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Dickinson, Ziegler Among Speakers For 2021 Track Superintendents Field Day

A strong lineup of speakers has been announced for the 20th annual Track Superintendents Field Day set for June 14-15 at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. The meeting brings together track superintendents and staff to discuss best practices related to track maintenance, safety and operational issues for racing and training facilities.

Among the speakers on the agenda are Joe Morris, senior vice president of racing for Caesars; Mike Ziegler, senior vice president and general manager of Churchill Downs, Dr. Michael DePew, an agronomist/soil scientist and industry-leading leading soil expert; trainer Michael Dickinson, president of Tapeta Footings Inc.; Dr. William Farmer, equine medical director for Churchill Downs Inc.; and Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA.

“There is nothing more important to horsemen than the safety of horses and jockeys, so I'm looking forward to interacting with the men and women who work tirelessly to make our racing surfaces as safe as possible,” said Hamelback.

Registration is now open for the event, and there are no registration fees for track supers and staff thanks to the support of sponsors.

“We are excited to have such a distinguished list of speakers this year and think this will be one of the best gatherings we've ever had,” said Roy Smith, founder of the event and track superintendent at Indiana Grand. “We encourage not only track supers to attend, but also those from training centers as well as farms with training surfaces.”

For more information, go to www.tracksupers.com.

The post Dickinson, Ziegler Among Speakers For 2021 Track Superintendents Field Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Indiana Grand Donates Old Track Surface Material To Community Project

In preparation for a project on the horizon for Shelby Parks and Recreation, Indiana Grand Racing & Casino delivered two loads of dirt to Blue River Memorial Park Thursday, April 1. The dirt, which was formerly used as racing surface on the track, will become part of the amphitheater area to be constructed at Blue River Memorial Park.

“The amphitheater at this time has no particular time frame,” said Karen Martin, Executive Director of Shelby Parks and Recreation. “It is in our master plan. As we get dirt to create the mound for the audience to sit on, then preparations will get started for the rest.”

Indiana Grand Track Maintenance Team Members Paul Jordon and Doug Boring delivered two truck loads of material to the site of the future amphitheater. The dirt equaled a total of 20 tons.

Once enough material has been collected, Doug Hunt, City of Shelbyville Street Commissioner, will begin forming the dirt into a “U” shape mound that will extend up at least 12 feet high. Once the mound is in place, drainage will be added and a staging area with dressing rooms will be constructed.

“After an extended period of time, the materials we use on the racetrack become less effective and it loses its bounce when the horses travel over it,” said Roy Smith, Track Superintendent. “We take the material off and replace it with a fresh mixture of sand, silt and clay. The stockpile of previously used dirt will be perfect for the creation of the amphitheater.”

Smith and his team are in final preparations for the upcoming 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, which begins Tuesday, April 13. They are working on both the one-mile dirt course as well as the seven-eighths mile turf course, which is currently equipped with turf blankets to strengthen the grass base and speed up the process of growth. Turf racing is set to commence in early May, pending weather conditions.

Live racing in 2021 will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. In addition, six all-Quarter Horse racing dates are set on select Saturdays starting June 5 at 10 a.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30 beginning at 12 p.m. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.indianagrand.com.

The post Indiana Grand Donates Old Track Surface Material To Community Project appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Track Superintendents Field Day Scheduled For June 14-15 At Indiana Grand

The organizers of the Track Superintendents Field Day are pleased to announce that the 20th edition of the event will be held June 14-15, 2021, at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. The event brings together track superintendents and staff annually to discuss best practices related to track maintenance, safety and operational issues for racing and training facilities worldwide.

“Because Track Supers Field Day is the only annual gathering for the hard-working men and women who help ensure the safety of our horses and riders, we felt it was important to have the event this year after being forced to cancel in 2020 due to COVID-19,” said Roy Smith, founder of the event and track superintendent at Indiana Grand. “We are proud to do our part to contribute to the greater good of the industry by helping put on this event at Indiana Grand, and we look forward to hosting attendees for two days of education, idea-sharing and comradery.”

The event was originally scheduled to be held at Remington Park in Oklahoma City but was shifted to Indiana Grand for a central location that would allow more attendees to drive.

“We sincerely thank Remington Park for everything they did in the original planning of this event, and we hope to be able to hold a Track Supers Field Day there in the near future,” added Smith.

“Caesars Racing is dedicated to safety at all of our facilities, so hosting this year's event was an easy decision for us,” stated Joe Morris, Senior Vice President of Racing for Caesars.

“Thanks to the generosity of numerous sponsors, Track Supers Field Day invites track superintendents and staff to attend with no registration fee,” said Steve Andersen of Equine Equipment, the event's title sponsor. “Attendees are only responsible for their transportation expenses, and a discounted hotel rate will be available soon. Sunday is a travel day this year, and meetings begin Monday morning. We'll have more details to release soon.”

More than 100 attendees convened at the 2019 event held at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia.

“For many years I never attended, and I didn't go the first 10 years or so,” said Doug Bowling, track superintendent at Charles Town. “And then when I started attending, I saw how valuable the networking and friendships are. The classes are always helpful, but you get to put faces with names and develop relationships, and then you have the ability to call someone when you might need a little help. It's one of the greatest tools we have as track supers.”

More information will be coming regarding registration, schedule and speakers at www.tracksupers.com.

The post Track Superintendents Field Day Scheduled For June 14-15 At Indiana Grand appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Track Supers’ Field Day Set For June

The 20th edition of the Track Superintendents' Field Day will take place June 14 and 15, 2021, at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino. The event brings together track superintendents and staff annually to discuss best practices related to track maintenance, safety and operational issues for racing and training facilities worldwide.

The field day was originally scheduled to take place at Remington Park before a decision was made to relocate to a more central location.

More than 100 people participated in the 2019 event held at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Additional information will be forthcoming at www.tracksupers.com.

The post Track Supers’ Field Day Set For June appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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