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Gilly Gilford receives a
Special Merit recognition in
RCA Groundstaff Awards
Fontwell Park, Musselburgh and Newmarket honoured
at annual Neil Wyatt Racecourse Groundstaff Awards
FONTWELL Park, Musselburgh
and Newmarket were the big
winners as the results of the
2011 Neil Wyatt Racecourse
Groundstaff Awards were
announced.
Newmarket was the winner in
the Best Flat Racecourse
Category, whilst the Dual
Purpose award went to
Musselburgh Racecourse and
Fontwell Park Racecourse
received the award for best
Jump track.
A Special Merit Award,
presented at the discretion of
the award sponsors with full
support from the judging panel,
was awarded to Gilly Gilford,
Head Groundsman at Ascot
Racecourse in recognition of his
knowledge, hard work,
dedication and professionalism
throughout his forty year career
within the racing industry.
On behalf of the sponsors, John
Richards, Operations Director of
Pitchcare commented, “The
contribution that Gilly Gilford
has made to horse racing and
groundsmanship is second to
none. He has spent 45 years as
a racecourse groundsman, 15
years at Ascot and, prior to that,
30 years at Sandown. He is
quite rightly regarded as one of
the leading professionals in the
industry and a very worthy
recipient of the Merit Award.”
Judging of the awards took
place on Tuesday 10 January
2012 and the panel comprised
4 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
Fontwell Park
Gilly Gilford
representatives of the National
Trainers Federation and
Professional Jockeys’
Association, with support from
the BHA Inspectors of Courses.
The Awards, organised by the
Racecourse Association and
sponsored by Pitchcare in
association with ALS and
Fornells, are in their sixteenth
year and recognise the
achievements of racecourse
groundstaff.
Richard Linley, Senior BHA
Inspector of Courses, said: “It
was an extremely difficult
decision for the panel to select
a winner in each category for
the Pitchcare Neil Wyatt
Groundstaff Awards 2011, yet
again Groundsmen around the
country have demonstrated real
commitment to their work and
on frequent occasions in very
difficult circumstances. It is also
fitting that Gilly Gilford has
received recognition with a
Merit Award for his devoted and
professional approach to
groundsmanship for over forty
years and I feel privileged to
have worked with him both at
Sandown and at Ascot.”
Rupert Arnold, of the National
Trainers Federation, said: “The
award submissions always give
an interesting account of the
challenges of producing a
racing surface to the highest
standards. There is some
impressive work going on at
racecourses around the country
and the panel has chosen very
worthy winners.”
Dale Gibson from The
Professional Jockeys Association
said “We all appreciate the hard
work that the ground staff put in
day in day out; the PJA
recognise that and in our eyes
all of the courses are winners.
Without their effort racing
simply would not take place.
The four safety officers all had
an input into the final decision.
Well done to all concerned.”
Newmarket Racecourses director
of racing and clerk of the
course, Michael Prosser, was
Musselburgh Newmarket
delighted to hear that his
groundstaff’s efforts had been
rewarded with this accolade.
He said: “I am thrilled that the
excellent performance of our
team has been recognised with
the Neil Wyatt Groundstaff
Award. It is the second time in
five years that we have been
fortunate enough to receive this
honour and I am very proud of
the staff’s efforts. 2011 was a
tough year in that we weren’t
always helped by the weather.
But the groundstaff continued to
deliver a racing surface that
drew praise from all quarters –
jockeys, trainers and media
alike – which can only be
attributed to their dedication
and skill.”
Musselburgh Racecourse
general manager, Bill
Farnsworth, said the award was
a “truly great result” against
strong competition. He said:
“Mark and his team deserve
great credit for this Award and it
reflects the dedication and hard
work which goes into the track
and grounds at Musselburgh
throughout the year. Working
alongside our clerk of the
course, Harriet Graham, we
undoubtedly have one of the
strongest ground staff in the
country and I don’t think anyone
who has visited the course
would object to Musselburgh’s
team receiving this accolade.”
Edward Arkell, Clerk of the
Course at Fontwell Park
Racecourse said “We’re thrilled
to receive this award. It’s great
that the panel have recognised
the hard work put in by the 3
groundstaff, Paul, Reg and
Darrin, on a small course with a
heavy programme of racing.”
The Neil Wyatt Racecourse
Groundstaff Awards are
sponsored by
Neil Wyatt
Racecourse
Groundstaff
Awards 2011
FLAT RACECOURSE
Winner: Newmarket
Racecourse
The Panel commended the
team at Newmarket on
continued high standards, and
the improvements, particularly
to the Beacon area of the
course. They also noted the
improvements which had been
made to the Weighing Room
and Winners Enclosure on the
July Course.
Runner Up: Nottingham
Racecourse
The Panel recognised the
challenges, not of their own
making, which had faced the
team at Nottingham
Racecourse throughout 2011,
and the manner in which
these had been addressed. In
addition, the investment in
new washdown facilities
received particular support
from the trainers’
representative.
JUMP RACECOURSE
Winner: Fontwell Park
Racecourse
The Panel recognised the hard
work of the small team to
manage their challenging
fixture list, which received
much support from the
Trainers and Jockeys.
Runner Up: Cartmel
Racecourse
The Judging Panel noted the
improvements at Cartmel
during 2011, largely carried
out by their one full time
member of staff.
DUAL PURPOSE
RACECOURSE
Winner: Musselburgh
Racecourse
The Panel was pleased to
reward the improvements in
the racing surface at
Musselburgh, along with the
high standards in all areas for
which the team are
responsible, and the
involvement of the team in
development of the new stable
complex.
Runner Up: Ascot
Racecourse
The Panel commended the
overall high standards of the
team at Ascot Racecourse, and
in particular the proactive
measures taken to provide the
best possible racing surface for
British Champions Day.
Merit Award: Gilly Gilford
The Merit Award, presented at
the discretion of the sponsors,
was awarded to Gilly Gilford.
The Panel commended his
many years of hard work,
dedication and
professionalism, which
received a huge amount of
complimentary support from
jockeys and trainers.