I AM a believer that year end figures tend to average the same with our weather, however recent years has shown the weather patterns have changed to more extreme conditions with prolonged wet, dry or cold spells.

September and October were particularly dry and that posed Hereford Racecourse, and many others, a few headaches in preparing the ground.

I know Halo Leisure was crying out for rain for their greens in the centre of the course, as were we for the track by way of example.

With almost no measurable rainfall during October, a lot of rain has fell during the past few weeks and what a difference it has made to our ground.

The clocks have changed, the days are shorter and moisture tends to stay in the ground for longer now so we look forward to some proper jump racing ground in the months ahead, all being well.

Winter poses other challenges and we are now investing in fleece type frost covers to help protect our ground when temperatures drop.

Whilst there is no guarantee they will stop frost penetrating the ground, they do offer additional protection and reassurance that as a team we have done all we can to prepare the track for racing in cold conditions.

Rebecca Davies, Hereford Racecourse executive director and clerk of the course.