Report: Churchill Downs takes new steps to improve turf course

Churchill Downs doesn’t want to see a repeat of its turf course’s poor performance this year, and it is taking steps to improve the surface.

BloodHorse reported that Churchill officials met with consultants after the November meet and began a multi-step process to make the turf more durable.

Darren Rogers, Churchill Downs senior director of communications and media services, told BloodHorse that “the roots were not going deep enough and growing deep enough into the growing medium. They were going about three inches deep. The roots and the organic were too thick and they were just kind of sitting up there in the top."

The first step was to cut the grass very short and then aerate it six inches deep and inject it with angular sand to make the course more stable, according to the report.

Vertical blades then were used to remove organic buildup, and the course was sanded and seeded this month, according to the report. The course was fertilized and covered with growth blankets, which keep the turf 25 degrees warmer than the air temperature, giving Churchill Downs a “head start,” Rogers told BloodHorse.

"Right now everything appears to be going according to plan in discussions with our consultants,” he said. “We've invested $10 million into this course and nobody wants it to perform at its maximum more than we do."