EQUESTRIAN


Chelmsford City Racecourse


A turf track’s continued revival


Chelmsford City Racecourse was the first entirely new racecourse in the UK since Taunton opened in 1927. It went into administration in January 2009 and racing did not resume until January 2015. After six years’ closure, the course is moving on with plans for a new turf track. Jane Carley discusses progress with Clerk of the Course Andy Waitt and Head Groundsman Reg Howe


the development of a turf track to operate alongside the all-weather course originally opened in 2008. The former Essex County Showground was purchased by businessman John Holmes and launched as the first new racecourse in Britain since Taunton opened in 1927. The financial crash saw Great Leighs, as it was then known, go into administration and close in 2009. After interest from a number of parties, it was purchased by Betfred proprietor Fred Done and reopened on 11th January 2015 as Chelmsford City Racecourse. A mountain of work faced Clerk of the Course Andy Waitt and Head Groundsman Reg Howe, who had been involved with the site since the Great Leighs days. “It had remained untouched for five years, so the grass in the parade ring had grown tall and flattened and we had to clear weeds from between every single rubber block on the walkways,” Andy recalls. Public buildings, including the small grandstand, had to be restored to their former glory, and the large infield area, which hosts post-race concerts and functions, renovated. And marketing, commercial, finance and catering teams were all re-established.


C 114 PC October/November 2018


helmsford City racecourse has risen from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix and racegoers can now look forward to a new chapter with


On the plus side, the Polytrack racing surface was effectively new having had minimal use, and passed suitability tests including assessment by local trainers. More fibre was added in the summer of 2015, and again this year, to reduce ‘kickback’ - loose sand flying in the face of following horses, which can affect their performance.


“The machinery that we use to maintain the track has remained largely the same,” comments Reg. “Techniques move on however, and we aim to do the minimum required to prepare the racing surface as the more you do, the quicker it degrades.” Routine procedures include


decompacting the surface with a power harrow and rotavator the day before racing, followed by final preparations with a Gallopmaster harrow. “In winter, we prepare the surface for a frost and then don’t touch it until the frost has started to come out, as the frozen material just sticks to the machinery,” explains Andy. “The extreme heat this summer had little effect, but the surface became looser and there was a greater risk of kickback, so we reduced the amount of decompaction.” “We’re fortunate that the surface doesn’t migrate too much, and we’ve always got Martin Collins, who supply the surface and do the major renovations, to call on for any issues.”


The development of a turf track was


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