LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Despite the year that was 2020, Louisville's most famous racetrack is sprucing up the track with a $10 million investment in its turf track.

What You Need To Know

  • Churchill Downs investing $10 million in new turf course

  • Current turf is the same one originally created in 1985

  • The new track will be wider and have better drainage

  • The new turf will allow up to 14 horses per race

Churchill Downs announced it will install a new turf course that will be wider and more durable than the current track to allow for increased turf racing throughout the year.

The capital project will start after the 2021 Spring Meet and be ready for turf racing at the start of the 2022 Spring Meet.  If Mother Nature cooperates and growing conditions are good, the new grass course might be ready for use by the November 2021 Fall Meet. 

Currently, the Matt Winn Turf Course is a 7/8-mile oval sitting inside the one-mile dirt track at the Downs.  The current turf is the original surface that debuted 35 years ago with Churchill started grass racing in 1985. For those of you who are interested the turf track is made up of four-inch high Kentucky 31 Fescue (90%) and Bluegrass (10-%) grown in a three-inch topsoil layer over a 13-inch course masonry sand base. 

The new course will be a similar blend of fescue and bluegrass but will have a different subsurface.  There will now be a six-inch upper root zone created with a blend of topsoil and grit sand which will sit on a six-inch lower sand level made with masonry sand.  Churchill planted test patches in 2019 and found this one was the best for the new turf course.  

The new track will be widened to 85 feet from 80 and will include a state-of-the-art irrigation and drainage system.  It will also provide multiple rail movement options with the ability to accommodate four racing lanes and as many as 14 horses per race. 

The United Kingdom-based STRI Group will design the new surface.  STRI has been involved with the design, construction, and maintenance of other world-class turf courses, including Ascot Racecourse and Riyad Equestrian Club.  It has also consulted on grass used in such events as soccer's FIFA World Cup, tennis' Wimbledon, and golf's Open Championship.

Because of the construction, there will be no stabling at Churchill Downs for eight weeks in July and August.  There will also be no turf racing during the September 2021 Meet so that the roots can grow and the turf takes hold. 

There are approximately 700 races a year at Churchill Downs during its three race meets and 25% of those are scheduled for the turf. 

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