• As it has been a nice summer, the runners this weekend will have acclimatised to running in warm weather, to be honest they are better at this than us humans. 
• Specially trained vets & our horse team will keep a close eye for any early signs of distress. 

• Horses are best cooled from the outside in, there are 16 fixed equine showers plus a Water Boy (think mobile shower) if needed on the track. 
• York adopted water misting fans over a decade ago, they do exactly what it says on the tin, it is an industrial fan connected to a hosepipe to make mist! 
• Ice will be added to the water troughs, so when you see those buckets being flung over the runners, be jealous. 

For the Track

• The irrigation system consists of 360 state-of-the-art sprinklers connected to two boreholes. This means that neither mains nor river water is being used. 
• Even in this dry spring and summer, we have only used about a third of the permissible volume of borehole water, so plenty left in that sandstone. 
• The team water during the night, the most efficient time for both absorption and when winds are lightest. 
• Using what is known as a wetting agent, means that the water is better transferred to the roots of the grass rather than sitting on top, in layman’s terms each drop is made 20% more efficient

• The living roof in the Bustardthorpe End is irrigated by the rainwater harvesting from the adjacent canopy.

For Racegoers

• The dress code has been relaxed.
• Water is available free of charge from all the main bars.
• There are drinking fountains and taps around the racecourse.
• Suncream is available free of charge from dispensers and the Racecourse Office.
• Treat yourself to some locally made ice cream.
• Modern buildings are air conditioned, though the number of doors can limit the impact of it.
• The umbrellas and the canopies do offer shade, take care they are not a sun block just a 20% reduction in those rays. 

• There is iced water at every start for the stalls handlers and those working in the sunshine.
• Our grounds team have altered their working day, doing more in the relative cool of the early morning.
• The relaxation of the dress code extends to our team. 
• People who have roles that mean they are standing in the sunshine are being rotated and rested during the afternoon.

• Our four-legged helpers at the gates have not been forgotten.
• Look out for their dog bowls and the canopy they are working beneath.
• As valued members of the team, they too will work in shorter shifts