Racecourses facing challenging time to prepare for National Hunt season

As the temperatures continues to rise and with no let up of the dry summer in sight, racecourses and National Hunt trainers are bracing themselves for what could prove a challenging few months before the jumps season slips into gear.

While it is very much business as usual on the Flat side of the industry, trainers in the winter game ranks are busy welcoming back some of their jumping stars and beginning to formulate dreams for the new campaign.

However, there could prove to be a few headaches as the traditional early-season fixtures come ever closer, with Nicky Henderson believing some tracks could have a battle on their hands given the current climate.

“We’re going to have to make a decision with our horses how far forward we want to get as they’re nearly all back in now and if not here they’re prepping somewhere else,” explained the Seven Barrows handler.

“All the main protagonists are here and we’re going through our normal routine as we would always do at this time of year getting ready to start as if things are normal.

“But the weather is not normal and some of the racecourses might be getting concerned and then the gallops are going to be the same as the racecourses.

“Using those gallops seems a long way away at the moment though and even though it doesn’t stop us, you have to be thinking the racecourses that stage racing in October, when the better racing starts, might be getting a little bit worried as normally they would be getting some water on, which they haven’t been able to do and they are certainly not getting any help from the sky.

“You can’t help but notice when you are watching the Flat racing, the tracks that also host jumps racing are looking pretty sad, which wouldn’t always be the case at this time of year and they look to have a job on their hands.

“It might get to the point where we think we best not get too far forward – especially with horses who want cut in the ground.”

While it is Chepstow’s Persian War meeting in October that signals the return of the jumps for many, Cheltenham is due to host three multiple-day meetings prior to Christmas.

With the upgrades to the drainage system in the home straight that saw the final three meetings of last season cancelled now complete, the team at Prestbury Park are about to begin the task of preparing the track for the comeback Showcase meeting on October 23 and 24.

Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said: “We’re in a drier period than we ordinarily would be, but here at Cheltenham we have got our own reservoir and are about to commence watering for our season prep.

“We have been watering where we have done the drainage work to aid recovery and we’ll soon commence preparing the full course for the new season.

“We don’t go on to the cross-country course until November but if we have to continue watering the Old course for both the October and November meetings like we did last season it will present a challenge for the cross-country, but at this stage it is all to early to say there would be any impact on that.

“We’re on track at this stage and the remedial work is all complete and all gone well.”

Meanwhile, Ascot stages it’s first National Hunt meeting only two weeks after it says goodbye to the Flat on British Champions Day and while the inside jumps track was seen looking notably baked during recent events on the level, watering is already underway ahead of the first scheduled jumping action on October 31.

Clerk of the course Chris Stickles said: “Undoubtedly there is going to be a challenge but it’s not one we haven’t faced before. It was very similar conditions in 2022 and we’ve started watering already and now we’ve started, we’ll continue.

“The reservoirs have got water in them but we do have a hands off from the environment agency in terms of our abstraction, so things will be limited. We’d welcome some rain that is for sure.”

As another heatwave is set to hit later this week, Salsibury’s fixture on Thursday has been pushed back to start at 5.30pm.