Cheltenham Festival
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The weather is often a hot topic around this time of the year, and invariably the course drainage system is rolled out as a way to ease the mind of anyone concerned with water logging or heavy ground. But when was that installed and how effective is it now compared to when it was first brought into service?
I can’t say I’ve ever seen any comments from Simon Claisse as to how the drainage system is maintained and whether it’s still fully effective. Over time, like all drainage systems, they clog up with silt and the like if they’re not adequately maintained.
Has anyone heard any offerings from Claisse or those at the track that the course drains are been maintained to their original standard?
I can’t say I’ve ever seen any comments from Simon Claisse as to how the drainage system is maintained and whether it’s still fully effective. Over time, like all drainage systems, they clog up with silt and the like if they’re not adequately maintained.
Has anyone heard any offerings from Claisse or those at the track that the course drains are been maintained to their original standard?
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It seems to be working as well as ever.
Several years ago the going was Heavy the week before the Festival. Midway through the Festival, Claisse was having to water to maintain Good to Soft in the official going description. Two years ago the Festival started on going officially described as Heavy, Soft in places. It rained heavily in the two weeks beforehand and for good measure,even though the heavy rain was forecast, Claisse had been watering selectively throughout February. Nobody complained about the state of the going. |
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Dont worry about simon
Hes got it all covered public relations is far more relevant to.his post than the going stick If he had his way he would dig the place up and start again The reversed cambers and dips drive him made Absolute gentleman and well ahead of his employers |
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Good observation....it should do its job again then.
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this is what my betting system should be named as it seems to drain my bank :-(
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I have no examples of this, but have had it in my head in the last two or three years that it’s not draining aswell as it used to.
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I think you are in danger of starting the annual debate over the going which invites much conjecture, division and nonsense.
They have drained the area up the run in where mite bite chucked it in. They verti drain the course regularly , personally, i dont think thats a wise move, it creates different surface holding but thats my opinion. The drainage anywhere usually changes according to the climate, as cheltenham is actually a micro climate, due to its bowl location, there is every likelihood the drainage engineering wont be able to keep up with any climate change. I attended a groundsman seminar there with ben the groundsman and simon claisse last year. |
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Irishone, thanks for that. Good to get it pretty much from the horses mouth as to say.
Pleased to hear the team at Cheltenham put the effort in to keep the workings below in order. You seem to have a bit of knowledge on the subject of ground conditions. What's your take of dead ground as opposed to soft? Seems to make a hell of a difference to horses performance yet going descriptions dont account for it. I've always viewed dead as the intermediate condition hard ground goes on top before the moisture fully saturates the soil? Your thoughts on this would be welcomed. |
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Just my opinion because there is no official rating for dead ground, but the general impression i have is that there is no bounce out of dead ground. Many trainers say they have had dead ground all winter, which is usually anything from soft to heavy. Groundsman have often described strange smelling clay as dead ground. Gardeners would call ground where they cant get anything to grow dead ground. Jockeys call dead ground something between yielding and soft. As you have alluded to its a point of discussion, unaccounted for within going descriptions.
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Seems there's no fixed quality to it. Guess you have to wait for the first race of a day to hear what the jockeys have to say. It's that lack of bounce.
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Bottomless, sticky, gluepot all rank alongside !
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