Nicky Henderson among trainers and jockeys who give general thumbs-up to reconfigured Windsor jumps track

There was plenty of food for thought as officials at Windsor unveiled a new configuration of the track to the public on Monday morning before the impending return of jump racing to the Thames-side course next month.

More commonly associated with Monday evening Flat racing throughout the summer, Windsor staged meetings under both codes until 1998 when management decided to ditch jumping, although the track did host some of Ascot's jumps fixtures while the royal racecourse was redeveloped in 2004 and 2005.

Owners Arena Racing Company (Arc) announced plans in July 2023 to reintroduce jumping from this year and in January revealed that Windsor would join forces with Ascot to stage three days of consecutive jump racing as part of the Berkshire Winter Million in the new year.

Rather than race around the same figure of eight configuration used for the Flat, a continuous left-handed circuit measuring a mile and a half has been mapped out for jump racing, including what is essentially a new back straight, with gallopers from the yards of Jamie Snowden, Ben Pauling, Nicky Henderson and Gary and Josh Moore testing the new course on Monday.

Horses and jockeys at Monday's Windsor gallopCredit: Darren Cool Images

While the new back straight, which will be home to three plain fences and two open ditches, received a general thumbs-up from riders and trainers, both the bend into the home straight and the notoriously tight turn after the winning post did not satisfy everyone. However, track officials are confident alterations can be made to improve the riding experience for jockeys before the comeback fixture on December 15.

"On the whole it was very positive and the ground is lovely with a really nice covering of grass," said Nico de Boinville. "We are here for a reason today and there are possibly a few tweaks and things.

"It's mainly this top bend [after the winning post] that needs a few alterations but apart from that I thought it was very positive and I'm looking forward to coming back in the middle of winter. Everyone is working together and hopefully we'll come up with some solutions."

De Boinville's weighing-room colleague David Bass added: "The bend after the winning post is very tight but that's the only main issue. You could have the chase and hurdle tracks on a shared bend and that will make it more of a sweeping bend. I'm looking forward to riding here and it might be a track where you can nick a race on the bottom bend."

Nicky Henderson was a staunch supporter when Windsor last staged jump racing and has been enthusiastic since plans were revealed for jumping to return.

"It's great to be back and it's a great incentive," said Henderson. "It's going to be different because it's not going to be the traditional figure of eight. The back straight will be lovely, and a bit like going down the back at Newbury. There's possibly just a bit of tweaking needed but otherwise it's an exciting and welcome new addition for racing."

Nico de Boinville: pleased after "positive" Windsor gallopCredit: Darren Cool Images

After taking feedback from riders, including Gavin Sheehan and James Bowen, Charlie Moore, Arc's head of group racing, said a number of changes will be made before the December 15 fixture and he remains confident that the new course will be a success.

"It's been a hugely beneficial morning," said Moore. "The whole reason you have the trials is to iron out anything that is less than perfect. Everyone has been very constructive, very supportive and very keen on the initiative.

"As a result of this morning we've agreed a revised safety limit of 14 runners [from 18] in handicap races and 12 [from 16] for novices, maidens and bumpers. We're also switching the position of the hurdle and chase course on the exit of the bottom bend and we've agreed that we'll have a common [shared] bend around the winning post. I think it's going to ride really well."

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