SANDHURST AREA
NEWS
Hackwood Park by Robin Gray
Hackwood Park, Basingstoke which has staged point-to-point racing since early post war years, has been the subject of a serious make-over during the summer months.
Bill Welling, 61, who has been Clerk of the Course at Hackwood for twelve months, is an agricultural consultant specialising in grassland management.
"Although I have been involved for many years with fence stewarding and car parking," said Welling, "I welcomed the opportunity to apply my professional knowledge to the track itself when Charlie Corbett retired as Clerk of the Course."
Welling was in charge for the two meetings last Spring - one was abandoned because of dangerously hard ground - and following that experience has made several changes.
"Two of the seven fences were new for last season," he says, "and now we will have a further new one, as well as rebuilding two of the original fences. I have also moved the second fence twenty metres down the course towards the first bend. It had been causing problems, situated as it was on the narrowest part of the course. Now it has been widened and is much more inviting."
Both bends were repaired with groundbreakers to remove compaction and eight tons of topsoil applied early in the summer. "We cut hay on the course in August and now there's an excellent growth of grass which we will mow and top dress as necessary." said Welling.
"There will be no stock on the racecourse at any time - not least because I do not want to risk being unable to move them off if there should be another foot and mouth outbreak."
Plans for the longer term include the provision of mains water in the horse box park and possibly in the paddock area.
Owners, trainers and riders can be confident that Hackwood Park will be in the best condition it has ever been for the three scheduled meeting starting on 24 March 2008. Further meetings follow on 6 April and 5 May.
