turf course

Eight days after turf racing was halted at Parx amid pressure from horsemen and HISA, HISA officials released their evaluation of the turf surface, saying that the holes had been filled, but the surface was noticeably dry. Causes Trouble (Creative Cause) broke down on the grass in the Aug. 24 Parx Dash, leading his trainer, Harold Wyner, to walk the course and release a video that showed numerous holes, some of them up to a foot deep. Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's President Bob Hutt said he was ignored when he demanded...

The problematic, $10-million turf course that was installed at Churchill Downs prior to the 2022 spring season will be getting another maintenance break that will mean no grass racing in Louisville for the upcoming Sept. 12-29 meet. Usage of the Churchill turf course has been curtailed on several occasions over the past two years because of concerns over its growth, maturity and root establishment. Darren Rogers, Churchill's senior director of communications, told TDN on Thursday that track management expects the course to be usable in time for the autumn meet...

One horse was pulled up and eventually vanned off the track, while another suffered a catastrophic injury during the running of Sunday's fourth race at Saratoga. A field of six went to the post in the 11-furlong allowance on a turf course officially labeled 'good' for Sunday's racing after riding yielding Saturday following heavy rains that canceled the last four races on Friday. The Graham Motion-trained Frivole (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}) saved ground from her inside draw and maintained that position through the stretch for the first time, but her action...

Officials with Fair Hill Races, which annually holds jump racing events in Elkton, Md., announced Thursday the decision to skip the 2021 season and not schedule any races. Traditionally held in May, the Fair Hill Races are extremely popular with both the racing segment and the general public. While uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and safety regulations came into play, the cancellation was also an opportunity to let the newly installed turf surface mature. Through a $20 million public-private partnership between the state of Maryland and the Fair Hill Foundation, upgrades to...

Officials at Keeneland have announced that they will card just one turf race for each of the final three days of the fall meet Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A total of 2 ½ inches of rain fell in Lexington Monday and Tuesday and the forecast for the next 10 days remains changeable, with additional precipitation a possibility. On Friday and Saturday, race nine will be the afternoon's feature and will remain on the turf, weather permitting. Thursday's race six allowance will also stay on the grass. All other races originally...