After a considerable renovation programme last year York Racecourse were looking for a fast return to usability. Five and a half acres of the home straight was worked on and Head Groundsman Adrian Kay turned to DLF’s John Hughes for advice.
Seeding was undertaken mid-March and by the end of April it was up to 75mm, even though the conditions were not the best for grass growing due to limited light and limited intensity of the light and insulation. At the beginning of May, about 6 weeks after sowing, Adrian was comfortable with the density of the grass. “To get it to germinate in that time,” he says, “is a testament to the grass seed itself. It was a challenge but I felt relieved when it lived up to my
expectations. Fineness of leaf was not top of my list due to the nature of race horsing. A racecourse is different to golf and football and requires more density due to the traffic we get on the course – more of a broader leaf with quick establishment I was looking for. I was really pleased with the speed of germination and am very happy with the result.