life’ to the
surface - in direct contrast to turf, the warmer and dryer it gets, the slower the going - and to prevent ‘kickback’ which is uncomfortable for horses and riders. Our maintenance programme is dictated by the air temperature and moisture - the material also generates heat and, with an air temperature of 22O 48O
C, the ground temperature can be C, so the aim is to get water on and
keep it to a temperature of around 20O
C,” explains Barney. Minimising excessive compaction is also important to provide a consistent, safe surface - the aim is to achieve the equivalent of good-firm going on the turf. Preparation for racing involves using
a Kuhn power harrow to 4in deep and a rotavator to 5in to break up any compaction, with a Vaderstad disc cultivator on heavily compacted areas such as crossings.
The Cousins Gallop-Master, which combines spring tines with cage rollers to condition and level the surface, is then used to a depth of 3in, with 4.5 and 5m units working wheel to wheel to
ground
“The material also generates heat and, with an air temperature of 22O
C, the
temperature can be 48O
aim is to get water on and keep it to a temperature of around 20O
C, so the C
After the finish line, national hunt horses run onto all-weather on the bend, and cross a raised turf area which makes the ground more level and consistent
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