Maintaining The Racing Line

With several new point-to-point courses appearing in the calendar, Stephanie Bateman finds out how are these raw sites are prepared and what the keys are to managing multiple meetings in unpredictable British weather

- Stephanie Bateman

IT’S a fascinating feat being able to turn an overgrown meadow full of cattle into a perfectly manicured point-to-point track fit for a racehorse. And even more so to bring a course back to fruition after a day’s racing, ready for the next meeting.

So what’s involved in managing a point-to point course?

“It’s a 12-months-of-the-year job looking after the racing line,” says Alan Hill, point to-point trainer and clerk of the course at Kingston Blount. “Kingston Blount held five meetings last year and is scheduled to hold four this season, meaning I’m kept busy most of the year.”

Alan’s job begins in September, when he applies fertiliser to the racing line.

“We use a product called Fibrophos, which is full of nutrients and gives the grass its stamina, aids its recovery and makes it strong,” says Alan, who has been involved in the course’s maintenance for more than 20 years.

“Throughout the summer and autumn, we top the grass to keep it between four and six inches long as we want it to thicken. We don’t make hay, so it’s topped up to 15 times from one season to the next.”

In early February, Alan applies nitrogen.

“We have an early March meeting at Kingston Blount and I find that nitrogen makes the grass-growth that little bit further forward and stronger, so helping it recover.”

Alan adds that the grass is left slightly longer for the first meeting.

“You then have a bigger duvet of grass, which doesn’t get as chopped up and it holds it together better,” he explains.

“We like an inch of rain after the meeting to wash it all clean. If we don’t get that, we leave it for three days to recover and then we’ll fork and roll the take-off and landings.”