Equestrian
Eight inches of snow fell at Wolverhampton on Monday 11th December: By lunchtime, snow was being bladed off the track.
tight bends of the mile round circuit best. “We were concerned that there might be some overlap with Newcastle when all‐ weather racing began there, but have not noticed any difference in entries.” Horses aiming at a turf campaign may also run at Wolverhampton, especially for races such as mid‐March’s Lincoln Handicap Trial. Fergus suggests that a perception that all‐ weather racing is for lower class horses is being overcome with the introduction of the All‐Weather Championships finals at Lingfield on Good Friday with qualifiers across the tracks through the winter, plus increased prize funds.
“We have a £100,000 prize money day, plus a couple of other £45,000 races, and have seen the quality of horses improve, whilst the top trainers are increasingly looking at the all‐weather.”
Whilst much of the betting action takes place off course, Saturday night racing is popular with spectators, and an initiative to
Accidents and the all-weather
‘Pile‐ups’ and horse falls always make for dramatic headlines in the racing press and can lead to criticism of all‐weather racing, and Wolverhampton has faced this a number of times over the years.
Fergus comments: “We race more frequently than most tracks, so there are more incidents. Trainers and jockeys know that it is not without its risks and, after any incident, the stewards hold an inquiry to investigate the causes, whether it be an error in riding, an issue with the horse or something to do with the track. They do the same if a horse pulls up lame.”
A handover between stewards and racecourse staff then looks to see what can be learned from the incident and Fergus adds:
“We need to be confident that we have done everything possible to meet the requirements of the racing authorities, including how we have prepared the racing surface.”
100 I PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
Wolverhampton’s mile round, tight track suits some horses better than others, and trainers choose their all‐weather racecourses accordingly
offer free admission in January has also been well received.
“One other advantage for punters is that the consistency of the surface means that form guides are more accurate, so picking a winner should be easier!”
The Holiday Inn dominates the public entrance to the course, providing hospitality facilities as well as accommodation, and was refurbished in 2016.
“We continue to review the public facilities which are very much part of the raceday experience,” comments Fergus. “Wolverhampton was the first UK racecourse to have a panoramic restaurant, and it remains highly popular.”
There is plenty for the grounds team to do away from the racing surface, such as weed control along the running rail and numerous grassed areas to maintain, so ride‐on mowers a rough cut mower and flail are part of the armoury.
“We play host to a number of non‐BHA
events, including pony racing, Arab racing and harness racing,” explains Fergus, “The grassed centre course area is also popular for equestrian events from dressage to mounted games and we are also looking at a cross country event this year.” The team of seven ground staff are also responsible for the stables, which have to be cleaned out after each meeting, even when racing three times a week.
“The weather is certainly our biggest challenge,” agrees Paul Gosling, “But I believe that we are working with the leading all‐weather surface in the industry, and the best thing about my job is the great team that we have.”
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