ON occasions it may be necessary for Clerks of the Course to advise racecourse managers to irrigate the racecourse in an effort to stop the track from drying out. Each racecourse has a ‘target going’ which it will aim to provide should the Clerk of the Course advise watering in advance of a meeting.

A racecourse’s ‘target going’ for a given meeting will depend on whether a meeting is flat, National Hunt or mixed; part of a multi-day fixture (a festival); and the racecourse characteristics.