Equestrian
“There's a misconception that preparing flat tracks is easy, that the grass grows well because it is the summer and you just mow it, but the standards are very exacting”
M
aking improvements to the flat track on one of the most scenic and best loved racecourses has been a challenge for Chepstow Clerk
of the Course, Keith Ottesen, and Head Groundsman, Adam Jones, in one of the wettest years on record. Yet, the quality of the sward speaks for itself, and Keith has had flattering comments from that most exacting of customer - the racehorse trainer. “A concerted programme of
overseeding and altering the racing line, by moving the starting stalls to the centre of the track, has improved the footing to such an extent that trainers are looking to bring better quality flat horses to Chepstow, which is very encouraging,” he explains. “There’s a misconception that
preparing flat tracks is easy, that the grass grows well because it is the summer and you just mow it, but the standards are very exacting.” Where National Hunt racing is concerned, Chepstow is at the very top of its game already, hosting the Grade 1 Coral Welsh National each Christmas,
the first long distance race of the season, which often gives valuable clues to the winner of the Aintree Grand National and well placed horses in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The two mile round National Hunt course is set in an impressive natural amphitheatre, with the carboniferous limestone cliffs of Chepstow above and bordered by the gorge of the Wye Valley. The extensive racing surface, clay soils and rocky outcrops which are in places mere inches below the surface make for a demanding workload, especially for a team of just six full time ground staff. “We have to use the resources to hand skillfully to get the work done,” reflects Keith, “especially as we race at least once a fortnight, year round. We prepare the National Hunt course at the end of the flat season and vice versa, and this year we have needed to fit all renovations and even mowing into the short weather windows available.” Preparations for the 2012 Welsh National were tricky, due to the continuing rainfall, and the race was eventually postponed to Saturday 5th January 2013.
“A total of 260mm - nearly 10in - of rain fell at Chepstow in December, most of it after 14th December, so the track became waterlogged and there was no option but to postpone,” Keith explains. “The course was already set up for 27th December, and there was little we could do except hope it would stop raining, which it eventually did on New Year’s Eve.”
It was hardly a quiet New Year however - securing terrestrial television coverage was essential for sponsor Corals, but was made more complicated by the switch from the BBC to Channel 4, which has secured all TV racing broadcasts for 2013. Arrangements were made to secure the services of British Horseracing Authority officials, plus the course’s own staff, doctors and stewards for the new date. Finally, funding from the Levy Board was obtained for the extra fixture. “We were hoping that the new date would offer enough of a gap for the course to recover once the rain stopped and, whilst the going was heavy, the track was in remarkably good shape. Trainers and jockeys were pleasantly surprised with how it rode, and the Welsh National
The carboniferous cliffs standing above the Wye Valley provide a stunning backdrop FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013 PC 101
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