Equestrian
The new winners’ circle adds to the sense of occasion and offers opportunities for sponsors’ branding and decoration
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Being situated in the centre of town has its downside in the form of vandalism ... a number of chase fences have been burnt in recent years
Listed 3 mile steeplechase highlight at the end of January, and Doncaster is a course earmarked by leading trainers to prepare their rising stars for the Cheltenham Festival. “We can generally produce decent ground, and it is a flat level track, which suits the more galloping type of horse,” comments Roderick. “However, all the northern tracks find it is hard to compete with courses such as Cheltenham. It is a matter of geography - most of the leading trainers are based in the south west. Also, we don’t have the facility to cover all of the track if the weather is frosty.” As well as offering the optimum footing,
making the fixture list as attractive as possible lures entries from further afield, including a new Mares’ Listed Race this season, for which a 2 mile 4 furlong start has been built on course. In 2006, Doncaster underwent a £34
million redevelopment, including the new Lazarus stand, weighing room, stable complex and lads’ hostel, plus some track work, and Roderick comments that he and his team have benefitted from that. However, recent improvements to the
surface over the irrigation ring main mean that the full width of the national hunt track in the home straight can now be used. Hurdles can also be repositioned across the track to take advantage of the best ground, rather than just moved forward or back. The racecourse is situated in the centre of
Doncaster, and within a stone’s throw of Sheffield, which brings a captive audience to feature meetings and to events such as post- racing concerts, but also has its downside in the form of vandalism, especially as the centre course is common land with open access. A number of chase fences have been burnt in recent years. Other similarly afflicted courses remove their fences in the closed season or use portables, but Tim Radford is a devotee of permanent steeplechase obstacles. “We have eleven fences and we get very
positive feedback about them from the jockeys,” he comments. “I feel that the quality of portables can be questionable and that traditional fences are better for the sport.”
Teamwork makes light work of jobs like laying covers 92 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 With little opportunity for a dedicated renovation period, overseeding is an ongoing
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