Aiming to boost chances of saving turf fixtures from elements

While all-weather racing remains Lingfield’s staple through the winter and continues to a degree all year, management have been working hard to increase the number of all-turf Flat cards held through the summer.

This year’s extraordinarily wet spring and early summer did not help - June rainfall was 102mm, compared to 19mm and 21mm the previous two years - and one all-turf fixture was switched to the Polytrack, while on another occasion the turf races on a mixed card were switched to the all-weather; on a third card that was scheduled to be all-turf, the round-course races were switched to the all-weather

Arkell said: “We haven’t actually lost much but it’s been frustrating as we’re planning to turn all our mixed cards to all-turf, since they seem to work well, and spectators as well as professionals seem to enjoy them.