麻豆社

Chris Stickles has a huge amount of responsibility on his shoulders this week. He is in clerk of the course at Ascot, meaning he is in charge of ensuring the ground is at it's best. He says he is aiming for good, good to firm in places, but what exactly does that mean?

"Going good, good to firm in places means that there is a little bit of give in the track, and it's not too quick, it should be the ideal ground to suit most horses."

"When the track dries a bit more and becomes harder and faster, some horses may not be suited to it."

"We plan the track management practices from the spring through to Royal Ascot to ensure the ground is as good as it can be."

"They'll be more than 500 horses running over it in the next few days, so we've been working very hard to ensure the course is at it's best."