Del Mar: Where new turf will meet the surf

Del Mar's new turf course is expected to help lure a future Breeders' Cup.

DEL MAR If you think putting in a new turf course at a race track is as simple as watching grass grow, well, you dont know worms about turf.

For an understanding of how involved it is to put in a new grass course for 1,200-pound race horses at Del Mar, know this: It all started Oct. 1, 2012 when sprigs of Greg Norman 1 (GN1) Bermuda grass were planted on a sandy, 12-acre plot in Coachella Valley.

Now February, 2014, that grass is mature and more than ready to be cut, rolled and transported to where the new and improved turf will meet the surf at Del Mar. For nearly a year and a half, the Pacific Sod Company has followed a stringent growing and maintenance plan developed by Del Mar to grow the new turf course.

Thats almost a year and a half of growing, which is unheard of (for a project like Del Mars), said Leif Dickinson, turf and landscape superintendent at Del Mar. It was costly to do, and we dont have NFL money here. But what we have is turf that is as strong as we can make it. That was the key. Grow strong turf and grow it for as long as possible. Its in very good shape. Its ready to go.

Dickinson said the original plan to roll out Del Mars new grass was delayed by more than a month because of soft ground discovered along the backstretch. The plan called for the turf to be put in by early January. The old turf course was installed in 1959-60 for the 1960 summer meeting. It had 53 meetings run on it before it was dug out last fall. It had hidden challenges.

A lot of areas had to be dug out, said Dickinson, who installed Santa Anitas present downhill turf course in 1996. We found soft spots that were difficult to compact. Were at sea level or below here. If you dig down too far, the way it was described to me, its kind of like a cookie on top of a milkshake. If you break through the cookie, theres nothing left below but milkshake. Weve had to re-form the cookie in some areas that needed it. It had to be re-compacted and sealed.

Dickinson said the target date for installing the new grass and sod has been pushed back to Feb. 21 or thereabouts. He said even if the turf doesnt go in until early March, the course will be ready for the Del Mar summer meeting that goes from mid-July to September.

With our climate, well be OK with the latter part of February or even the first part of March (for placing the new turf), Dickinson said. Thats when things actually start to grow here anyway. Its not a deal breaker. Were just anxious to get it down.

When Del Mar opens in July, its tracks will sport vastly different looks and its turf will be treated very differently. The turf course will be wider, making it more attractive for a future Breeders Cup because the turf course will handle 14 horses instead of the 12 in previous years. Del Mar remains in ramped up discussions with Breeders Cup officials who want to bring the games national championships, two days of Grade I racing in early November, to Del Mar, possibly as early as next year and certainly by 2016.

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Del Mar: Where new turf will meet the surf