Why aren’t frost covers more widely used?

12 Jun 14

There are often scenarios in which Frost Covers are not an appropriate tool for Clerks of the Course to use. If the ground is already frozen, or has been subjected to significant wear and tear that has opened up the turf during previous fixtures, covering up the track is likely to merely insulate the cold that’s already inside the soil profile and be of no use whatsoever. Equally, weather forecasts can change from hour to hour in the run up to a fixture.  Consequently, as there can be no guarantee of success, it remains very much a judgement call rather than an exact science as to whether a racecourse uses Frost Covers.

Typically, it costs around £8,000 to £10,000 per fixture to cover the whole of an average sized racecourse with Frost Covers.  For this reason they tend only to be used at higher profile fixtures, where key races are being run and are likely to be part of the broadcast schedule for terrestrial television.