An all-star panel of national experts on turf management and ongoing maintenance headlines (or leads) the June 7 session of the inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification program, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and University of Kentucky announced Tuesday.
The program is the first in a three-course program entitled “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface.” Jamie Richardson, Racetrack Superintendent at Churchill Downs, will provide introductory remarks at the opening session. Other speakers include:
- Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
- Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
- Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University;
- Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University;
- Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., Director of Agronomy, Mountain View Seeds; and
- Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland
The Racecourse Manager Certification program curriculum is designed for those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance. The online classes are free. Individuals who complete the video courses and pass a test that requires a $50 fee will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Kentucky. Participating Thoroughbred racetracks that enroll their personnel will receive credit toward future accreditation by the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.
Individuals who pre-register at https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/ will be sent a Zoom link prior to the webinar on June 7 at 9 am.
The curriculum for the turf management course was developed by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).
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