Effect of drainage and soil amendment on the quality of horse racecourse turf under simulated use

"The construction of horse racecourses with sand-dominated rootzones is an attempt to maintain racing conditions in a narrow range of physical parameters such that despite soil compaction, sufficient air–filled porosity and drainage performance within the rootzone is maintained. When a large financial investment cannot be economically justified, the improvement of drainage, the modification of the native soil, or a combination of both of these, represent alternative tools for a low-cost approach to enhancing track performance. The use of compost in place of graded sand could further reduce construction costs. A field trial was set up to study the influence of pipe drainage and topsoil amendment, with sand or compost, on a turf grown on a silt-loam soil. The following characteristics were evaluated after the application of two levels of simulated horse-type wear: hoof mark depth, ground cover, shoot density, polystand composition, verdure dry biomass, thatch thickness, root depth, root density, water infiltration rate, soil water content and penetration resistance. Pipe drainage appeared to reduce the hoof mark depth, probably as a result of increased soil strength due to an increase in cohesion in a drier soil. Topsoil amendment with compost resulted in a better ground cover and quality while topsoil modification with sand reduced hoof mark depth and improved water infiltration rate. Based on the results of the this research, the construction of a racecourse with both pipe drainage and topsoil amendment with sand may provide a racing surface with better performance compared to most un-drained soil-based tracks.