Are Synthetic Race Tracks Safer?
Not Enough Data Gleaned; Jockeys, Trainers Don't All Agree
Debate continues among jockeys, trainers, horses, and horsemen in general as to whether synthetic race track surfaces are safer than regulation dirt tracks.
Those who must perform on Polytrack, or Cushion Track, or any of the new synthetic surfaces, the Thoroughbreds themselves, can't express their likes and dislikes directly, but there has been some body language in regard to their preferences.
What the horses say
Apparently, Hard Spun, the Larry Jones-trained colt of 2007 that fought so hard in the Triple Crown races, didn't care what kind of track he used. He ran on anything, anywhere and did fine. His early races were on synthetics, and he was a consistent winner. When he entered the classics, switching gears to regulation dirt tracks, he was still a competitive, front-running wizard.
Pyro, on the other hand, this season seemed to notice a significant difference in changing from dirt tracks to a synthetic surface. Pyro hit Polytrack for the first time in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, finished 10th, and dropped off the radar screen after being rated the No.2 three-year-old in the country behind then healthy War Pass.
What the horsemen say
Top flight trainer Bob Baffert recently expressed unhappiness with the new inventions of artificial materials for tracks. He thinks "that stuff" is responsible for more subtle injuries than he had seen prior to its use.
Horses tend to float across the synthetic surface because they can't dig into it like they can into solid dirt, Baffert surmises. A Thoroughbred's hind legs must be able to plant enough to kick forward, which is why powerful hind quarters are desirable. Baffert indicates he's seen more rear end injuries and soreness in Thoroughbreds he's training when they have run frequently on Polytrack.
Polytrack is the only synthetic that contains crushed rubber, as well as the usual ingredients of sand, fiber, and wax used in other synthetic varieties.
Horseman Jack Swanson of Carmel Valley, California advises that the synthetic surface should not be more than three to four inches deep above firm ground. This cushions the front feet, and allows hind legs to kick off, Swanson explains.
The first time the current winningest jockey, Russell Baze, traveled across Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields in California, he returned with the comment, "Man, that's nice." Other jockeys, in initial test runs on Polytrack at Kentucky's Turfway Park, had complained that chunks of the artificial material could clump up in their horses' hoofs, impeding their progress and presenting a safety hazard.
What the studies say
While it soon becomes obvious to a trainer when a Thoroughbred doesn't like running on synthetics, the issue of whether the surface is more, or less safe is still being studied. Gathered data and statistics will eventually decide the fate of synthetics. Arguably, all-weather surfaces mean more track handle.
