Playing To Win

SURFACES

TURF

Turf courses are newer to American racing than their dirt counterparts, but they've become very popular with the horsemen, as turf is usually kinder to a horse's legs, and the betting public likes the challenge.

As we said before, horses are usually bred for the turf. With the globalization of the breeding industry, main European runners spend at least part of their stud or broodmare career in the States. Consequently, plenty of turf influences show up in American horses.

Turf courses are made up of a mixture of grasses on a sandy loam base, and like the dirt, have a drainage layer beneath that. Again, a chart of a few tracks and their turf mixtures.

Track	Turf	Base
Del Mar	bermuda	24" sand
Laurel	fescue, rye, bluegrass	sand
Arlington	fescue, rye, bluegrass	sand
Churchill Downs	fescue and bluegrass	sand

Just like taking care of your lawn at home, certain grasses grow better in certain climates: the dry and warm California climate is conducive to Bermuda, while traditional grasses grow better in the Midwest. How a horse gets over the turf course is a matter of their personal preference as much as anything.

Sidelight: Tomlinson Ratings for Turf Horses

The Daily Racing Form includes a Tomlinson number in their past performances. The Tomlinson number was developed by handicapper Lee Tomlinson to help foretell a horse's affinity for a particular surface. The Form includes a rating for a horse at today's distance, on a wet track, and on the turf. For more on how to use Tomlinson numbers, click here: www.drf.com/misc/tomlinson.html.

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• -Life Cycle

303-Track Conditions

• Intro
• Dirt
• Turf
• Distances
• Track Conditions