Newbury 'like a thirsty hippo' as watering continues before Coral Gold Cup

Trainers and racing fans should prepare themselves for the prospect of good ground at Newbury's two-day Coral Gold Cup card at the end of the week, with the course the latest high-profile southern venue to report an unseasonal battle against the elements.

The going on Sunday was good with clerk of the course Keith Ottesen planning to continue watering to top up whatever rain arrives during the week, following a record-breaking shortfall during the course of the year.

Newbury's first jumps meeting of the season on November 3 suffered a spate of withdrawals owing to the underfoot conditions, a pattern that has been repeated at Cheltenham and Ascot on each of the last two weekends.

"We've had just on 100 millimetres of rain in November which means we're getting there, but we've got to keep adding to it," said Ottesen.

"We had some horses here on Tuesday for a gallops morning including Shishkin. It was raining heavily and the ground was lovely. But the next day it was as though it hadn't rained because the moisture deficit is pretty huge after a very dry year, not just the summer with very high temperatures."

Tuesday's public gallops at Newbury - featuring Shishkin (left) and Champ - took place in heavy rain, but the ground had reverted to being good within 24 hoursCredit: Steven Cargill

Ottesen added: "The track is like a thirsty hippo, it just keeps gulping it back and it can't get enough. We can achieve good ground and I know it's going to rain, though not how much.

"I'm grateful for that and I probably need it to keep raining because as we've seen, as soon as it stops, it dries out.

"I'll keep getting on the back of that with the irrigators and keep it as good as I possibly can. Whether good ground is enough for everybody, I don't know. I can't promise any more than that."

The rash of good ground across areas that either have been or are still classified as drought-affected has meant the defection of some high-profile runners on what should have been showcase weekends for the sport.

Edwardstone has missed intended engagements at both Cheltenham and Ascot, while L'Homme Presse and Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill were late absentees on Saturday.

Nico de Boinville and Nicky Henderson inspecting the track at Ascot before declaring Constitution Hill a non-runner on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Ottesen believes the need for watering in the core part of the jumps season may become a more regular feature and the Newbury executive is already investigating ways to harvest rainwater in order to add to their current irrigation capacity.

"People have spent a lot of time in Egypt [at COP27] and Bali [at the G20 Summit] discussing what we have to do with climate change," said Ottesen.

"This year [in Britain] it has been a phenomenon and we're not used to it. Normally it rains through the spring, then it's dry through the summer but still with summer rain. Then the jumps track naturally comes back from September and we might have to put a bit of water on in October.

"This year is completely different. It's a phenomenon at the moment but it could well become the norm soon and we're looking at how we gather and store water through the winter so that we can increase our capacity for irrigation because it is the only way to counter that."

According to Environment Agency data, Newbury has had normal levels of rainfall for the last three months, but the figures for the last 12 months fall into the red-coded "exceptionally low" category.

Keith Ottesen: Newbury's clerk of the course believes watering during the core jumps season may become a more regular occurrenceCredit: Edward Whitaker

Newbury draws its water from a borehole that taps into an underground aquifer and the Environment Agency projects that – based on historic rainfall trends – two-thirds of such groundwater sources will still be below expected levels in March 2023, with a particular risk to chalk-based regions such as west Berkshire.

"We're in an area of drought at the moment so we can't apply to the Environment Agency and ask for more water for our racecourses as they would just say no," said Ottesen.

"We've got to be innovative and see how we collect water in the future so we can increase our capacities. It looks as though it's going to become normal to be irrigating during the winter, not just the summer."

Coral Gold Cup (3.05 Newbury, Saturday)

Coral: 6 Corach Rambler, Remastered, 10 Threeunderthrufive, Our Power, 12 Le Milos, Fiddlerontheroof, Chantry House, Busselton, Oscar Elite, Gericault Roque, Ashtown Lad, 16 bar.

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