Horse Racing Puts Real Hopes for Future on Synthetic Tracks

The Belmont Stakes will be run Saturday without Barbaro, and despite the debate about why the Kentucky Derby winner broke down with life-threatening injuries in the opening moments of the Preakness, there probably never will be an answer.

Whatever the theory -- from a simple “bad step,” to what veterinary surgeon Dean Richardson dismissed as “conspiracy theories” about an overlooked injury on Barbaro’s false start, to contentions he might have been bumped by Brother Derek -- the result is the same. After extensive -- and expensive -- measures to save his life, Barbaro is recuperating in a Pennsylvania stall.

Some believe Barbaro’s ultimate legacy might be an increasing acceptance of the synthetic racetrack surfaces many think could help save horses’ lives by reducing catastrophic injuries.

Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., became the first North American racetrack to install the synthetic surface known as Polytrack -- a grayish-colored surface made of synthetic fibers, recycled rubber and fine sand, all coated with wax -- last year. The track reported that in a comparable period, injuries resulting in horses being euthanized fell from 24 to three after the switch.

The change is coming in California too. The state racing board voted last month to require the tracks at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Del Mar, Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields to replace their dirt tracks with synthetic surfaces before the end of 2007.

California is the only state requiring synthetic surfaces for its major thoroughbred tracks and, although individual tracks are contemplating the change, no other states have announced plans to follow suit.

“I think injuries will be drastically reduced,” said Richard B. Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, which gave preliminary approval to the rule in February and made it official in May after a public-comment period.

“We were on this road well before Barbaro’s accident,” Shapiro said. “Believe me, it is a tragedy. I believed the horse was going to win the Triple Crown. Now he’s going to become the poster boy for doing this. Unfortunately, if he was a $10,000 claimer he wouldn’t have gotten the same treatment if he suffered the same injuries.”

Trainer Richard Mandella has been one of the supporters of synthetic surfaces in California.

“I’ve spoken to trainers all over the world, in England, Dubai, Kentucky. The common thing they all say is, it’s safer,” Mandella said. “You can make a lot of arguments about which horses prefer it, or style of running.” The bottom line is, Mandella said, “it reduces injuries and breakdowns. And any time you stop a horse from breaking down, you also might be saving an injury or even the death of a rider.”

The synthetic surfaces -- which in addition to Polytrack are known by such brand names as Tapeta Footing, Cushion Surface, Equestrian Surfaces and StaLok -- are said to reduce injuries because of a cushioning effect that is “kind” to horses, and because the material provides more consistent footing in all types of weather conditions.

“The best way to understand it is to walk on it,” said Nick Nicholson, president and chief executive of Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., which is installing a Polytrack surface on its main track after experimenting with the surface on a training track.

“I’ve seen hundreds of horses take their first few steps and give a ‘huh,’ a horse ‘huh,’ ” said Nicholson, whose company is part owner of Turfway Park and has struck a deal with the British originator of Polytrack to be the product’s North American distributor.

Another synthetic surface, Tapeta, developed by trainer Michael Dickinson, will be installed this summer at Fair Hill Training Center near Elkton, Md., the home base of Barbaro’s trainer, Michael Matz.

Matz already was a fan of synthetic surfaces for training, having taken Barbaro to Keeneland before the Kentucky Derby largely so he could train on the experimental Polytrack there in case of bad weather.

Whatever the differences in synthetic tracks, one thing they have in common is expense: It typically costs $7 million to $8 million to install the surfaces on a racetrack over a new vertical drainage system, every bit as important as the new surface.

Supporters say the economic benefits include not only the value of horses that might not be lost or injured, but potentially larger field sizes for races and fewer cancellations because of weather conditions, as well as reduced maintenance costs because the new surfaces don’t require as much harrowing and watering.

Whether synthetic racing surfaces might one day be looked at in the same way as early versions of artificial turf in other sports remains to be seen.

“One of the ways people try to deter you from doing things is by raising alarm bells,” said Craig Fravel, executive vice president of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, a proponent of synthetic surfaces for several years.

“There have been concerns about whether horses inhale the material, or jockeys, or something environmental. We’ve been asking those questions, but these surfaces have been in use in the UK in some cases for 15 years. We’ve sent vets from the University of California to meet with vets in the UK. There’s been absolutely no concern, and we’ve had test reports from board-certified toxicologists.”

Del Mar, which must first get approval from the Coastal Commission, hopes to begin installing a synthetic surface in the fall, a process that should take about eight weeks, Fravel said.

Hollywood Park might proceed with an installation as soon as this summer, during a window when Del Mar is open and local training is at Santa Anita.

Despite uncertainty about the long-term future of racing at Hollywood Park since Bay Meadows Land Co.’s purchase of the property last year, Jack Liebau, Hollywood Park’s president, said he was operating on the assumption that racing would continue at the site beyond 2008, the company’s guarantee at the time of the purchase.

Liebau added, however, that the surfaces still should be considered in “the experimental stage.”

“Anyone making an investment of this magnitude holds their breath and hopes it turns out well,” he said. “I think there’s enough evidence out there now that the tracks are kinder to the horses, and that’s of paramount importance.”

Installation at Santa Anita probably will occur during the Del Mar meet next summer, with Hollywood Park’s stable area remaining open.

But Ron Charles, executive director of Magna Entertainment’s California tracks at Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields, said he still had some concern about how the synthetic mixtures -- typically produced for wet-weather or cold-weather climates -- would fare in warmer temperatures at Santa Anita.

“Wax is a major component, and we’re looking at the high 90s and in some cases 100 degrees,” he said.

Shapiro, the CHRB chairman, says he expects the producers of the synthetic mixtures to make adjustments for warm weather and find ways to reduce the “kickback,” or amount of material kicked into the air, considered a problem by some at Turfway Park.

Still, he said he had little concern over any handicapping issues or historical racing records -- some of which might last longer if tracks shift from dirt.

“I think it may be a little slower,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t care. I don’t think we should be looking at how fast it is. We should be looking at how they can go out safely and come home safely.”