Prestigious horse race can gallop on after 75,000 gallons of water delivered

Friday 20 July 2018

75,000 gallons have had to be urgently delivered to a race track this week to ensure that one of the most prestigious events in Jersey’s racing calendar can go ahead – without posing a risk to the horses.

Hundreds of islanders are expected to pack out Les Landes Racecourse this Sunday to catch the annual Jersey Derby.

But the island's current period of ‘absolute drought’, which was officially declared this week by the Met Office, threatened the five planned high-speed contests from going ahead.

With no rainfall for over two weeks, Les Landes’s grass had dried out, threatening the welfare of the horses due to race across it.

1/2 With no measurable rainfall for 15 consecutive days, Jersey is now officially in a period of meteorological absolute drought. pic.twitter.com/Sejri1wxfA

— Jersey Met (@Jersey_Met) July 18, 2018

“If it gets too dry it gets like a road and therefore it’s unsafe for the horses to run on. The horses’ legs are like our legs, so if they’re galloping at full speed on rock-hard ground it can cause injuries,” Alison Kukk of the Jersey Race Club told Express. 

The course was watered throughout the week by sprinklers partly during the day and partly overnight, according to the club, but this was not going to be enough.

As a result, the club called in the help of several bowsers, which distributed 25,000 gallons of water on the course. That process was repeated on Wednesday, and will happen again today. 

“If you watch a horse gallop, at one point the whole weight goes on one leg – up to 500 kilos – so we need a little bit of give in the ground to compact that impact. The water on the track gives that little bit of bounce for them,” Ms Kukk added. 

One of the best races ever run on Jersey...the epic stretch duel between Aussie Lyrics & Black Night in the 2017 Jersey Derby...more of the same this coming Sunday? https://t.co/0Zniq1Ilef

— Mark Johnson (@CommentatorMark) July 16, 2018

Following the damping efforts, a veterinary officer surveyed the course. They confirmed that they were “satisfied with the racing surface and passed it fit to race.” 

The five races, which involve prize money ranging from £380 to in excess of £2,300, will now be able to go ahead as hoped, starting at 14:30.