PETE MERCER'S COURSE NOTES

Please note that significant changes have been made to the Penshurst course. Details will appear here shortly.

A race at Penshurst involves just under two and a half circuits of what is nearly a rectangular track. A kink to the left after the start and the first two fences; a swing round to the right and then, just before a gentle turn to the left, comes the third.

Another hundred yards and then the runners turn into the finishing straight with one more fence to be jumped there before passing the line for the first time. The ground is still going gently uphill and there is a quite a long run, past the paddock and horse boxes, before the next two jumps which again come closely together.

The runners then swing downhill back towards the start. There is one fence down the hill which the runners tend to take at considerable pace - although it causes no more fallers than any other fence on the track. The runners then swing left handed past the start area. Since the runners are travelling at speed at this point, riders have been known to have difficulties on horses with steering problems.