It is hard to believe that a little over a month ago I was praying for it to stop raining, and yet here we are in the lead up to the last meeting of our season watering like mad hoping for some rain.

Over the past five weeks we have been busy not only due to there being a race meeting during that period but because the ground staff have managed to re-seed  the course, with perennial rye grass for those that are interested, and also fed it with a part organic based fertiliser to promote growth.

Unfortunately the cold north easterly wind that has blown across the course recently has been slowing the grass recovery down, but that said and helped in no small way by the irrigation system I feel sure that everyone will see and appreciate a big improvement in the course’s appearance since the 19th April.

I predict the going for this Sunday’s family fun day meeting to be Good to Firm-Watered,            unless the rain arrives in time to help us.

In my last blog I refered to how quickly ground conditions can change at this time of year, well due to the current spell of wet weather I am hoping for just that to happen now!

It has rained on and off over the past four days with a total  of  40mm being recorded at 8am Wednesday morning. This week-ends Easter festival of racing at Plumpton has two meetings scheduled and with the going heavy at present we certainly could do with a couple of dry days prior to Sunday.

The course has been prepared to handle two days racing with rail and hurdle placements back in towards early season lines on ground that recently has had a rest. So far this spring grass recovery has not been great but considering the amount of racing Plumpton has put on through the winter months I believe us to be in “pretty good nick”.

March brings-forth the spring equinox when underfoot conditions can change rapidly with daylight hours  lengthening and temperatures hopefully rising, although cold nights and a frost are still a threat to the gardeners among us.

Preparations for Monday’s meeting have been affected by the recent dry spell which has included a cold easterly wind blowing across the course drying the surface, indeed no rain had been recorded since the 28th February. Going for entries last Monday was Good to Soft but by Wednesday afternoon it had become Good with Good to Firm places and with the cold and dry weather set to continue the decision was made to water.

6mm of irrigation was applied to the racing surface Thursday/Friday and on completion the going was described as Good. Mid-afternoon on Friday saw the arrival of showers which continued into the evening and resulted in 4mm of rain being recorded. I walked the course again Saturday morning and declared the going to be Good to Soft, with dry conditions set to prevail between now and racing.

This last week of February must have been the wettest  of the winter so far with our records showing  79mm of rainfall since last Sunday, today (Friday) thankfully some much needed dry conditions are prevailing. The preparations for next Monday’s meeting have involved a lot of head scratching  over rail and hurdle  placements  due to wet ground but I am pleased to say that the course is now set up ready with the groundstaff all keeping there fingers crossed for a favourable w/e weather wise. March is going to be a busy time for the racecourse with three meetings scheduled so lets hope for an early spring to promote grass recovery.

January is now an unpleasant memory, and early thoughts of Spring are on the far horizon.  However early February has been dominated by a cold northerly wind, reminding us that winter is far from over.

The forecast conditions for Plumpton for the coming days leading up to the meeting on Monday, 15th February, is mainly dry with overnight frosts. We are deploying covers over the entire course on Thursday afternoon having already covered our more vulnerable landing and take off areas on Wednesday.

Sunday night is not predicted to have a severe frost at this stage, and Monday is likely to see temperatures rise as rain is forecast for later in the day.

It’s almost two years, due to bad weather, since the last Sussex National was run at Plumpton and the Groundstaff are doing their utmost to try and ensure that this season’s event takes place.

We have had 32mm of rain over past two days which has changed the going to heavy, but with a colder outlook on the horizon I feel we have a bigger threat to the meeting of frost.  With this in mind, by lunchtime on Thursday all the racing surface will have been protected with frost covers.

I am looking forward to a great days racing on Sunday, and with 204 horses entered we are almost assured of maximum fields giving us competitive racing. All we need now is a dry day with, dare I suggest, some winter sunshine to compliment our National.

We have been recording rainfall figures at Plumpton since the winter of 98/99, and I can honestly say that last month was the wettest November “since records began” with a total rainfall of 257mm or ten and a quarter inches if you prefer.

December has started equally wet with 76mm of rain over the first eight days, but enough talk of rain.  If the weather men have got things right we can look forward to a much drier period leading upto next Monday’s meeting. The Going Report should therefore show improvement over the next few days so watch this space!

Only a little over a month ago we were praying for some rain. Now with December just round the corner, we are thinking enough is enough, with the November rainfall to date standing at 182mm.

The going is officially heavy as of today,  and I am watching the forecast charts daily.  Early indications are that next week, from Tuesday onwards, we should see less rain and temperatures turning slightly cooler.

Due to our ongoing investment in drainage, Plumpton can take more rain than years gone by. The 24 hour period prior to racing is the most crucial, and I will keep the Going report regularly updated on the Home Page as we approach the meeting.

With only two dry days so far this month, the November rainfall to date is 55mm – a little over 2 inches in old money.

The ground is changing and following yesterday’s 3.5mm, the going is now Good to Soft (9am 11th Nov).

With the current forecast of more rain before next Monday’s meeting, winter ground is here at last!

With autumn here and our new meeting being the first of two November fixtures, you could normally expect colder nights and some rain. Well October it would seem is going out like a lamb with higher than normal temperatures and very little rain. Last week heralded 20mm of rainfall, and so far this week nil.

The forecast for the weekend suggests some decent rain will come on Sunday, the eve of the raceday, with predictions between 12mm and 20mm a possibility. The decision has therefore been made not to water as ground conditions border on good, and a little rain would be ideal to maintain.