SHOWERS hit Ascot on Friday night and Saturday morning to complement their watering programme with the ground described as good, good to firm in places.
3mm on top of 6mm - great work, Mr Stickels. So that's 9mm & no doubt a massive under-statement regarding how much rain has already hit the track today, with more to come.


There could be further showers around before the royal meeting gets underway on Tuesday which will ensure there is no jar in the surface.

Chris Stickels, clerk of the course at  Ascot, said on Saturday: "Including the showers we had last night and this morning equates to around 3mm on top of the 6mm we have put on. It's now good, good to firm in places from good to firm earlier in the week."

On the weather front he added: "It's largely dry on Sunday but there could be showers on Monday night. After that Wednesday looks to be dry but it won't be baking hot with temperatures in the high teens."

There has effectively been zero progress in this department for the last few years. Newbury the other day was having times 7-8 seconds slower than it should have been if the declared ground and readings were accurate. Courses changing the going after a couple of races whilst having no rain to affect the said going tells it all.

Basically what we have are a set of furry recommendations from the BHA and a set of COCs who are effectively left to both interpret and action on the basis of these directives. What disappoints and surprises me more than anything is the lack of direction and cohesion from the training community on this issue. I recall Hughie Morrison having a pop at Kirkland a few years ago when he had the fav for the Haydock sprint and wanted firm ground, but Kirkie ensured via overzealous watering allied to nature, that the bold Hughie's horse not only lost, but almost drowned. The tartan waistcoat has the odd grump, but that seems about it. Why isn't the training community more vocal?

At a preview evening a few years ago I discussed this issue with both Noel Wilson and Jim Goldie. Noel was getting increasingly disillusioned with the game at that time, and said he had recently taken a horse all the way from Scotland to Newmarket for a Friday night handicap and had to withdraw due to unsuitable ground, caused by one single shower on top of overwatering. He was of the opinion that the going reports and forecast ground was much more accurate in Ireland. Both countries have the same climate.....

Jim Goldie trotted out the BHA line about "producing safe ground" twice to me, and I had to remind him I was asking his opinion, not asking for the directive from the BHA to be quoted verbatim. He seemed to have difficulty with this concept, so I gave up.

With Royal Ascot just round the corner, I'm not sure what it will take for this issue to come up for the correct sort of debate. I have emailed all associated parties in this sport several times, and any replies suggest that this is seen as a "non issue", obviously because the major stakeholders (bookmakers) would want to encourage these inconsistencies. That's common sense, not a conspiracy theory. When senior figures in the BHA describe a 100/1 Grand National winner as "a dream result for the industry", its not difficult to assess who he perceives as his main responsibility - and its not the punter.

The problem with this whole issue is that racing is commercialised like never before in 2013, and marketed in a way we never thought possible in 1985. Bands after racing, conferences at racecourses, weddings, car boot sales - the racing is almost a sideshow at times. Then when you strip that back, the serious core of punters in this country who will have a serious punt instead of a recreational flutter must be the biggest danger to the bookmakers bottom line, and if there is one singlemost aspect which is more important to form study than accurate going - then I don't know what it is (though sectionals, horse weights and the like would help too). Therefore it seems reasonable enough to assume that the authorities who are beholden to the bookies have it in their best interests to see the current situation continue.

It's beyond imagination to expect anyone like Clare Balding to ask questions about this issue, God forbid they might take her gong back and cut her weekly broadcasting hours down to 200, but we have respected (no snidey comments please) broadcasters like Cunningham and McGrath currently on our primetime Racing programme, is it expecting to much of them to be able to put this question where it deserves to be - firmly in the public domain?

agree

the slow times at newbury were mainly due to the strong headwind. you can see that with the difference per furlong in times between the races on the straight track and round course and this despite the rails being out and adding 0.75s on times on that course. Without the headwind it would have been good ground on times. Though not good to firm, good in places as given.

I had it written down as 12 metres brigust but I may be wrong

they do sometimes brig mention in it in the analysis in the first race of the results in the racing post but not always. I always write them down from the bha going website.

yes rails moved quite often brig. Sandown races yesterday had 5 yards added on to the round course and York 7 yards to 1m+ races. But easy enough to factor into the times.

Strange how he claimed it was 'good, good to firm in places' after the rain hit yesterday on top of watered ground.

And today it is described as 'good' despite no mention of further rain. In other words, it's actually on the slow side of good due to more than 3mm of rain hitting the course yesterday on top of already watered ground, & Stickels didn't want to make himself look more of an eejit by telling the truth.

And more rain shortly to hit the track, according to this radar:

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Nice work Mr Stickels!

GOING: GOODSTRAIGHT COURSE: STANDS'SIDE:8.9 CENTRE: 9.0 FAR SIDE: 9.1ROUND COURSE: 8.3.



Straight course a solid Good To Firm.
Round course the high side of Good.

Not sure what issues some people on here have really... 

Making bullsiht assumptions as per usual.

Ascot Racecourse ‏@AscotInsider 49s
#RoyalAscot Goingstick readings as at 8.30am: Standside 9.8, Centre 10.1, Farside 10.1, Round 9.3

we have proper fast ground,lets hope it stays that way

thanks for the info TheAnorak i have no problem with the weather intervening ,my problem is the people that use the hosepipe

You want to have a 50 metre wide, mile long bit of grass, you have to expect that some parts aren't holding up the same as others.

Going stick shows the readings have gone up 1 full point in 2 days.  Now if they didn't water at all, there would be horses pulling out due to hard ground.  Not to mention it has gone up equally across all points of the track.

Rain area arrived in Kent, but looking now as if it will pass to the east of Ascot.

he shouldn't even be considering watering given the unsettled weather forecast.

why does he feel the need to water between showers, and why would anybody sensible (apart from bookies) condone it?

Flat racing as it should be,run on FAST ground #trackrecords #speed

hopefully when he's out this evening changing the track bias again, he will step in a "squelchy" bit of ground and disappear for ever.

it's not exactly astounding that heavy ground horses are being taken out of a mid summer meeting.
they get entered because they know that overwatering on top of natural rainfall usually gives them a chance to compete.

heavy-ground horses? sad you're reduced to manipulating the truth now...Rite of Passage won Gold Cup on good to firm...High Jinx 2nd in Doncaster Cup on Good

yeah, i'm done here, loper...wouldnt have mattered what he'd done for some people, they'd have sl@gged him off either way

Good fast ground today , its been a fair bit faster on the stick before, only last year we hit the mid 11s, yes not all will act or run on it, but neither will all horses who like to point their toe act on slop and lets face it, fast ground on the flat isnt that common.

A lot of meeting have been softer than the Cheltenham Festival has in previous years