NEW safety measures have been unveiled at Guernsey’s racecourse. Organisers of the annual May bank holiday Monday meeting have spent the winter carrying out ‘vital’ improvements at L’Ancresse Common.
Much of the work has focused on an area that last year saw two horses take a crashing fall.
Crossways came to grief in the three-runner Collins Stewart Handicap over a mile and seven furlongs, bringing down Off Minor in the process.
Neither horse nor its jockey suffered serious injury, but club officials are keen to prevent a repeat of the incident on 7 May.
‘That area of the course was checked by the stewards immediately after racing last year,’ said Guernsey Race Club vice-president Jim Jamouneau. ‘It was later inspected by representatives of the Channel Islands Racing and Hunt Club, which runs racing in the islands, and a report was sent to Weatherbys in the UK, under whose rules we race.
‘Following advice from all parties, we have relined and levelled the area, reseeded it and generally made improvements such as widening the track slightly in that location.
‘Falls happen in racing and it just seems that Crossways was running too tight to the rail when he came down. But it’s better to be safe than sorry and hopefully it won’t happen again.’
Runners will be following in the hoof prints of some of the world’s greatest racehorses when they come under starter’s orders.
Coconut matting from Ascot Racecourse is being used to cover Mont Cuet Road, which cuts through the track close to the finishing post.
‘We bought the coconut matting from Ascot so it’s got some history, I suppose,’ explained Mr Jamouneau.
‘It sits on the road on top of a layer of a soft bedding made of broken-down waste. On top of the matting is a thick layer of woodchip.’
Either side of the road, club officials have made further improvements by laying new turf at a cost of £1,600.
Mr Jamouneau added: ‘The kerbs on the road are a problem, so we have had to raise the grass areas on either side.
‘This is a much-needed and welcome improvement and, with some of the new turf being on the approach to the winning line, it should also help towards some really exciting finishes.’
Despite a host of improvements, Mr Jamouneau revealed the prospect of Jump racing returning to L’Ancresse was unlikely in the near future.
He said: ‘We used to have hurdle racing at L’Ancresse, but that was before our 13-year break from 1992.
‘The rules surrounding Jump racing have changed and the Jockey Club now insists that there must be room for the horses to run around an obstacle should they need to.
‘For instance, if a horse or jockey has fallen at a hurdle and is still being treated when the runners come past again, the hurdle would be dolled off and the horses would run around without having to jump.
‘At the moment we just don’t have room for that sort of facility on the course, but hopefully it’s something we can look at again in the not-too-distant future.’
Article posted on 3rd April, 2007 - 12.00am
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