Catterick Racecourse ready for first flat race

The most recent customer to benefit from Barenbrug's rapid turf repair mixture BAR 50 SOS is Catterick Racecourse.

Having installed sand slits to improve drainage on an area of the flat course prone to waterlogging in December, head groundsman Ed Fenwicke-Clennell faced a race against the clock to repair the track in time for his first flat racing meeting of 2009 on 1 April.

Fortunately the cool soil germination characteristics of this unique annual ryegrass blend, which in trials germinated in temperatures as low as three degrees centigrade, answered the North Yorkshire racecourse's SOS.

"I'd heard about the benefits of Barenbrug's BAR 50 SOS at a recent seminar," Ed recalls. "The product's cool soil germination and rapid establishment seemed ideal as I needed something that would get the grass to grow quickly and in spite of the cold."

Ed overseeded the sand slits with BAR 50 SOS in a January dogged by plummeting temperatures - but the seed prevailed and had germinated by mid-February.

"The resulting growth has now completely covered up the sand slits," Ed concludes. "Our main goal was to achieve 100 per cent grass growth in time for our first flat racing meeting on 1 April and SOS delivered that. The grass continues to hold up well and I'm very impressed with the results."

For further information on BAR 50 SOS, call Barenbrug on 01359 272000 or email info@baruk.co.uk to request a free product leaflet. Alternatively, the leaflet can be downloaded from www.barenbrug.co.uk.