I think I’m the only guy in Ayr praying for rain
my time... and I’ve been here 20 years all told.
“It’s the uncertainty of the situation that’s probably the worst.
“Everything about this is out of our hands, so we can only wait and see what transpires.
“When you look back at that Gold Cup incident, you had so many people giving their opinion on whether things could have been done differently or not.
“The reality was that it couldn’t and it’s a similar situation here in that you feel pretty powerless.”
Under normal circumstances Graeme, pictured right, would be leading a team of nine full- time groundstaff to keep Ayr’s track in pristine shape.
He added: “This is our peak time of the season and we’d have guys working 24 hours round the clock to have the track prepared.
“I’m probably the only guy in South Ayrshire praying for rain right now because of how dry April has been.
“When you can’t tend to the track as you normally would, it’s hard being apart from it.
“The first couple of days were a novelty but then you’re itching to be out there.
“Right now I’d have guys working on a rota through the night to ensure it was watered.
“So a shower or two wouldn’t go amiss!”
Graeme and the racecourse staff are benefitting from the government’s furlough scheme to keep wages coming in.
But he admits he’d far rather be out tending to his turf.
He said: “Me and my assistant are still managing to come in for the odd look at things and to keep on top of security.
“I’d also like to thank everyone on my team who has volunteered to come in and help with the maintenance and upkeep.
“Some of the casual staff also offered to come in and work for nothing and I appreciate that.
“We all care about what we do and having the track in the best shape possible.
“But right now the place is just eerily quiet... it’s a surreal atmosphere.
“There’s always something on the go at the track, whether it be functions being set up or staff coming and going.
“Hopefully we can get back to that sooner rather than later.
“But we know the bigger picture is everyone staying safe and that’s why these measures are in place.
“When it’s all over, we’ll ensure the track is raring to go for racing to resume.”