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.

Injuries Not Uncommon

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.

Assessing the Tracks

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.

Officials at Keeneland Race Track in Lexington, Ky., have acted. Last year they installed a new $9 million synthetic surface, which they believe will provide a possibly lifesaving cushion to their horses.

"It's easier for the horses," said Darrin Miller, the man who trains this year's Derby challenger Dominican. "The horses are covering the ground a lot more easy."

Miller and others say the surface at Keeneland, known as Polytrack, provides a bit more bounce and absorbs the hit from a hoof rather than the hoof absorbing the hit from the surface. Made of fibers, rubber bits, sand and a waxy cover, Polytrack tends to give horses the same "feel" they would get from running on grass or turf.

"One of the great things about this surface is that it has the ability to have some recoil effect, some springing effect," said veterinarian Stuart Brown. "It's less tiring on the horse."

Indeed, when you step on Polytrack, you can actually feel the surface rise to fill in the the impressions left by a footprint.

Bottom line, said Brown, "it extends the number of starts that our equine athletes have because it's easier on their limbs, and they'll actually perform very well on it."

Michael Matz, who was Barbaro's trainer, agreed.

"I think some day all tracks are going to probably be synthetic surfaces," Matz said in an interview at Keeneland.

Fellow trainer Chris Speckert cited another reason for synthetic surfaces. Because the horses are not distracted by kickback, because the field is dry and because they are less fatigued, the result, he said, is "tremendous entertainment for the public because the race is not over until the wire."

"You just don't know who's going to win," he added.

Tradition vs. Safety

There are those who are not big fans, though. Railbirds and oddsmakers don't like the synthetic track surface because it takes away some intangibles they have used in the past to make educated wagers.

Bob Zanchelli was at Keeneland the other day bemoaning the introduction of Polytrack.

"By making all the tracks Polytrack, it takes away from the knowledgeable bettor's best chances," he said. "I love to see a muddy track because it gives me a little bit of an edge because I know my breeding."

Because two dozen horses had to be put down at Arlington Park near Chicago last summer, officials there said, "Enough." Polytrack has been installed in time for this week's opening day.

So why has Polytrack, or something like it, not yet been installed at any of the Triple Crown courses.

At Pimlico and Belmont, financial considerations seem to be involved. But what about at Churchill Downs, the most famous race course in the country and home to the most famous race?

"We will put our safety record up to anyone in the industry," said Steve Sexton, the president of Churchill Downs, where horses run on a mixture of sand and clay. "We have one of -- if not the best -- surfaces in the country."

But as hallowed and steeped in history as Churchill Downs is, there is much more concern about the safety of the horses and jockeys than there is about tradition.

Churchill Downs is watching closely to see how the synthetic surfaces stand up to the daily pounding.

"We'll see how the surface will sustain itself. Will it indeed have a better safety record? We hope so. So we'll see. If the artificial surfaces can enhance safety and they can improve and enhance safety over a period of time, then we're all for them," Sexton said. "Tradition or not."