EQUESTRIAN
Continuity backed by new blood
Reg Howe has worked at Chelmsford City Racecourse since the year before its initial opening so, like Andy Waitt, has seen the worst of times as well as the best.
“The all-weather improves year on year, and we get excellent feedback from trainers and jockeys,” he comments.
“I’m looking forward to the development of the turf track and the new infrastructure. We have a large workload, so it’s good to have an extra groundsman. But everyone works as a team and they all know what they are doing - we all muck in together so it’s a nice place to work.”
New groundsman Aaron Hopkins has made a career change to join the Chelmsford team, moving from Abridge Golf Club in Romford. He explains: “I was previously an exercise rider for a trainer near Newmarket, so I’m looking forward to seeing the other side of racing. It gives me the advantage of knowing what horses need from the racing surface - I’ve got the best of both worlds in this new role.” He also has a passion for machinery, declaring himself ‘a John Deere man’, although he has also been impressed with the Claas tractor used to maintain the all-weather.
Preparing the Polytrack surface for racing with a Gallopmaster harrow. The existing grandstand will give a good view of the turf course, but a new, larger facility is planned for the future
always part of the plan, he comments, and was resurrected in 2018. A 21.5m wide, 1 mile long loop inside the all-weather track has been profiled, drainage laid and a 150mm sand layer topped with 300mm of rootzone. Turf specially grown in Thetford, Norfolk is to be laid this autumn - a mixture of perennial ryegrass and fescue initially to encourage establishment. Once the turf has grown out to its racing length of 10cm, the ryegrasses will overtake the fescue. “We would not have wanted to try to establish the turf in this summer’s dry conditions,” reflects Andy, “Plus we have had a busy racing programme with additional fixtures transferred from other racecourses.”
While all the other UK all-weather courses - bar Lingfield, which has turf flat and national hunt courses - only hold flat racing on their all-weather surfaces, Chelmsford City believes that a turf track will add another dimension to the racing. It will also offer extra flexibility, with the option to run
1.5 mile races. “We will be able to offer the only floodlit turf racing in the UK, so we can enhance specific meetings and provide a Breeders Cup-type card,” explains Andy. “Our goal has always been to raise the profile of all- weather racing and, with this in mind, we have significantly increased prize money.” This year, the track hosted a listed race for the first time and offered a £100,000 prize fund for the Class II Chelmsford City Cup, the richest race on the all-weather to date. The programme extended to 64 days racing, with half a dozen fixtures moved from other racecourses due to weather or track issues, plus three Arab horseracing meetings. “Owners and trainers are starting to recognise our efforts and we hope to see the type of runners that are bound for an international campaign, as the turf track will be similar to a lot of the American courses with its one-mile oval layout,” he says. “We get a lot of runners from the Newmarket trainers as we are an easy hour’s journey. We have also put a lot of effort into
Gardener Laura Langelland is kept busy with ensuring that the ornamental areas look good for an increasing programme of non-racing events
116 PC October/November 2018
Aerial view of the track at night - when the turf track is completed, Chelmsford will be only floodlit turf course in the UK
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