1. 62 GALLOPMAGAZINE
Come
RAILCOME SHINE
If you have ever been to a
racecourse you have seen
them: the rails, the white
fences that mark the
perimeters of the track.
They are one of the most
classic, symbolic icons of
horse racing the world over.
But as ever, there is more
to it than meets the eye.
We went to England to get
the full story on the thin
white lines.
byMATSGENBERGphotoJOHANMARKLUND

2. GALLOPMAGAZINE 63
n the early days of racing,
horses galloped across
whatever fields were avail-
able. In order to ensure
that riders did not cut any
corners and to create a
fairer racing environment,
eventually, poles or flags were erected to
give clear direction to the riders of where
was safe to ride and where was not.
As more and more purpose built race
tracks were created across the globe, it
became increasingly common to install
permanent running rails; this began with
simple wooden fences with one single
board on top, painted in white to be as
visible as possible. The jockeys would
strive to get as close as possible to the rail
in order to ride the shortest, and therefore
quickest, distance from start to finish.
This would sometimes prove to be a
dangerous tactic, as the legs of both the
horse and rider would be very close to
the posts – increasing the risk of injury.
In order to reduce this hazard and avoid
injuries, the top wooden board was often
made wide and placed horizontally so
that a jockey could ride extremely close
to the board, without smashing his leg
into the posts every three meters or so.
Despite this, there were still many ac-
cidents and the primitive rails were the
cause of many injuries for both riders and
horses. Change was needed. Initially, new
materials were tried out; bent metal posts
would extend the board even further
away from the posts and as safety became
a real concern, eventually aluminium and
plastic materials were tested. In the
1970s, the revolution began as plastic
rails were licensed for use at racecourses
in the UK.
”It used to be that rails were just there
to make sure the horse didn’t run the
wrong way,” says Jonathon McGovern,
CEO of Duralock Ltd in Oxford, one of
only a handful of companies in the world
that specializes in equestrian fencing.
”Today the rails are perhaps the most im-
portant technical feature when it comes
to animal welfare and safety. We are in
constant contact with racing authorities
across the globe to discuss new features
or developments.”
MODERN RAILS, SUCH as those that
Duralock manufacture, are made from a
special PVC-u material that features a
number of unique characteristics allow-
ing it to be installed in all climates
around the world. “Our fencing needs to
be able to stand outside for decades in
extreme temperatures; from the freezing
conditions of St Moritz through to the
desert heat of Qatar, without losing shape
or structural integrity. It must never shat-
ter and it has to be of exactly the right
strength,” Jonathon explains.
A jockey must be able to ride in direct
contact with the rail without hurting
himself or harming the horse, and if a
horse bumps into the rail, it should flex
and bend back without breaking and risk-
ing a loose horse – or a field of horses –
running through an open hole in the rail.
However, at the same time if a horse falls
or runs straight into the rail it has to col-
lapse in order for the horse not to be in-
jured. It is a very precise balance which
has been achieved over decades of re-
search and development to attain the
standards of today’s rails.
”Having exactly the right balance in
the breaking force and general flex is the
key to safety.” says Jonathon,
“In the UK, we are lucky that we have so
many racecourses and only one governing
body that has both the means and the
know-how to conduct proper research on
this. At Duralock, we work closely with
them both in developing testing methods
and setting standards that many racing
authorities in other countries follow
when they realise the success.
As a result of all this testing we now
make our rails and posts a distinct oval
shape. This design feature offers a large
surface area towards the horse and rider
and allows for a lot of flexibility. When
the pressure is too strong, the rails will
not break dangerously, but will separate
at the connections between the sections.
This means that in intense and poten-
tially unsafe situations, our rail reduces
the risk as much as possible.”
Modern racing rails are supported by
I
Mile after mile of running rails zig-zagging the
landscape at Cheltenham, England.

3. 64 GALLOPMAGAZINE
‘swan-neck’ posts that bend inward to-
wards the track, extending the top bar 38
cm away from the posts. Jonathon explains
how the swan-neck posts are hollow and
are never inserted into the ground them-
selves as a matter of safety. Instead, metal
rods are hammered into the ground and
the posts are placed atop the section of rod
that is above ground. In order to move a
section of the rail, both the rail and the
posts are simply lifted up and the rods are
extracted and hammered down in their
new location. This means that several hun-
dred meters of rail can easily be moved in
only a few hours, allowing for a truly ver-
satile environment.
”We move rails all the time,” says Phil
Coates, who is head groundsman and re-
sponsible for the tracks at Cheltenham
Racecourse, home of the Cheltenham
Festival where 260,000 people gather for
four days in March to watch some of the
best jump racing in the world. ”Moving
rails needs to be a really quick and swift
operation, where all bits and pieces really
fit and work.”
Looking out over the legendary course
“The best change
since our day has
been the introduction
of plastic rails. My
right leg got smashed
to bits when a lose
wooden rail came out
at Folkestone.
Nowadays I could sue
for millions.”
Davis Mould, jockey
(rode for The Queen Mother,
Gregory Peck, and Winston Churchill)
Rails for people and horses.
Rails in the USA. (Photo: K. Rengert)
Duralock production

4. GALLOPMAGAZINE 65
Jonathon smiles, as he sees some 12,000 meters of his com-
pany’s products zig-zagging across the landscape, turning
the valley into a green and white graphic.
“Do you see the wings by the jumps?We make them too,”
he says. Since 1984 only plastic jump wings are allowed.
“We also manufacture the gates where the horses pass on
the way from the parade ring to the races. It’s the same
idea. It has to be strong, but not stronger than the horse.
We want our product to collapse under considerable pres-
sure - not the horse!”
THE DURALOCK FACTORY is in the middle of racing country.
An hour from Cheltenham, 45 minutes from Lambourn
training facilities and Newbury racecourse and with legend-
ary Ascot an hour away, Duralock are primed for the indus-
try.
However, the factory is actually more of a workshop, as
most items here are custom-made to order with true British
craftsmanship.
At the workshop, specialised PVC in many shapes and
sizes can be seen receiving various manufacturing process-
es, to create the final products.
We are shown around the workshop by Production
Supervisor, Wayne Jones who has been with Duralock 14
years. He demonstrates to us the oval rail and swan-neck
posts with the connecting system.
“All the new running rails we make are of this kind,” he
says. In the early days of the 90s, the system was much sim-
pler. However, we still manufacture the older products for
those tracks that want to complement the railing system
they already have. We work to order and so we are proud to
offer our clients this bespoke service and choice.”
Today the company sells increasingly more products,
meaning that running rail is only a part of their portfolio.
The exact same technology and benefits that were devel-
oped for safety of horse and jockey have also proven to be
useful in other areas of the racecourse as well:
“There are very hard safety measures in place, and we
have a system of very strong fences with mesh, that effec-
tively stop people or animals from coming through,” says
Jonathon. “Almost all new and renovated racecourses go for
PVC fencing for their public areas. There are too many
benefits to ignore.”
Whilst metal and wooden fencing starts looking worn
after only a few years due to rotting posts, peeling paint
and rust, the PVCu Duralock running rails, paddock fenc-
ing, crowd barriers and gates look as good as the day they
were installed, even after three times as long – and all they
need is a pressure wash every few years! Also the oval
shapes and lack of sharp edges turns out to be as safe for
the public as it is for the athletes.
JONATHON, WHO IS in his late 20s, only recently took over
management of the company that his entrepreneur grandfa-
ther, Marcus Wheeler, started some 30 years ago.
“I used to work in the finance sector in London and some of
my old colleagues wonder why I left that world for this,” he
says. “I tell them that I just came back from watching our
rails used in racing in Turkmenistan and that I will spend
the afternoon at Ascot talking to race horse trainers and
theclerk of the course, and that every day I watch as real,
quality products are being manufactured. Then I ask how
many hours per day they spend out of the office or away
from the keyboard. Then the discussion tends to be over...”
Oval rails have many advantages
and can be used in many ways.
Ascot is hallowed ground in horse racing. All fencing in public
areas has now been changed and is made
according to the same principles as the running rails.
Jonathon McGovern, CEO of Duralock.