As Horse Racing Revs Up, Reevaluating the Tracks

May 3, 2007 — -- The disturbing image lingers in the mind: Barbaro, last year's Kentucky Derby winner, hobbled by a devastating hind-leg injury before reaching the first turn at the Preakness Stakes, his limb twisted at a horrible angle and held aloft by the panicked thoroughbred.

Tens of thousands of fans at Pimlico Race Track witnessed the accident, along with millions more viewing at home. But Barbaro's demise could have a positive side effect, as the gruesome images have spurred some track owners to search for ways to limit injuries.

What is truly awful about Barbaro's mishap is that it is not all that uncommon in today's horse racing world. Indeed, about two horses every day are put down -- euthanized or destroyed because of on-track injuries at race courses across the country.

Horse racing is a dangerous sport for these handsome steeds as well as their jockeys. A big, powerful animal running at full speed is a thing of beauty, but it can also be terrifying. One misstep or one kick from a competitor can crack a bone and doom a horse.

After Barbaro's injury, the vulnerability of horses became a more prominent issue. Though Triple Crown contestants get silk-glove treatment, some of the problems at lesser-known races and tracks result from too many worn-out horses forced to compete with minimal rest.

But a bigger part of the danger may well lie with track surfaces.

Composed of clay and sand, the race courses at Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont -- the homes to horse racing's Triple Crown events -- are like the vast majority of tracks. They are subject to a certain uneven feel, to a hefty amount of kickback on horses trailing the front-runners and to the vagaries of the weather. Tracks are often sloppy and wet one day, hard and dry the next. Racehorses are meant to run on both.

With a latter-day emphasis on speed horses, breeders are producing yearlings with ever-expanding chests but very slender legs. These legs are prone to injury from the often-unforgiving pounding the traditional tracks administer.

If you have ever been to a horse track and see the horses "head for home" at the top of the stretch, the cacophony of hooves meeting the surface is clearly audible. Indeed, you can feel the concussion in your own legs. Imagine what it's like for horse and jockey.