Equestrian
Sufficient capacity from boreholes to apply half an inch of water to the top two or three inches of soil
“Taunton was always considered slippery, with bends like a skid pan, and this was partly due to the use of a three tonne roller to repair the course after racing. Whilst there was a good covering of grass, as soon as a horse’s hoof penetrated this, it was straight down to the clay pan”
The irrigation company developed a system particularly for Taunton’s needs
programme of vertidraining was instigated, working at varying depths and degrees of heave to avoid further pans forming. Parts of the course were worse than others - there was a visible line on the back straight between the old and new, because the motorway soil hadn’t been graded, and included all types of material, even bricks.
“Grass cover on the new course was very sparse, and would brown off,” comments Michael.
On the Corfe Bend and home straight the contractor used an agricultural disc mower to shave off the grass cover before vertidraining and spreading sand and compost, using a scraper to push it into the tines holes. “This has made the soil structure
more secure and improved the ability of the sward to withstand wear,” explains Michael. Mowing takes place up to twice a week, using two John Deere out-front rotaries and taking up to five hours with both machines. Working with an agronomist, grass
mixtures have been improved, using a seventy percent ryegrass mixture fine- tuned over a number of years. “The heavy clay dries out in the summer and moisture is scarce in the main growing season,” explains Kevin. “On the Corfe Bend, grass varieties
The Taunton Team
Clerk of the Course Michael Trickey first became involved in racing management as a steward at Taunton, Newton Abbott and Exeter and, after a career at Lloyds, worked at the three south west courses before focusing on Taunton.
Other developments have included constructing permanent fences
120 PC APRIL/MAY 2013
“I rode in point-to-points from the age of eighteen to forty-four, and also evented,” he comments. “I feel it is vital to have a knowledge of horses, and choose the stewards on this basis too - horses are not
motorbikes, they can be unpredictable and we sometimes have to make decisions based on that.”
Head Groundsman Kevin Councill joined the groundstaff in December 1985 at the age of eighteen and, in 2002, was promoted to his current role, following in the footsteps of his great uncle who had held the post for over forty years until the 1960s.
“The best aspect of working at Taunton is that no two days are the
that ought to have been ideal did not wear well, so we had to develop a specialist mixture for the conditions.” Overseeding has also been enhanced by the latest equipment: “Several passes were needed with the older drills as the disc spacing was so wide, but the new disc overseeders are more closely spaced. We also find that the discs help to level and aerate the racing surface,” says Michael. The more stable surface and
improved growing conditions meant that, in 2012, wear was so minimal that the drill was not needed, with seed simply topdressed on after the season finished in May. However, 2013 will be a different
story, and the wet conditions led to the cancellation of two fixtures at a course which is renowned for its ability to hold winter racing when other tracks are struggling.
“Racing in wet conditions can have a negative effect on soil structure, but the vertidrain will help to aerate and restructure,” Michael comments. “We are also fortunate to have the experience of Paul Barber as a director - as well as being a leading racehorse owner, he has a large scale farming enterprise and has suggested that additional nutrients will be needed this year.”
There are signs that spring is coming to Somerset at last - although it
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