27 May 2024
The Chantilly Racecourse turf course has been used for races since the end of March. After a few meetings, a rail was installed around the track, gradually widened to 12 metres to preserve a strip of turf on the inside rail in preparation for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, which will take place on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Marin Le Cour Grandmaison, Head of Chantilly Racecourse and Training Center, explains: “The unusual weather conditions this year, with a lot of rain and late frosts, have required constant work from the France Galop teams at Chantilly to prepare the ground. The first turf races of the season at the end of March were held on unusually heavy ground (with readings of 6 on some days), which required special care to fill in the particularly deep hoofprints of the horses. Additionally, forcing covers had to be installed this year to allow the grass to grow despite the low temperatures.”
The last turf meeting occurred on May 17, 2024, with the rail set at 12 metres. Since then, the Chantilly Racecourse teams have worked on the course's planimetry and decompaction to ensure good drainage.
During the week leading up to the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, the turf is mowed daily to a height of 11 cm, as was done last year. As of now, no watering is planned until Sunday, June 2, due to the heavy rains forecasted for this week.
Under these conditions, the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club is expected to be held on GOOD TO SOFT or even SOFT ground.
The ground condition forecasts are published daily on the France Galop website and shared on @FranceGalop’s social networks.
The next update will be published on Thursday, May 30, 2024, after the draw for the starting stalls, live on Equidia from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. It will include the list of runners for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club and quotes from the connections.