Hereford Racecourse Equestrian


Back on track!


It’s rare for a sports facility to re-open after a closure, but Hereford Racecourse is now firmly part of the jumps racing circuit again, thanks to a team effort by racecourse groundsmen. Jane Carley reports


H


ereford Racecourse came back to life on 6th October after a four- year closure. It is down to a remarkable team effort, including groundstaff from


neighbouring courses in the Arena Racing Company (ARC) group helping to prepare the track, to ensure that runners at the first meeting were greeted by pristine turf and fences. It was as if they had never been away!


When ARC took the decision to close


Hereford in 2012, it was met with much sadness, not just by a large pool of local trainers and owners but also by the wider racing industry.


82 I PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015


This quirky square track, now surrounded


by the urban sprawl of a formerly rural Midlands town, had offered great sport to racing fans from far and wide, as well as giving a start to the careers of many of jump racing’s stars, both human and equine. “It has a reputation for being a fair, galloping track, which was always popular with trainers and jockeys,” says Rebecca Davies, drafted in as Executive Director and Clerk of the Course from her previous role as Racing Operations Manager at Cheltenham. “Champion jockey Richard Johnson rode his first winner here, and we have renamed our restaurant in honour of


that horse, Rusty Bridge. As well as a strong racing community locally, we are also within a couple of hours of many of the leading trainers, so there was always support for a re-opening.” During the four years that Hereford was


closed, Head Groundsman John Glover was retained to keep the site ticking over, and it hosted two point-to-point and four Arab racing meetings a year. However, a significant amount of work


was needed to bring the track back up to the British Horseracing Authority’s standards, including installing nine new fences, representing a considerable investment in itself.


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