Equestrian
Backfilling with Mansfield sand and soil mix
Gardener Sam Glover tackles moss in the parade ring Staying independent
Wetherby is one of twenty- three independent racecourses in Britain, owned and run by individual companies rather than large groups such as Jockey Club Racecourses or ARC.
Jonjo Sanderson’s family business, International Racecourse Management, is contracted by the Wetherby Steeplechase Company to provide all racecourse management functions.
“This includes financial management, the role of clerk of the course and grounds management, health and safety management, marketing and a General Manager or Chief Executive. We provide a similar service at Thirsk, Catterick and Redcar, although each is run independently of the others.”
Jonjo comments that the benefits of independent ownership include being able
to maintain the course’s own identity and meet its individual needs.
Downsides can be seen when a major meeting is lost, and the racecourse can take a blow financially, without the opportunity to spread overheads throughout a group.
“The groups can also work to develop the fixture list to suit their individual racecourses, such as taking a number of Sunday fixtures, for example.”
But he maintains that an independent approach works extremely well for the all the racecourses that all the team at International Racecourse Management look after each day.
“They are four individual racecourses, with their own characteristics and approaches, and they offer a welcome degree of variation for all our customer groups” he says.
fertiliser keeps the turf ticking over until late summer, and Jonjo says; “we hope for a dry summer so that the roots go deep looking for moisture.” But dry conditions as the first
meetings approach mean bringing out the irrigators, a pair of Briggs booms which replaced a pop-up system when the track was realigned. “We’ve used wetting agents in
the past to try and keep moisture in the soil and, in September, a 4:12:12 fertiliser will go on - we use STRI to make recommendations. We’ll also spray for broadleaves and, if necessary, chafer grub in the spring.”
With the prestigious Charlie Hall Chase coming so early in the season, the pressure is on to get the course looking good from the outset. Mowing plays a key role in this and a new Votex front mount rotary mower gives the quality of finish and the output needed, having been paired with a new John Deere 5 series tractor. “Whilst we were waiting for
the tractor to be delivered, we took the opportunity to trial a John Deere wide area ride-on mower,” comments Jonjo. “We felt that it didn’t offer sufficient output and prefer the versatility of a tractor that can be paired with a number of implements.” A large building previously
used for saddling up now does duty as the machinery shed, keeping all the equipment under cover and in one place. Moving rail is a constant task, with the A1 bend moved out three yards after every meeting and the hurdles shifted regularly to present fresh ground. Racing takes place every ten
days from October to December, with slightly longer gaps in the spring. By March, Jonjo and his team have earned their breather, but there is still much to look forward to. It’s a good life if you can live it in the fast lane.
A pair of Briggs irrigators help to prepare optimum going for the Charles Hall Chase meeting which comes early in the jumps season
94 I PC APRIL/MAY 2015
Machinery can be kept together and undercover in a building once used for saddling up
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