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For Worcester.
They have today announced they are transferring their remaining 2008 fixtures to Southwell because the course still has not recovered from recent flooding.
It may or may not be down to global warming but Worcester seem to be suffering more and more from flooding.
I can’t see Arena having much more patience if the course is going to lose the majoity of their meetings each year. I’m sure any insurance premiums against such losses are going to be so astronomical they will soon no longer be financially viable – assuming they can still get insurance.
Of course the question would be, what would they do with the land – I can’t see it being sold for housing – a water pak maybe?
A deeply worrying turn of events, Paul, for all the reasons you have outlined.
Worcester’s conversion to a summer jumping racecourse in 1995 was predicated largely on the grounds of avoiding loss of meetings to flooding more than it was of any overt commercial considerations. If summer fixtures are now being flooded off at a rate at the very least comparable to back in the pre-1995 days, where on earth does that leave Arena Leisure in terms of confidently coordinating a fixtures programme for future years?
That the source of the problem continues to be those parts of Pitchcroft that run alongside the Severn is obvious enough. What I’d like to know, though, is whether any pressure can be brought to bear on the local council, planners, environmental agency, etc to fortify / heighten the banks of the Severn at these points (all within accepted planning and landscaping edicts, of course)?
It seems to me that Arena footing one solitary six-figure bill for this sort of work would rate a better solution than them having to fork out another seven-figure one every year the course and facilities are weather-ravaged again hereafter.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
That the source of the problem continues to be those parts of Pitchcroft that run alongside the Severn is obvious enough. What I’d like to know, though, is whether any pressure can be brought to bear on the local council, planners, environmental agency, etc to fortify / heighten the banks of the Severn at these points (all within accepted planning and landscaping edicts, of course)?
Jeremy
Theproblem is that even if the banks of the Severn were fortified the water would have to go somewhere. This would presumably mean even more of the city would be flooded. Which is more likely to be allowed to be flooded, built up parts of city or the racecourse? Don’t think there’s much of an argument on that one.
The main problem is that there’s been too much building on the floodplain of the Severn, but the chances of that suddenly being put right are zilch!
Rob
Ach yes, you’re quite right, Rob – the flooding would simply be displaced elsewhere. I should have remembered that from my years in Yorkshire, witnessing areas further down the River Ouse getting more flooded the more the flood plains just outside of York were built upon.
I’m guessing dredging the Severn around its racecourse stretch to make it a metre or two deeper would probably be a non-starter for a number of reasons, too, not least cost.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Dont forget that York have suffered aswell although drainage on the racing surface has been a major pain for the past few seasons and dont forget Stratford aswell.
It never seems to be getting easier now for Worcester but on a nice afternoon with decent weather and horses it is a lovely place to go racing on the banks with the occasional rower staying on the correct side of the racecourse.
Strange how so many of these Roman places are flood-prone nowadays. I was taught that the Romans favoured high land.
I see no solution for Worcester racecourse.
Sorry. An over-reaction.
It’s only 2 fixtures FFS. Two midweek fixtures at that. Seems like the management have taken the view that they may as well have from now until April to sort it, rather than 4 weeks hence.
I agree that Worcester’s decision to relocate as a bouncy-castle course was ill-advised, and I much miss that big novice chase in November, but no way will this be the end of the line for a decent jumps course (well maybe not in terms of facilities, but as regards the turf and the obstacles, yes).
Unprecedented flooding in 2007 led inevitably to problems in 2008. Give them time and they’ll be back as normal in 09.
Did people start sounding the death-knell for Wetherby because of the problems with the chase course last Spring? No. Nor should they at Worcs.
BTW, on the subject of unfit courses, I am informed that Weston Park will not be hosting any PTPs or decent three day events for some time. Due to the compaction of the turf caused by the V Festival.
Sauron,
It’s not so much that only two outstanding meetings are being lost at Pitchcroft this autumn, but that any at all are being lost with what has appeared to be an increasing regularity this year and last.
…And this set against a worsening economic backdrop which could yet stretch Arena’s readiness to keep on making do and mending to breaking point (I’ve not heard about its figures for 2008, but Arena was certainly issuing profit warnings last year even before the full extent of the cost of repairs to Worcester and Southwell became apparent).
I don’t think I was suggesting that Worcester’s shift to a summer programme was ill-advised, much less that that shift rendered it a "bouncy castle" course. Disregard a couple of class 2 handicaps and there are fewer decent contests at the course now than in its winter incarnation previously, I wouldn’t disagree; but I’m sure that would have had more to do with Arena lacking the required enterprise and will to frame enough big-money races, rather than the simple actuality of putting on jumps races throughout the summer months.
Wetherby indeed did not wither and die on account of its chase course problems, but it did lose a hell of a lot of goodwill, and the inference of Howard Johnson’s interview on ATR on Wednesday was that there is only so much more pratting about at the A1 venue that he’ll put up with before running more of his horses (even some of the more workaday ones) further down south instead.
Weston Park’s PTP meetings are confirmed as transferred to Bangor-on-Dee PTP on Sunday, January 25th (Albrighton) and to Garthorpe on Sunday, May 24th (Meynell & South Staffordshire).
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Some very fair points there Grayson.
Give the current climate (economic as well as meteorological) what other use would there be for the course. I could never see housing or shopping being sanctioned there, in an area of obvious flooding. Car park possibly, but Worcester City Council would be loath to allow anything which detracted from the City’s sporting facilities, given the problems at New Road as well.
My brother lives fairly close to the racecourse, on the opposite side to the river. He told me their are plans to build some sort of flood defence on their side of the river to protect a main road which goes to the city centre and houses close to that road. To me this will make any flooding problems at the racecourse a lot worse as where previously water has run off on both sides, it will have no where else to go but racecourse.
He said walking past the course when it flooded 3 weeks ago it still stinks of sewarage etc …nicceeeee
Hello,
There does not appear to be any "joined up thinking" in respect of all racecourses.
Haydock has suffered dreadfully over the last few years due to, primarily, water and drainage. I believe the error made at Haydock was that they simply did not plant enough trees to soak up excess water, but I digress.Whilst Haydock lose huge meetings due to water, only 15 miles down the road in Salford (Worsley), there is a £100 million plan to build another racecourse!!
Surely, improving the stock we have at Wetherby, Worcester, Stratford and only down the road, at Haydock maybe a better use of whatever resources the Racing industry will contribute to the private initiative at Worsley.Why isn’t there, say, a 5 year plan by a combination of Horse Racing Bodies and the Betting Industry to improve Racetracks gradually. Starting with Worcester for instance. The assistance could be provided in the form of interest free loans, long term loans to be repaid by a small levy made on each raceday (racedays’ that wouldn’t happen if the improvements were not made). There are varied initiatives that Racing could use to help exisiting courses.
If a racecourse is a no-hoper, then it may have to closed, but it should be looked into prior to the hand wringing acceptance of a new course in Manchester!!
regards,
doyley
doyley
The problem with Worcester is that it’s next to the river, and if money were spent building flood defences for the course then other areas, including business and housing would be flooded. That’s not going to happen. I would imagine the situation would be similar, if not so severe, at Stratford with the Avon in close proximity.
Rob
Please please please not another all weather track.
Racing as we know it will never be the same again.
I cannot see this so called new racecourse being built especially in Worsley which is a dump of a place anyway.
Their will probably be an AW racecourse in the North West, i imagine it will be when the new jumps course at Haydock gets slated so Berkland Tellwrong will decide to axe the jumps alltogether and move the meetings to Aintree and Bangor so the inner turf track can be converted.
You might think im insane but you would not rule it out in the slightest.
Per Haydock, Neil – does anyone regard it as a bit of an indictment of the current standards of course husbandry at Haydock, that even with two distinct Flat courses in operation now to spread the burden, the ground there last weekend was choppy, rough and met with vocal disapproval (and a slew of defections) by many trainers?
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Please please please not another all weather track.
Racing as we know it will never be the same again.
The horse population for the North and Scotland does need one, though, and it’s just a matter of where that eventually ends up being – an Ayr racecourse in new hands, a resurrected Lanark, the replacement for Redcar that Lord Zetland would love to build, or somewhere else entirely.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I would tend to agree the north does need an AW track, however with Dundalk only a short ferry trip and drive away they do currently have an option.
So allow one AW track up north but then no more – five AW tracks would be more than enough.
I would also propose a moratorium on all new courses, with one exception and one condition.
Applications should be considered for a new course which is proposed to be in an area where there is currently no racing in easy reach, i.e. there is no other track within say 75 miles.
However any new track would have to have its fixtures allocated from the current number, in other words there should not be an increase in the number of fixtures as a result of new tracks being built. We already have too much racing.
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