Lack of rain forces track to put ‘champagne’ on the grass

When will it rain? That has been the million dollar question since the core jumps season kicked off last month and there was still no sign of it on a glorious autumnal afternoon in the heart of East Sussex.

The arid weather might be a nuisance to those trainers with soft-ground horses ready to run but spare a thought for the racecourse personnel trying to prepare parched turf for jumps racing.

That responsibility at Plumpton rests with Mark Cornford, a clerk of the course with a wealth of turf management experience, yet he still described this year’s barren run as unprecedented.