EQUESTRIAN
Royal Windsor Racecourse
Young guns go for it
Overcoming adversity can make or break a new team. When Royal Windsor Racecourse had to abandon a meeting in May 2017 after horses slipped on the far bend, a repeat of an incident the previous year, it was clear that change was needed. Jane Carley meets the young team who are putting things right
E d Arkell, now Clerk at
Goodwood, initially stepped in, before ARC Regional Clerk Charlie Moore oversaw the first phase of renovation. Eloise Quayle was appointed in October as Trainee Clerk of the Course, with former assistant head groundsman Dan Halffman as head groundsman, and their fresh approach has transformed the Berkshire course. Built on what is effectively an island in the Thames 153 years ago, Windsor has raced under both codes in the past, but now holds twenty-seven turf flat meetings from mid- April to October on its unique figure of eight track, including a fixture every Monday from April to September.
The highlight of the season is a three-day festival in July, but the grounds team are kept busy year-round, with conference and events bookings using the public areas in and out of season. Race nights are often accompanied by concerts or themed activities and this provides an additional bonus even for the equine participants. “Trainers like to bring young horses here to get them used to a buzzy atmosphere. But equally, it’s a fair, flat track with good going, so an ideal preparation for horses that are going on to the big meetings such as Royal Ascot,” explains Eloise. The silty clay soil is variable, with some areas drying quicker than others, and soil analysis has revealed cation exchange indicating how well it holds nutrients. So what went wrong? “The previous
102 PC August/September 2018
regime was very traditional,” explains Dan. “After racing, the surface would be mowed, rolled and then watered, but the water could not penetrate the surface and sat on top. It was rarely harrowed or slit. There was a lot of lateral growth and insufficient rooting, and even Verti-Draining didn’t help as it simply pulled the turf up.”
An early task was to address the running lines to help ensure that horses ran straight and didn’t become unbalanced. Charlie Moore worked with Eloise and Dan to realign the rail on the bend and on the pull- up area after the finish, another cause for concern. These running lines were mapped with GPS and rails realigned accordingly. “Because of the way that horses see, unless you guide them around a bend with the rail they will tend to run straight and drift outwards, making a turn at the last minute or losing their action,” explains Eloise.” “As the course is a figure of eight, rail movements on the straight also affect the bends, so we have to think of the course as a whole. I’ve also narrowed the straight as the season has progressed to take the horses away from the dryer ground next to the tarmac enclosure, and it’s interesting how the runners are now using the whole width rather than hugging the inside rail.” Turf on the bend was cut right back, and a programme of aeration and topdressing put in place. “We mowed it with a ride-on as the grass re-established, and used a drum corer to aerate, a machine we have continued to use after every meeting. We have seen
Royal Windsor Racecourse is effectively an island, surrounded by the Thames and its branches
Dan Halffman and Eloise Quayle, Head Groundsman and Clerk of the Course
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