Equestrian
“
A course with going on the easier side helps replicate what horses are used to, so that’s what we try and do here at Goodwood
Seamus with Goodwood’s head groundsman Sean Martin checking a section of rail
accurate and I swear by it.” “Readings of around 7.5 with the Going
Stick are the ideal and mean good ground. Anything above 8.0 and you’re moving into firm territory. Anything below 7.0 and it’s on the soft side. We always aim for good ground 7.5.” “Owners and trainers are asking more and
more for an easier surface, rather than a firm one. Twenty to thirty years ago, you could get away with firmish going, but not now. Horses these days do a lot of training on non-turf artificial surfaces like sand or polytrack gallops. A course with going on the easier side helps replicate what horses are used to, so that’s what we try and do here at Goodwood.” Seamus reckons the annual April
A tale of two sticks: the TurfTrax and the Clerk’s
Whatever you do, get it right. There are no action replays, no dress rehearsals, but the day I stop liking the job and its pressures is the day I stop
”
Seamus has to attract top bloodstock to Goodwood by ensuring owners and trainers get what their horses are used to year after year
120 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
application of granular spring fertiliser lasts about ten weeks and he gives the course a summer follow-up in early July. This was clearly beginning to kick-in and the grass looked really verdant and flourishing, but
because there was no sign of meaningful rain in the forecasts, watering was going to have to be non-stop and the key task above all others. Seamus admits he likes the motivating
pressure of approaching meetings, the new Qatar Festival especially. He knows having it right in his own mind is the key to doing the perfect job. “Whatever you do, get it right. There are no action replays, no dress rehearsals, but the day I stop liking the job and its pressures is the day I stop.” He reckoned, confidently, that Goodwood
was heading for perfection in a matter of days. Attracting the best racehorses there is essential for the business - and, of course, its backers, notably now Qatar. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’,
Seamus emphasises over and over again. It’s a very good one at Goodwood, and the horses and punters keep on coming.
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