Churchill Downs
We have performed a range of services at Churchill down including geotechnical investigations, special inspections, construction materials testing, and even testing of the makeup of the track soils to ensure its composition is conducive to thoroughbred racing.
Some of the projects on which we provided a full range of services include:
Derby Museum
Turf Track
Tunnels below the tracks
Video Board
Grandstands (various sections)
As an example, we provided the geotechnical report for the video board, recommending drilled pier foundations to handle the large lateral loads generated by wind. We also monitored their installation and provided inspection on the structure supporting the video board. This video board was, and may still be, the largest 4K video board in the world, the 171-foot wide by 90-foot-tall video board sits 80-feet above the ground and tops out at 170-feet in height so that fans throughout the racetrack are able to view crystal clear racing content.
As Greenbaum Associates, Inc., we also excavated below the older sections of the grandstand to expose foundations and determine their size. Borings were performed throughout the facility to determine whether existing foundations are competent to support added loading from new construction and for the design of new foundations to support new construction elsewhere on the facility, from the infield to the grandstands to the paddock and beyond.
We also provided similar services in conjunction with construction of the 7/8-mile oval turf track situated inside the one-mile dirt track. It is comprised of four-inch-high Kentucky 31 Fescue (90%) and Bluegrass (10%) grown in a three-inch topsoil layer over a 13-inch course masonry sand base that acts to drain the track and provide an optimum running surface for horse racing.
