NTRA Conference To Focus On Racing, Training and Event Surfaces

The NTRA Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Mar. 6-8, at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

An opening reception Mar. 6 will be followed by a day and a half of discussions and demonstrations. The full agenda for the conference will be released later this month, but confirmed speakers and topics include:

• Dennis Moore, Racetrack Consultant and Superintendent, will demonstrate the use of lasers for grade measurements and how to check grades on horse racing and arena surfaces;
• The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, a group of university and industry professionals developing education and research for the equine sports turfgrass industry, will host a session on the development of testing methods for surface testing of cross-country courses in British and North American Eventing;
• Glen Kozak, Senior Vice President of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), will lead a panel that discusses the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Surfaces Regulations and the process for implementation and reporting;
• Oliver Hoberg, Footing Expert for the Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports, and Lars Roepstorff from the Swedish University of Agriculture, a veterinarian and equine surgeon and one of the world's leading experts on equine footing surfaces, will discuss the use of FEI criteria and practical implications for FEI 5* events and Olympic equestrian facilities;
• Kaleb Dempsey, Materials Engineer at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL), will demonstrate the integrated track tester which can measure moisture and cushion depth on dirt tracks as well as monitor the condition of turf tracks; and
• Mackenzie Rockefeller, Manager at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, will demonstrate the new Maintenance Quality System (MQS) database developed by The Jockey Club which will allow reporting for the HISA data to be produced automatically.

The Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be offered free of charge to all registered attendees. For additional information and to register for the event, contact Danae Fryman at dfryman@NTRA.com.