Equestrian
A new fertiliser and overseeding programme has produced a denser, healthier sward on the flat course
“We have a huge sweep of bend coming into the home straight and, with the course’s undulations, we have to get it right or horses can slip when they straighten up”
The final bend on the round course for the flat skirts the jumps and is wide and sweeping. The one mile straight course can be seen on the left
was a good, and fair, race.” Thankfully, the wide track allows for rail movements to present fresh ground to the runners, and hurdles can be carefully positioned to take advantage of the best going. On the back straight, the hurdle track follows the less frequently used round course of the flat track but, in the home straight, the pristine turf is sacrosanct, and hurdlers are diverted onto the outside of the chase course. Keith moved from Uttoxeter to Chepstow in 2010 and began a programme to improve the flat track which, as well as the round course, includes a one mile straight that slopes downhill towards the finish, producing some exciting races. “There was a lot of leatherjacket and nematode damage, made worse by the amount of poa in the sward. In dry weather it quickly became stressed and vulnerable to attack, leading to the surface breaking down. We invested in a Vredo overseeder, which uses a disc seeding mechanism to give excellent establishment.”
Fences are built in a unique arched shape to make them more inviting to the horses
102 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013
“Having our own machine means that we can overseed every 3-4 weeks on the bends to introduce more ryegrass, moving the rail to protect the seeded ground. We also changed our grass seed supplier and have found the fast germination of Barenbrug Sprint to be a major improvement.” Major overseeds are also carried out on the two tracks as soon as their season is over, with the grass cover flailed off before verticutting and collecting. “We use a local contractor at this time to take out compaction with two verti-drains. We have a small verti- drain of our own for use on the bends etc., but with such a large racing surface it is better to get the contractor in and do the whole course quickly and efficiently,” explains Adam Jones. “It is a complex task because the rock is just 10cm below the surface in places, but the contractors are very good and know where they need to be careful!” “Even though we keep vehicle
movements on the course to a minimum, compaction is a real issue as the horses’ hooves do so much damage when soil loses its structure due to wet conditions, so the verti-drain is an essential tool for us. Some racecourses use rotary decompactors, but the verti- drain’s action is better on our clay soils,” comments Keith. Mowing is carried out with a front mounted Votex rotary deck and rear blower, and takes a full day in the summer, and longer when there is more growth. Cut heights are set at 60mm for the flat and 75-100mm on the National Hunt course, with mowing taking place up to three times a week. “We had a ride-on triple rotary, but it was just impossible to cover the ground,” says Adam. “Tractor and tyre technology has come on such a lot that a tractor-mounted mower can be just as gentle on the turf as a ride-on, and our 100hp New Holland is a great match for the Votex.”
Whilst the wet weather has cost several racecourses fixtures and made the groundsman’s life harder, the turf has appreciated the rain, looking healthier and stronger, Keith comments. “We have been able to cut our fertiliser applications on the National Hunt track, and the sward has been less stressed. We try not to irrigate if we can avoid it, although we sometimes need to water for the October jumps meeting.” Irrigation is via a tow line system, using water pumped from calciferous caves below ground, although a boom system would increase accuracy should the budget become available, he notes. By contrast, fertiliser applications have been stepped up on the flat course with Humber Palmers 14:6:8 fertiliser applied every six weeks rather than twice a year, and seaweed-based biostimulants and wetting agents sprayed on in between.
Climbing steeply into the back straight, the course is generally undulating, but suffers less from frost
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