Under starter's orders

IF you walk into York Racecourse tomorrow, it's a fair bet - weather permitting - that what will grab your attention is the Ebor Stand's gleaming glass, the potted flowers which line the picturesque site, and the sparkling champagne lawns waiting for their first eager customers.

The maintenance men have been out, the TV cables checked and brush strokes liberally applied throughout the Ebor, Knavesmire and Melrose Stands.

But getting York Racecourse ready for the new season entails more than simply a slap of paint. It's actually a process which began immediately racing ended last year - more than seven months ago.

When the season finished in October, you might have walked home, put the badges, binoculars and suit away.

But in the Race Committee office, marketing manager James Brennan said there was barely a lull in the feverish activity which comes to fruition just before 2pm tomorrow.

"It's a continuous process," he said. "That's getting to be more and more the case every year. When I first arrived, seven years ago, the October meeting would finish, there would be a big sigh of relief and then it would pick up later on.

"That has changed as racing has evolved. As October finishes, we are already deep in discussion about pricing levels for badges and for boxes. Then you might look at improvements - see if the cash flow and budget is there to afford them - and what customers want."

For a venue which, on its busiest days, regularly hosts crowds in excess of 30,000, everything has got to be right.

This year, in response to the bulging postbag from patrons, a new restaurant, The Eclipse, now occupies the top floor of the Ebor Stand, while the racecourse has installed cash machines throughout the premises for

punters caught short of cash.

At any moment, as many as 36 people are handling ticket sales, planting flowers and creating the vibe which spectators have come to expect on Knavesmire.

But during a meeting, particularly the Ebor Festival or John Smith's Cup Day, that number can swell to as many as 1,200 - when security, Tote betting staff and caterers are thrown into the mix.

Mr Brennan said: "Every year people write to us, or tell us, of new things they think 'that would be something nice to look at'. Sometimes we trial them, then that could lead to it being introduced on a permanent basis.

"The classic example is the champagne terrace which was placed on the weighing room lawn during Royal Ascot At York. It was something different - in golfing parlance it was a shot to nothing. We could have reverted if it hadn't worked. But it did work and will now be made more permanent."

It is not just in the stands where intricate planning is needed. Ever thought the racecourse turf was merely a clump of grass? Think again.

Mr Brennan said: "Once the October meeting has finished, the ground gets bedded in for the winter. They are always keen to do that while there is still some fair weather. Then they try to pick dry weeks to do preparation and

maintenance - putting fertilisers on and herbicides."

It's even a special type of grass - designed to be more "springy" and bounce back up when hooves connect with it.

Mowers travel the length of 20 football pitches keeping every blade of grass - not just on the race turf but in front of the stands and enclosures - in tip-top condition. It's a daily job.

If you wander down to York Racecourse today, a sea of vans will catch your eye as you wander towards the County Stand entrance.

These are TV trucks from Channel 4, Racetech and Racing UK which broadcast all the action from the track to the wider world. Three different broadcasters mean three different sets of cables to check and maintain.

It may surprise you to learn that underneath the ground at Knavesmire are miles and miles of optical fibres which carry the TV images.

Every year these must be checked, rechecked and sometimes relaid if an unbroken signal is to be broadcast to the world.

On the course itself, there's the same diligence and preparation.

In the commentator's position, a camera looks down at the finishing post - precisely pointed at a mirror. This gives us the photo-finish which can break hearts but also bring joy for jockeys, trainers and owners. Just a centimetre out could mean disaster.

Another key fixture to be arranged is the arrival of the tented villages and pavilions, which are a vital part of the racecourse's sponsorship and hospitality packages.

The number of these depends on the size of the meeting, but several days before racing begins, the rows of marquees, which will cater for the food and drink needs of hundreds, begin to arrive.

Mr Brennan said: "We have a flexible contract. We know broadly how many we will need and, a couple of weeks before, we tell the company how many."

Patrons who buy a badge for the Ebor Stand will notice a new development - a stunning trophy case displaying artefacts from more than 250 years of racing on Knavesmire.

The new display replaces the racecourse museum - a feature of the old 65 Stand, but not a part of the £20 million new stand.

So another 17 race days await. With the St Leger Festival to come in September, alongside old favourites such as The Press Sunday Race Day and Timeform Charity Day, another top class year is in prospect.

One thing we do know is Knavesmire will be ready, and everyone at the course is as excited as we all are.

"It is as chief executive William Derby has said in the opening race card. It's 'Welcome to York Racecourse. The flat is back, we are delighted to be under way. Enjoy the day'," Mr Brennan said.

"The opening meeting is like the first day of term, and about seeing familiar faces and old friends once again. It's going to be a great week."

Ten things you may not have known about York Racecourse

1. The latest race ratings rank August's Juddmonte International higher than the Epsom Derby, and second only to Ascot's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

2. York grows its own flowers for the 155 window boxes and 300-plus plant pots that decorate the stands. The blooms are tended at a nursery in Middlethorpe by Ian Halstead, York's head gardener and longest serving employee.

3. The top-selling sandwich at York is all-day breakfast, with cheese and pickle coming second - beating salmon into third. 50,000 sandwiches are eaten every year.

4. The course's Ebor Stand played Denton International Airport in a recording of ITV detective drama A Touch of Frost.

5. York has 180 stables, laid out in four quadrangles. One of the quads has been home to Dringhouses Bowling Club's green since 1929.

6. Knavesmire hasboasted many distinguished visitors including the late Pope, John Paul II who said an open-air mass in front of more than 200,000 people on May 31, 1982.

7. Race staff bring in five tonnes of ice every day and 1,000 crabs are eaten. The most popular champagne is Moet.

8. The course has seen many memorable finishes, including that of

legendary highwayman Dick Turpin, who was hanged on Knavesmire on April 19, 1739.

9. York and Chester, both famous Roman cities, boast a race-track which is left-handed.

10. York's highest attendance for a race meeting was recorded in 1851, when an estimated 150,000 saw The Flying Dutchman beat Voltigeur in the "Great Match". The modern era record is the 39,501 who watched the 42nd John Smith's Cup in July 2001.

Updated: 10:53 Tuesday, May 16, 2006