EQUESTRIAN


Post-race repair used to mean wielding a beater, a heavy-handed way of trying to level the


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In the old days the beater was the way to flatten the course after a meeting. Mark has kept one in the weighing room and shows how it was done


constant Internet viewing and everyone these days has a smart phone camera. Nothing escapes attention. We’re in the public domain. Everyone’s watching you. Racing - especially National Hunt - has its dangers. These have always been accepted, but the industry, and we who look after the courses, are doing so much more to keep it as safe as it can be.


When I first came into racing there were concrete posts and aluminium rails. Plastic rails were around, but they shattered on


impact and could still present menace to horse and jockey. Nowadays, non-shatter, foldable plastic rails and wings are the order of the day and, with the addition of padded fence guardrails and extra padding added to hurdles, great strides have been made with equine welfare. Turfcare has moved on tremendously, too.


Post-race repair used to mean wielding a beater, a heavy-handed way of trying to level the surface after a racing. Certainly it was when I started here. It was hard work


surface after a racing. It was hard work just thumping the ground level and it was by no means totally successful


just thumping the ground level and it was by no means totally successful. You might also do a bit of filling, broadcasting sand by shovel - very crude. Not like the more precise methods today using a bucket and trowel to deliver a balanced mix of rootzone and grass seed to repair divots.


In the old days here at Plumpton, we relied on a team of locals to help with repair work and the like. They enjoyed race days and got real pleasure from a couple of days


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