Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)
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Record temperatures and prolonged periods of dryness and unsettled weather have made it a difficult year for many course directors, according to Sandown and Epsom official Andrew Cooper.
Cooper described July and August as “grueling” months at tracks owned by Jockey Club Racecourse and more, with UK ground staff watering daily to maintain safe conditions.
Those hot summer spells, with temperatures topping 40C for the first time in Britain on a single day since mid-July, have affected preparations for the showjumping courses, dual-purpose Sandown is not alone in experiencing a ” provocative autumn”.
Cooper, who has kept rainfall and temperature records for 25 years, said: “It was a real challenge to keep the courses Flat and irrigate any racecourse team, certainly for anywhere south of Birmingham. In July and August, you really watered down – those were very hard months, it was exhausting and a seven-day-a-week operation.
“You wouldn’t want to see too many summers like this in the future, but the summer before was actually very wet and you barely needed to irrigate. There seems to be more of a tendency to have extended and longer dry spells and a prolonged unsettled spell rather than spread over a more even time frame.
“This summer has obviously had an impact on certain jump tracks and the walk and Sandown would not be alone in that. It’s been a challenging autumn to get the show jumping where you want it to be.”
Two Tingle Creek Chases have been run on good ground since 2000, including Moscow Flyer’s win over Azertyuiop in 2003, and Cooper remembers a particularly fast surface for Viking Flagship’s 1994 win.
Cooper said: “In the early days here, Viking Flagship won Tingle Creek on very fast ground – there was a less positive attitude to watering in those days. I did Tingle Creeks on the hard side to the fastest side of good and had it considerably faster than now.”
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PUBLISHED FOR FIRST TIME 18:30, NOVEMBER 28, 2022