Equestrian P
art of the Jockey Club’s portfolio of racecourses, British racing’s ‘headquarters’ has to balance its role as the historic and spiritual hub of the sport with being a
commercial operation. There are also two separate courses, used at different times of year - the Rowley Mile and the July Course.
Recently restructured to cap costs, the grounds team now comprises eight full time groundstaff, three gardeners - who can also be drafted in to work on the turf if needed - and one part time employee. Contractors are also used during the racing season.
“The gardeners are not only responsible for putting together and looking after the floral displays on the courses, but also for propagating the flowers in our greenhouses and shade houses,” Michael explains. “We aim to produce ninety-nine percent of our flowers in-house, although we have recently moved away from growing them from seed to purchasing young plants in the spring to cut out winter heating costs
for the glasshouses. Horticultural work is particularly important on the July Course which has the largest lawned area in front of the grandstands of any racecourse.” Michael comments that he has been able to achieve the same standards on the racecourse with a smaller team by improving staff training and investing in higher quality machinery.
“We buy high specification equipment, and ensure the fleets are identical on both courses to avoid having to move machinery between sites. This is essential as we maintain the courses
simultaneously, even though they are used at different times of the year for racing.” The Rowley Mile course, on which racing takes place in spring and autumn, is busy year round with conferences and events, and Michael points out that the highest levels of presentation are required at all times.
“The conference market is so competitive, we have to match or exceed any standards which are on offer elsewhere,” he says.
He adds that the team takes considerable pride in the history and heritage of Newmarket, and that Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR) has continued to invest in it, with a £10m redevelopment of the hospitality areas on the July Course in 2006-7. And the developments are ongoing - the historic saddling boxes have just been rethatched by a master craftsman, whilst arborists have been hard at work nurturing the ancient beech trees adjacent to the parade ring and to the rear of the grandstand in preparation for the summer season.
Working across the two courses, groundstaff are required to have a broad skill base, although there are some specialists too.
“Hannah Tripe gives the fine turf areas exceptional care, but she can also multi- task. We have five staff trained to PA1 and PA6 and three with PA2, because spraying has to be fitted into weather windows and can’t wait if someone is off sick or on holiday,” Michael explains.
Staff machinery training is available as
part of Jockey Club Racecourses’ preferred supplier agreement with John Deere, and is held at the company’s Langar headquarters, but tractor training days also take place on the racecourse, whilst staff travel to the British Racing School for horse handling courses. Seeking out the latest techniques and equipment is crucial, suggests Michael. “We have front and rear mount mowers, and, until recently, the British Horseracing Authority had a regulation requiring courses to be cut with a front mower - we use a modified Caroni unit. But, we had a demonstration of the Progressive TDR rear mounted mower and were impressed with the quality of the cut and the draught produced by the deck design, which lifts the sward after the tractor wheels have driven over it.” “We applied to the BHA for a rule change on this basis, which was approved, and we have been using the Progressive since 2011 with great results. We have a permanent outer rail and have always varied the path of the cut to avoid wheelings, and also fit LGP tyres designed for turf nurseries, but the Progressive takes out any wheel marks.” The courses are normally mown three times in eight days during the peak growing season, with cutting programmes planned around the weather to minimise the time spent picking up cut grass. “With twenty-eight hectares of racing surface, it takes two tractors and mowers six hours to cut each time,” Michael comments, “Yet, irrigation remains our most labour intensive task.”
This is despite a concerted programme of investment in the irrigation system over the last ten years, which has seen new ring mains installed on all three courses, new valve points added, and the pump house (which is shared with Jockey Club Estates for the extensive areas of training gallops in Newmarket) extended and two new Caprari pumps installed. A 50m Briggs boom - at the time, the largest produced by the
Northamptonshire manufacturer - was purchased in 2002. The old 22m boom
“With twenty-eight hectares of racing surface, it takes two tractors and mowers six hours to cut each time, but irrigation remains our most labour intensive task”
JUNE/JULY 2012 PC 103
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