This episode of Science Behind the Forecast originally aired in May 2022.
Bill Burton: It is time for us to take a look at the Science Behind the Forecast as I am joined by WAVE 3 meteorologist Tawana Andrew. Good morning, Tawana.
Tawana Andrew: Good morning. We're talking something in relation to horse racing today. I feel like that's the perfect time for it.
BB: It is the perfect time to talk about horse racing, because we have the Oaks today, the Derby tomorrow. So we're going to talk about the types of tracks that horses race on. Specifically the dirt track at Churchill Downs. What do we need to know about it?
TA: Yeah. Well, we need to be paying attention to, of course, the types of tracks that these forces are running on. Of course, the derby race itself is always run out of dirt track, but we have also turf races going on, and there are three different types of tracks. There's the dirt, there's a turf and synthetic. Now dirt and turf tracks, those are the ones more likely to be impacted by the weather, and synthetic is more consistent, but it's not really super popular in the United States. In fact, dirt tracks remain one of the most popular overall in the United States. And dirt doesn't always provide enough shock absorption for horses hooves, which is why these many, many race tracks across the country, including Churchill Downs, do so much to make sure that the composition and the care of their track is absolutely perfect. So for Churchill Downs, this is what the overall dirt track has going on. According to them, has a first a 12 inch resilient clay base, which is on top of a 25 foot sandy loam sub base. And then they're eight inches of a sifted and mixed combination of 75% round river sand, 23% silt and 2% clay.
BB: 2%?
TA: Yes, 2% that's on top of the other clay base. Now down says that the top three inches of all of that combination of silt and sand and clay acts as a cushion for the horse, while the five inches below that keeps the horse from ever reaching the sturdy base. So you have crews there who work hard all the time, no matter the weather conditions, to make sure that the dirt tracks are perfect for the horses. You have crews harrowing, rolling, sealing, grading, and even in some cases watering the track, depending on what's going on with the weather. They have the chain harrow that's being pulled behind the tractor that helps to break up the dirt, even creating a more even surface. And in some cases, the track is even watered, just to make sure that the moisture content is absolutely perfect. And one researcher said that the best amount of water to be in a track? 14%.
BB: Very specific.
TA: Very specific. Yes, there's a lot of research that goes into it, because if you think about it, we have the grandstands at Churchill Downs and some other areas of the track are a little bit more exposed, so you can have different conditions going on at different side of the track, depending on where the sun is, depending on where the shade is. So it's it is a very difficult job, and they certainly work hard to do it.
BB: And now we have a much better understanding of how the track works and how weather can affect it, thanks to what I'd like to think of as the most exciting four minutes in radio, Science Behind the Forecast with WAVE 3 meteorologist Tawana Andrew. Thanks for the knowledge, Tawana.
TA: Of course.
This transcript was edited for clarity.
