California's Synthetic Tracks Measuring Up in Safety Statistics

A view of Santa Anita's Pro-Ride track during Breeders' Cup 2008.

TBA blogger Left at the Gate's post today, Good News is No News, calls attention to something we need more of in racing -- positive news!

At the Feb. 26 meeting of the California Horse Racing Board, equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur presented some very promising statistics about California's synthetic tracks. According to Arthur, “We have had one racing fatality at Santa Anita since December 31, and in Northern California we have not had a racing fatality since the Golden Gate meet started on December 26. We went back through the records going back to 2004 and could not find a major racing track with dirt that had no fatalities for a month. Apparently the rain or maintenance changes or other changes solved some of the problems."

In an industry where bad news is sensationalized, it's great to see someone pointing out something positive. Thanks, Left at the Gate!

Sunday Morning Buzz at Clockers Corner: Track Safety

Trainers Eoin Harty and Jack Carava (center) comparing notes.
Clockers' Corner at Santa Anita Racetrack was buzzing this morning with conversations. Leading the list were the results of Saturday's big races, the amount of food consumed on Thanksgiving, and - always a hot topic - the condition of the track surfaces.

It's always devastating to hear of horses breaking down, and this morning's discussions were fueled by several recent injuries. Red Alert, trained by Jack Carava, pulled up with an injury after finishing 4th in Saturday's 3rd race at Hollywood Park. And trainer Mel Stute had to scratch Hurry Up Austin from Saturday's Hollywood Turf Express due to an injury suffered in training at Santa Anita, which will necessitate at least an 8-month rest.

Although there are many factors that can be involved in horse injuries, the focus these days in Southern California is naturally on the performance of the synthetic racetracks. All major California racetracks were required, by a mandate of the California Horse Racing Board in 2007, to install synthetic tracks. To date, statistics do seem to show they are safer for horses and riders; but we are still in the early stages of the learning curve. The type and amount of maintenance needed, in particular, is an ongoing experiment for the Cushion Track at Hollywood Park, the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields, and the newest of them all, the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita.

California's synthetic tracks are not the only ones on which horses are getting injured, however. One lively conversation this morning among trainers Bobby Frankel, Bob Baffert, and Mike Machowsky, and retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens concerned two tragic breakdowns at Aqueduct during Saturday's race card. Wanderin Boy, a 7-year-old who has earned over $1.2 million in his career, suffered a fatal injury to his left front leg during the running of the Cigar Mile, and the 2-year-old filly Springside suffered a fracture to her right front pastern after winning the Demoiselle Stakes by 9-1/2 lengths.

During this morning's discussion, Frankel made a quick call to Richard Dutrow on his cell phone, then reported that Dutrow said the track at Aqueduct is great; he loves it. Aqueduct's track, by the way, is old fashioned dirt. It's not hard to find opinions that are polar opposites among trainers at any one track. Here at Santa Anita, Mel Stute hates the synthetics; Richard Mandella loves them. Most trainers are just hoping they turn out to be part of the solution to the age-old problem of horse injuries. At least the racing industry in California is being proactive, and no one can argue that everyone isn't trying to do what they think is best for the safety of our magnificent equines and the people who work with them.

Santa Anita Tests Pro-Ride Drainage

Santa Anita performed its first large-scale drainage test on the Pro-Ride synthetic track surface Friday morning, running a specially installed sprinkler system to produce an accumulation of water mimicking a good rainfall. Southern California has been experiencing a particularly dry year, with no rain to test the drainage capabilities of the surface since it was installed over the summer.

According to track president, Ron Charles, anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of water hit varying sections of the racetrack, which was then harrowed to facilitate drainage. According to all reports, the track drained well. Trainer Matt Chew tested the footing on horseback and reported it felt good, with his horse getting a good hold of it.

Pro-Ride Up Close

Synthetic Track for Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita

What: Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championship - October 24 and 25 (Friday and Saturday), 2008 - Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita.

It will be here before we know it! This is the 4th Breeders' Cup to be held at Santa Anita Racetrack, and the first time Breeders' Cup has chosen a location to host TWO consecutive Breeders' Cups (yes, it will be held at Oak Tree @ Santa Anita in 2009 also!).

It is also the first one on a SYNTHETIC TRACK. Over the summer, when we were all at Del Mar for the 7-week meet, a brand new surface was installed, including a new drainage system. The new surface, called "Pro-Ride," was installed by Ian Pearse of Pro-Ride Racing International of Australia. The main thing that makes it different from the other synthetic tracks installed in recent months (Cushion Track at Hollywood Park, Polytrack at Del Mar, and Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields), is that they use a special polymer rather than a wax to bind the sand and fibers together.

I spoke to Pearse several months ago, and he explained that they had originally tried wax tracks in Australia but the extremes of cold and heat caused the wax to degrade. It literally melted off the sand. So Pearse developed a polymer specifically for use on synthetic tracks. This is how he described it: "It's all about the molecular structure of the binder. It's multi chained, so you can make it like putty, whereas with waxes you can't do that."

Horses have been training on the surface for about 2 weeks, and the buzz I've heard so far is mostly good. Last week at Clockers' Corner, rider Danny Sorenson told me it feels great to him. He said that he's ridden all different caliber of horses -- from claimers to stakes horses -- on the track in the morning, and every one of them feels comfortable.

I'd love to hear from any other riders, trainers, or fans... your thoughts?