Chelmsford turf track delayed until autumn 2020 as winter takes its toll

The recent cold snap in the east of England has forced Chelmsford officials to postpone trials on the new turf course, which could delay racing on the facility until at least autumn 2020.

The Essex track, which announced plans for the mile facility in 2017, has put the first topsoil on a two-furlong section of the home straight which lies inside the existing Polytrack circuit.

After drainage and a sand layer of the whole course was completed last year, the track is to be turfed from the spring onwards, but the course had originally hoped to hold trials at the end of this year.

Clerk of the course Andy Waitt said: "We lost the weather a bit at the end of last year and don't need to rush anything, so we're hoping we can get everything down when the weather breaks.

Clerk of the course Andy Waitt: 'We've now got two furlongs of topsoil down in the home straight, which has been trimmed and graded'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"With a clear run from now, we'd be looking to stage trials in spring 2020, with a view to staging racing on the new track that autumn."

More immediately, Waitt is hoping to lay topsoil on the section in front of the stands in coming months.

He added: "We've now got two furlongs of topsoil down in the home straight, which has been trimmed and graded and has to have some decompaction work on it before the turf can be laid on that section. That will give us a snapshot of what the rest of it will look like."

The existing Polytrack track is generous in width at 22 metres, but the new track is not that far off it.

Waitt added: "The turf track is 21.5m wide and is pretty much the same. We haven't any specific turf fixtures as yet but we aim to transfer some from the all-weather when we feel it's ready. The main thing is that we aim to become the first floodlit turf course in Britain, with the ultimate goal to hold Breeders' Cup trials."

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