Entire Gosforth Park track covered in snow
Dec 10 2010 The Journal
THE snow may have stopped falling, but we still have a one-foot blanket of snow covering the entire track at Gosforth Park.
That in turn is covered by the frost sheets laid down in preparation for the planned StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle, which had been due to take place at the end of last month.
There is still a glimmer of hope that the Northumberland Chase Christmas Raceday can go ahead as planned next Saturday, December 18, as we are forecast a window of warmer weather starting today and running over the weekend until at least Monday.
Temperatures of between +1c and +6c should see a significant thaw occur over the weekend and I hope that by Monday the track will be looking a little less white.
The downside of the thaw is the possibility of waterlogging as one foot of snow, when it defrosts, will equate to about four inches of rain.
However, given that the track has been insulated by frost sheets and then a duvet of snow for the last 14 days, we don’t have to contend with frozen ground. This gives us a chance for the meeting to go ahead, providing we are not left with too much standing water. Fingers crossed the dip in temperatures from midweek onwards isn’t as severe as the last cold snap.
If we see a good thaw over the weekend the heavy duty frost sheets laid by Sports Stadia will be collected. We will then cover the course with the fleece used to protect delicate plants in times of cold weather.
The fleece is less heavy duty but does have its benefits and worked well when saving the Hennessy meeting at Newbury. We have a team at the ready to assist the thaw when it finally arrives.
After the Fighting Fifth was thwarted by the snow, despite our best efforts, we all wait with baited breath to see if we are able to see the year’s racing out in a fabulously festive fashion.
We will keep you up to date with the situation as the week progresses.
For further information or to book tickets contact Newcastle Racecourse on 0191 236 2020 or visit www.newcastle-racecourse.co.uk
James Armstrong is clerk of the course at Newcastle Racecourse
