Dirt flies as horses race across the track. Fans cheer as their favorite thunders down the track, dashing hooves toward the finish line.
That sight and sound has disappeared from some North American racetracks, which have replaced the traditional dirt with a synthetic surface made of wax-coated sand, fibers and recycled rubber.
It cushions hoof strikes and limits kickback that could fly in the face of chasing horses.
From owners to trainers and jockeys to bettors, there is a fierce debate as to whether synthetic surfaces are a possible answer to creating safer training and racing conditions.
The death of 12 horses at Churchill Downs, including two on the day of the Kentucky Derby, last month reignited public outrage over what horse racing is doing to prevent catastrophic injuries.
Investigations into Churchill’s deaths are ongoing, including autopsies on the horses and surface soundings along the route.
Synthetic surfaces, known by brand names such as Tapeta and Polytrack, are gaining popularity in some major racing circuits.
Gulfstream Park in Florida added Tapeta in 2021 to match its clay and grass courts. Woodbine, near Toronto, switched from dirt to polytrack and then tapeta in 2016.
In 2015, Polytrack became the first track in North America to be installed at Turfway Park near Cincinnati, and was replaced by Tapeta five years later. There is a Tapeta track on the tiny Presque Isle Downs near Erie, Pennsylvania.
Statistics from The Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database show that the surface with the fewest deaths per 1,000 horses is synthetic.
From 2009 to 2022 there were 534 fatalities on synthetic vehicles from 482,169 launches, or 1.11 per 1,000 launches. During the same period, there were 6,036 off-road fatalities from 3,242,505 launches, or 1.86 per 1,000 launches. And on grass, there were 1,032 fatalities from 728,445 starts, or 1.41 per 1,000 starts.
The overall fatal injury rate was 1.25 deaths per 1,000 starts in 2022, up from 1.39 the year before. According to the EID, this is the fourth consecutive year the rate has fallen and the first time since the database began in 2009 that the rate has been below 1.3 deaths per 1,000.
“In my opinion, synthetics are safer,” said veteran trainer Mark Casse, who estimates he starts about 1,200 horses a year on sand, grass and synthetics in the US and Canada.
However, it has not caught on everywhere.
California race officials ordered the switch from dirt tracks to synthetic tires in 2007. Santa Anita, the now-defunct Hollywood Park, and Del Mar north of San Diego spent millions ripping up their dirt tracks in what turned out to be a failed experiment.
Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay Area is the only California track that still uses synthetic circuits. Eight horses have died on this route this year – three of them had musculoskeletal problems; the others had different reasons.
“If there hadn’t been so many problems early on in California, we would probably all be racing on synthetic tracks,” Casse said, citing the steep initial learning curve associated with installing and maintaining such pads.
Drainage issues cost Santa Anita race days and subsequent installation of a different brand of plastic failed in extreme temperatures. The materials also wore out quickly under heavy use and often more pouring was required to maintain the right consistency.
“I think there were a lot of mistakes, but we’re a lot smarter now,” Casse said.
Dirt still reigns in Louisville, Kentucky; Baltimore and New York, where the Belmont Stakes will be played to conclude the Triple Crown on June 10th.
But change is underway.
In March, the New York Racing Association announced plans to build a 1-mile (1.6 km) synthetic oval at Belmont Park. When completed next spring, it will complement the existing 1 1/2 mile main field track and two grass pitches.
“This is exciting,” Casse said. “It’s a big step.”
Glen Kozak, NYRA’s senior vice president of operations and capital projects, said, “The new racetrack represents an investment in the future of Belmont Park, increasing horse safety, supporting field size in inclement weather, and providing riders with another year-round experience offers training opportunities.” ”
In late 2022, NYRA installed a tapeta surface on Belmont’s pony track, which is primarily used for horse jogging. It provided data on how a synthetic surface behaves in the New York cycle of freezing and thawing temperatures and snow and rain.
An advantage of synthetic surfaces is that they provide a consistent track in all weather conditions. Rain doesn’t force races to switch from the grass to a sloppy field course. Horses that specialize in walking on grass generally have little trouble on artificial grass and can still be competitive.
Hall-of-Fame trainer Shug McGaughey had success walking horses on synthetic material at Gulfstream last winter, although he’s not convinced that the surface is the be-all and end-all to preventing failure.
“I don’t think that will make them go away, but I think the stats show they’re safer than our regular dirt roads,” he said.
Steve Asmussen, North America’s premier trainer with over 10,000 career wins, has a harder time assessing his horses’ strengths and weaknesses and deciding which races to put them in when training on synthetic horses.
“Personally, I have a little trouble getting a clear idea of how good a horse is when I’m training it on synthetics,” he said. “For me, it seems to put them all in the same place.”
The track surface is only one factor that contributes to the safety of horse and jockey.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s new national governing body, began its anti-doping and drug control program in late May, making next week’s Belmont Stakes the first Triple Crown race under its jurisdiction.
HISA’s racetrack safety program began last year and includes track surface maintenance and testing requirements.
