Equestrian Dedication to the job pays dividends
Head groundsman Brian Meikle has been at Kelso for eighteen years, and he and his wife, Gillian, who is also the course’s caretaker, have dedicated their lives to their work at the racecourse, says Hazel.
“They always ensure a warm welcome to horsemen, going about their work with enthusiasm and dedication. They fully understand how important the detail is in the presentation of both the track and site on a raceday. Brian can see the track from a horseman’s perspective, which is a rare and invaluable quality.”
Hazel also comments on the extreme loyalty of the entire team, including raceday casuals.
The Kelso groundstaff l-r: Logan Knox, Brian Meikle (Head Groundsman), Alastair Neil, David Greer and Connor Armstrong in front of the historic pavilion
conditions are right, rather than waiting for the contractor to be available,” explains Brian. “We target specific areas of the course for treatment, and we vertidrained the take-offs and landings in the summer, which has made a big improvement. Due to all the sand and soil mix that has to be used, they had become very gritty, but are much better now.” Another invaluable addition is a six- wheel drive Polaris Ranger UTV, offering more capacity and a watertight toolbox to tackle a multitude of jobs on the course. A new Toro Groundsmaster 4000D has also joined the fleet this year, Kelso’s second ride-on mower. “We moved to ride-ons seven years ago,” says Brian. “They are lighter on the
“They are so dedicated, there is never an issue of someone not turning up.”
course and the Groundsmaster’s three decks give a better finish on the undulations than a tractor mower, whilst the blades lift the sward for a clean cut. A ride-on is also much more manoeuvrable around the fences. Our last cut was in November, as it was such a good autumn for growth, and it has left the turf in a really healthy condition.” The existing Cambridge roller has also
been replaced with a new unit from DW Tomlin, and is used sparingly and in the right conditions to level the track. “The course is improving all the time,” comments Brian. “I’ve been at Kelso eighteen years and it has never been so good - in fact, our former chairman, who was very particular about the condition of
the turf, has commented on it.” Hazel continues: “The 2012-13 season
was a real test of the developments. We had one abandonment due to the extreme weather but, without the work that we did, it would have been a lot more than that. Fresh ground recovers much more quickly from waterlogging.” Brian concludes: “Winning the RCA Racecourse Groundstaff of the Year award has meant a lot to our grounds team. The developments at Kelso have made a big difference to the course, but there are tough, cold and wet days ahead through the National Hunt season, so it is good that they can see that all the effort has been worth it.”
MAJOR SYNERGY
Standard features
• Compatible with Kubota F Series, John Deere 1400/1500 Series II and Shibaura power units
• Adjustable castor wheels follow the contours of the terrain
• Adjustable rear-roller for matching desired cutting height
• Gear driven driveline • Constructed from Optim™ high-strength steel
Major Equipment Ltd MajjorMa or Equiipm ajo uip pment Ltd Tel: 01524 850501 WW Tel:l 0152 524 85050 24 850501
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JOR-EQUIPMENT.COM DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014 PC 101
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