In part one of a two-video series, Ross Birkett takes us on a tour of Newmarket Heath focusing on the gallops used by trainers based on Racecourse side of town.
Our guide, Birkett, has the advantage of having been born and bred in Newmarket allowing him the opportunity to ride in Newmarket's Racecourse side since he was 13 years old. Over the course of his riding career he has learned not only the layout of the Newmarket Heath and all of its gallops, but also the history of landmarks and tracks.
Here we have an in-depth tour of the grass gallops: the Flat Gallop, Summer Gallop, Peat Moss, and the Water Gallop. Birkett explains the terrain and use of each gallops and how trainers choose which gallop to run their horses.