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We should do all we can to minimise injuries and (in particular) fatalities in all spheres of racing.
Then you just don’t have racing over obstacles. 85%+ of all on-course fatalities occur over obstacles. Pretty damning even when taking into account summer jumping.
As I recall it, US owners and trainers were very much in favour of replacing dirt with polytrack for the very reason that horses were getting so badly injured on dirt that owners would not race in California, those that did had to be barn rest their horses for weeks to recover and field sizes were shrinking year by year.
Some were, some weren’t.
It is too early to tell on injury figures excepting that
US figures for all surface types are far higher than elsewhere
as the horses are stuck in the barns and race flat out when unfit.
Now you might be on to something. The style of racing prefered in NA, and the shortness of most races play a large factor, irrespective of surface.
Speed kills.Few of the US polytracks are properly constructed or maintained – so false ground injuries arise on a potentially safer surface.
I imagine you are using the term "Poly" as a generic catch all for synthetic surfaces. There are several different types of synth in US. Regarding Poly, Martin Collins himself oversaw the installation of the earliest ones. Later Keeneland, the people that run the sales and the racetrack of the same name, bought a 50% stake, and run the NA end of things. They are not a fly by night organisation.
The tracks that utilise Tapeta were installed under the direct supervision of it’s inventor, Michael Dickinson, who regularly consults on it’s maintenance at those tracks.It is no accident that UK trainers train their horses on polytrack if they have the money.
UK, Irish and French trainers train on it because it is
ALL WEATHER
. When you train in a place where it pisses ran most of the time, esp in the winter, it’s essential to have a surface that allows for the most uninterrupted training. I remember when we used to gallop on wood chips prior to the advent of synthetic surfaces. This was for the very same reason… grass turns to ploughed mud if you gallop on it day after day after day after day after day after day, esp when it gets wet. If Poly was safer than grass then why hasn’t every racecourse in the UK from Ascot to Wincanton being ripped up and replaced with it?
StA made a complete mess in "thinking" that polytrack was just a matter of replacing dirt with sand. It crucially relies on an integral drainage system and that was totally missing. Other tracks with zero knowledge and the arrogance not to consult insisted on changing the mix to suit some arbitrary requirements – that resulted in more kickback than dirt, not far less as here. The melting polytrack is another myth as it is tested at those temperatures and works very well in Australia and the Far East.
SA never had Polytrack. It had Cushion track initially, which was installed by the Cushion track people. They themselves screwed up the installation when they altered the mix to withstand high temperatures, a fact which they themselves have admitted and has resulted in a $10m lawsuit.
The Pro Ride people from Australia were then consulted and the Cushion was blended with Pro Ride at their recommendations, before eventually being replaced with Pro Ride. Where are you getting the "arbitrary requirements" and the "arrogance not to consult" from????So they had a big problem which is being "solved" by going back to the original conditions when they had the same big problem. Management by deck chair rearrangement.
If it doesn’t fix the problem, then why not race on a surface that 90% of the horses were bred to run on and that fits the style of racing that most people are used to watching and betting on?
The fact is becoming apparent that synthetic surfaces don’t appear to be any safer.The underlying reason for the higher fatality rate is something you hinted at earlier. American racing is about speed, early and sustained and over shorter distances (95%+ of all races carded in the US and Canada are from 5f to 8.5f). Add in the fact that ever race involves at least one 180 turn, and many two 180 turns (which put a huge strain on limbs, then that combo will result in lot of horses breaking down no matter the surface.
I am not in favour of Summer jumping either.
Why? Because it kills? What about horses killed during the Winter? Any suggestions for that "sphere"?
Suspect synthetics being seen as advantageous to European horses may have a small part in the decision too.
5-2 to the USA on Pro-ride at last years Breeders Cup. Not that there’s any problem reverting to the surface that
they
race on the majority of the time in
that
country for
their
championship series. Should Epsom be dug up to encourage American 3yo’s to come over in June?
The risk to horses jumping on firm ground is in my opinion too great. Therefore I am against Summer Jumping.
Of course horses die in winter too, but the risk is less. There was an excellant thread on here about Cheltenham’s second last. How to reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities. I’d be in favour of anything that reduces injury yet keeps most of the spectacle.
I’d take it you would not be in favour of going back to uninviting vertical fences, concrete posts, no plastic rails and throw away other safety initiatives over the years Cav?
I said "seen as advantageous" I don’t personally believe synthetics were a significant advantage for Euros. Am I saying they should bend over backwards to suit Euros? NO, just do what’s best for safety. Doesn’t matter whether that is pro USA or pro Euro.
If horses shouldn’t jump on firm ground you’d have to get rid of 90% of American steeplechase meets. Soft and yielding turf is pretty rare, even at hunt meets. Colonial Downs, Saratoga, Belmont, etc. host jumps races in the middle of the summer on turf surfaces designed for flat racing, but the injury rate is the same as in the spring and fall and I’ve yet to hear any trainers complain. There is no winter jumps racing (or winter turf racing outside of the deep south) in the US, there’s too big a risk of snow and the courses get awfully icy. Fatalities during US steeplechases seem to be very rare, as are major injuries.
And regarding "uninviting vertical fences", there doesn’t seem to be much of a backlash toward timber racing. The pace is slowed down, so I actually prefer it to the hurdling that make up the rest of American jumps racing.
It stands to reason those racing on firm ground are going faster than on soft going. The combination of speed and a harder surface means injuries and fatalities are bound to be more numerous on firm ground. Punch a soft surface and there is little risk of injury, punch a hard surface enough times and your knuckles will likely be broken. Of course ice or snow would make things trecherous without the right equipment (Scandanavia).
If timber racing is a lot slower that might explain the lack of injuries.
Don’t expect any complaints from trainers (unless the going is rough). Their jobs depend on racing on firm going. If you talk to vets and doctors you might get a different response Miss Woodford.
Value Is EverythingWe should do all we can to minimise injuries and (in particular) fatalities in all spheres of racing.
Then you just don’t have racing over obstacles. 85%+ of all on-course fatalities occur over obstacles. Pretty damning even when taking into account summer jumping.
You should make jump racing as safe as jump racing can be made safe.
You should make flat racing as safe as it can be made safe.
If we are taking it to the nth degree…..
Ban jump racing, ban flat racing, ban show jumping, ban eventing, ban polo, ban dressage, ban endurance, ban horses being allowed in a field, ban stables. Let’s play safe and ban horses altogether.
NO!
Value Is EverythingYou should make jump racing as safe as jump racing can be made safe.
You should make flat racing as safe as it can be made safe.
If we are taking it to the nth degree…..
Ban jump racing, ban flat racing, ban show jumping, ban eventing, ban polo, ban dressage, ban endurance, ban horses being allowed in a field, ban stables. Let’s play safe and ban horses altogether.
NO!
I’m not taking it to the nth degree because if NH racing offers significantly more risk to horses on-course, it has a lot of work to do in the future. I sometimes feel there is a scary "acceptance" culture with on-course NH fatalities.
Rob, could you name all the tracks in Australia and the Far East that race on Poly? Thanks in advance.
No, I can’t.
The ones I know or have heard about about but can’t confirm include:Kranji, Singapore
Japan – eight training tracks with confirmed plans to extend to main tracks
Hong Kong Olympics
There are some in Korea I know nothing about. Seoul has an AW training track.
Near East has Istanbul, Meydan and Al Quoz
Australia has Geelong, Sunset Coast, Toowoomba, Morphetville, Broadmeadow, Gosford, Moonee Valley, Warwick Farm?The Vintner/ jose1993,
Yes I think everyone is aware that there are variations on the official polytrack mix so that other "me too" companies can compete. We have had 3 racing types in UK alone. Polytrack is the generic term used here. The essential point is that whatever the top mix the foundation layers, grades and drainage have to be built to suit and also from the right materials and right grade of materials. It is a holistic system not just a removing of dirt and replacing it with a treated silica sand mix. StA and Turfway have already confirmed they interfered with the advised specifications that worked – both have had to relay and both tried to blame the contractors / designers.
Polytrack for training rather than woodchip, bark, sand, peat etc has the benefits of frost resistance, uniform cushion and consistency, faster going, rapid drainage, proof against stones coming up with consequent foot injuries, it does not disappear over the season so maintenance and inspection is minimal. Above all it does not in itself cause injuries that mean the horse does not even get to the racetrack.
Rob, could you name all the tracks in Australia and the Far East that race on Poly? Thanks in advance.
No, I can’t.
The ones I know or have heard about about but can’t confirm include:Kranji, Singapore
Japan – eight training tracks with confirmed plans to extend to main tracks
Hong Kong Olympics
There are some in Korea I know nothing about. Seoul has an AW training track.
Near East has Istanbul, Meydan and Al Quoz
Australia has Geelong, Sunset Coast, Toowoomba, Morphetville, Broadmeadow, Gosford, Moonee Valley, Warwick Farm?There is no AW racing in Japan. The majority of their day to day racing is on dirt and next to the US they are probably the biggest player in dirt, except maybe Argentina. Yet neither Japan or Argentina have seen the need to switch to Polytrack or any other synthetic.
Al Qouz is not a racetrack, it is training centre.
Moonee Valley does not race on AW surface. They do however have a
synthetic grass
surface… now there’s a concept.
Morphetville doesn’t race on synth. It has an AW training track.
Broadmeadow doesn’t race on synth. It has an AW training track.
Gosford doesn’t race on synth. It has a tiny AW training track inside the turf course.
Regarding Geelong’s Thoroughtrek course, seems they’ve had more that a few problems of their own in the drainage dept and question marks about it’s safety… http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/art … ports.html
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