Having been granted a small additional weight allowance, jockeys are no longer permitted to use saunas at the racecourse – the thinking being that it is healthier for them to manage their weight through diet than it is by sweating. So, in preparation for the season ahead, we removed the sauna from the jockeys’ changing room a couple of weeks ago.
It happened to be the same day that we welcomed a consultant, employed by our insurer, to inspect the racecourse buildings and to give advice on risk management. So excited was he, on spotting the wooden slats piled up outside the backdoor of the Listed Grandstand, that he immediately noted the issue in his little black book, despite my explaining that the sauna was on its way out to the skip.
The consultant’s report came to us by e-mail this week. The number one risk, as you might have already guessed, was our exposure to arson having accumulated combustible material adjacent to the wall of the Grandstand. We have fourteen days to rectify the situation – even though the last remains of the sauna departed the racecourse within an hour or two of the consultant.
While we try to keep the site ship-shape all year around, we’ve got an extra special reason to keep the Grandstand tidy this Summer – because it will be celebrating its 200th birthday towards the end of next month.
Kelso races, established by Sir Alexander Don in 1751, had been staged first of all at Caverton Edge and then, briefly, a few miles down the road from Kelso at Blakelaw. But when the site at Blakelaw became overrun with travelers, the Duke’s tenants objected and the racecourse moved to its current location on the Berrymoss – a freshly drained piece of ground which had been reclaimed from the marsh close by the northern edge of the town.
The Grandstand was built to a design by the celebrated Yorkshire architect John Carr in 1822. It was the first purpose built permanent Grandstand in Scotland – much older than Perth, for example, where racing started on the current site in 1908 and where this weekend’s selection is Invictis World. So on Sunday 4th September we’ve agreed to participate in the Scottish Borders Council’s “Doors Open Days” event – promoting the architectural heritage of Scotland by opening the Grandstand to the public. It’s not a raceday and everyone is welcome to attend the open event, free of charge.
And then, on 14th September, we’ll be celebrating our bicentenary on the first raceday of the season. There’ll be music and VIP visitors and races which can be watched from the roof of the old Grandstand.
We won’t be able to admit members of the public into the ground floor of the Grandstand, because it’ll be full of half-naked jockeys, but there will be lots to entertainment outside – including a fire-eater who we’ve hired especially for the event. Just don’t tell the consultant from the insurance company – we promise we won’t let them get too close to the building…