This year’s first fixture is the latest start to a season we’ve had for quite a while, which is helpful considering the fractious temperament of the climate over the winter period.

Temperatures ranging from -5C to 15c in a 24 hour period doesn’t help the turf a great deal, and the added bonus of a couple of thousand geese on the track at times does present challenges for the sward. We have aerated the

track a couple of times in the off season with a shockwave, verti-drainer and a spiker, so plenty of air getting into the soil should help once temperatures stabilise and we add the fertilizer at the start of April.

Our long term maintenance man has retired during the winter and we wish him well with his adventures over the coming years. The rest of the team have stepped in and kept the long list of repairs to a bearable minimum as we haven’t had any major works to contend with this winter.

The one project we have done has been the construction of the flood defense wall around the staff house on the racecourse, with 6 floods over the past decade entering the house, hopefully this will keep our feet dry.

Looking forward to the new season, we’re hoping that the BHA’s plan to aid small field sizes takes effect. While numbers for some races were low, there has been a good quality of horse coming through the races, and although the spectacle of a “cavalry charge” coming down the track is enjoyable, repairing the divots is a challenge for the treaders, especially if the horses split and come down both sides of the track.

The Wetlands is really getting established now on what was the site of the quarry at the rear of the racecourse, with mentions about the murmurations of starlings on many media outlets. During the winter we’ve enjoyed much of what the area has to offer regarding wildlife, and our sensitive works around the site seem to be bearing fruit as the ash trees that have succumbed to ash dieback have been taken down to habitat poles, which means the potentially dangerous limbs are removed and the main trunk is left for invertebrates and birds to use. Regular sightings of mammals such as hares, otters, deer and foxes, as well as numerous birds like curlews, lapwings, oystercatchers, geese and swans.

So, here’s to a great start to the new season and hoping for many classy winners and safe journeys.