ParisLongchamp Year 2

(Extract of the press release following the presentation given to the members of the France Galop committee in April). ParisLongchamp opens on Sunday for a second season. Much work has been done to bring the turf back to the standards of a major racecourse since racing at the course ended last October. Stéphane de Veyrac, Manager of the West Paris racecourses at France Galop, and Jean-Guillaume d'Orglandes, who is in charge of the turf maintenance, presented the results of their actions to the members of the Committee.

Turf repairs began in the fall with, among other things, the removal of areas overgrown with bad weeds and the scarification of 1.5 ha of the ground by the finish line.

Then, the turf was fertilised, and 2.5ha were covered to maintain a suitable floor temperature. 

Throughout the 2019 season, an intensified fertilisation plan will support the normal maintenance program.

At the same time, the 2019 calendar has been designed to allow optimal maintenance: no test run this year, two fewer dates in April, no "Thursday-Saturday" sequence.

Finally, the railing program has been revised to optimise the use of different stretches of the course. The open-stretch will only be used for the Guineas and the Arc.

The teams were strengthened and organised to concentrate the staff on the rehabilitation of the tracks better. Charles de Cordon, who was in charge of the two Lyons racecourses, has been recruited a clerk of the ParisLongchamp racecourse. 

Also, works and arrangements have been undertaken to improve the experience of our various audiences: the sanitary, the protection of the private boxes from the wind draft, the VIP entrance, the cloakrooms of the jockeys, the footing in the stables have all been improved to offer better welcome and better working conditions.