Steeplechase racing is a grassroots sport—and maintaining the turf on the course is a lot more complex than watching grass grow. Winterthur recently undertook an ambitious restoration of its 15-acre racecourse. At the helm of the project was Logan Freeman, who got his start managing turfgrass for golf courses and is now reviving turf in such prestigious venues as Baltimore’s Pimlico (home of the Preakness), Maryland Polo Club, and South Florida’s Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows Training Center. “He’s passionate about working in the equine sports turf world because rider and horse safety are what he strives for each day,” says race director Jill Abbott. “Logan knows that high-quality agronomics go a very long way in achieving this goal.”
Freeman calls it the most challenging and difficult arena in turf sports. “And I find it extremely rewarding,” he says. “By providing safer, great turf, we can expand the excitement that comes with horse racing.”
Steeplechase courses also contribute to the quality of life in their communities. “We grow a cover crop; we reduce noise pollution; we preserve open space,” Freeman notes.
Freeman grew up in Idaho, where his father and grandparents competed in rodeos, bull riding and roping. And while his wife is an accomplished equestrian, Freeman, ironically, is extremely allergic to horses. “I can watch them from a distance while they’re racing, but I can’t touch them,” he says.
Jump racing is held exclusively on turf courses. In the Mid-Atlantic, where it’s notoriously difficult to grow turf grass, Winterthur and other venues opt for a tall fescue-bluegrass mix that reliably puts down roots in the Brandywine Valley. With the USDA shifting growing-zone classifications last year, Freeman and other turf managers are taking a forward-looking view in keeping courses robust. “Climate change is putting a greater emphasis on weather conditions that are very dry and very wet,” he says. “We’re addressing this with turf that’s bred to handle these differences in the weather.”
At Willowdale, a low-tech irrigation system helps keep the turf watered and healthy. “It’s a godsend but extremely labor-intensive,” says Willowdale founder Dixon Stroud.
At Willowdale, a low-tech irrigation system helps keep the turf watered and healthy. “It’s a godsend but extremely labor-intensive,” says Willowdale founder Dixon Stroud, who notes that it typically takes two days to manually move irrigation pipes around the 15-acre racecourse, the heart of the 175-acre property.
Like most courses, Willowdale’s is aerated twice each year, which reduces soil compaction and allows water and nutrients to get to the roots of the grass. Any divots and ruts in the course formed by racing in rainy weather or on a muddy course must be dealt with right away before they dry. Willowdale and Winterthur rely on dedicated volunteers who take on the arduous task of filling these divots. “It’s got to be done by hand, and it’s literally hard, boots-on-the-ground work—but there’s no way around it,” Stroud says. “We’re extremely fortunate to have such generous help from community members, many of whom come out to Willowdale without being asked.”
“Any divots and ruts in the course formed by racing in rainy weather or on a muddy course must be dealt with right away before they dry.”
In steeplechase racing, grass is tall—as much as eight inches high on race day. When the grass is mowed before a race depends on the turf’s rate of growth. “It could be as close as five days before the race or as far out as 10 days,” notes Charlie Fitzgerald, who manages turf for Radnor Hunt.
And since the course isn’t irrigated, Fitzgerald is always hoping for some timely rain. “The cost for an irrigation system for one event doesn’t make financial sense for us,” he says. “We have to rely on Mother Nature.”
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