Pressure on Woodbine to make right track decision
Mar 8, 2015 17:25:09 GMT -5
Post by Evelyn on Mar 8, 2015 17:25:09 GMT -5
Do you think Woodbine should return to dirt? I do although the Woodbine track may have been the best of the synthetics. I had always heard that horses who ran primarily on synthetic did well on dirt, but not the reverse. Is that true?
Pressure on Woodbine to make right track decision
Toronto Star
Canada’s marquee track must decide whether to maintain the existing Polytrack surface, replace it with a new synthetic like Polytrack or Tapeta or switch back to conventional dirt, the material Woodbine was before 2006 and the surface of the majority of racetracks in North America.
By: Katie Lamb Special to the Star, Published on Sun Mar 08 2015
Right now, Woodbine Racetrack has one fundamental question on its mind: should it stay or should it go? In question is the material of Canada’s marquee track’s surface.
They could go one of three ways: Woodbine Entertainment Group could decide to maintain the existing Polytrack surface, replace the cushion with a new synthetic like Polytrack or Tapeta, or switch back to conventional dirt, the material Woodbine’s main track was before 2006 and the surface of the majority of racetracks in North America.
The decision has a myriad of implications and factors that must be considered. Woodbine must weigh horse and jockey safety, as well as keep Toronto’s ever-changing climate in mind. There are also questions about durability for Woodbine’s eight-month season, not to mention the current trends in North American racing, all to provide the best product possible.
“They definitely need to change the surface they have now,” said Woodbine-based trainer, Brian Lynch. He closed out last season at the track with 33 wins in 143 starts and earnings of more than $1.9 million.
“The material they’ve got, it seems like it’s lost a lot of life that was formerly in it. So whatever decision they need to make about putting a new track in is a good one, whether they get the Tapeta, renew the Poly or go back to conventional dirt.
“But they definitely need to replace the surface they have now.”
Nine years ago, in an effort to increase safety for horses and jockeys, Woodbine Entertainment Group made the decision to change the running surface of its main track — the track that the Queen’s Plate and the majority of the their thoroughbred races are run on. At the time, it was part of a growing belief within the horse racing industry that synthetic tracks — made of a composite of fibres, sand, rubber and a wax coating — provided safer footing for the horses and helped to offer “racing that is consistent, and competitive,” said David Willmot, former chairman and chief executive officer of WEG.
According to the website of Martin Collins, the man who developed Polytrack, the synthetic surface is designed to remain consistent whether horses are racing during temperatures well below freezing or at the height of summer. It was also manufactured to withstand heavy usage and minimize risks of injuries to horses running at top speed.
And in many ways, the Polytrack lived up to its promises.
In the time Woodbine has used Polytrack, it boasts an exceptionally low catastrophic breakdown rate for races, and in 2014 the track was recognized by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as one of the “leading racetracks in commitment to safety and integrity.” Part of that is from implementing a number of checks and balances, like rigorous pre-race veterinary examinations, and part of it can be accredited to the Polytrack.
Also, Poly-era Woodbine has never had a “sloppy” or muddy main track, even after heavy rain.
Woodbine wasn’t the only track that jumped on the synthetic bandwagon. Famed courses like Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., California’s Santa Anita and Del Mar (as well as the now-defunct Hollywood Park) and Arlington, near Chicago, all replaced their dirt tracks with synthetics, marking a supposed new era in horse racing. When Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse, home to the $10-million Dubai World Cup, opened in 2010 it opened with a Tapeta track.
But soon the winds of change started feeling the blowback. First Santa Anita, after experiencing drainage problems, went back to dirt, then Keeneland, Del Mar and Meydan made the decision to return to dirt.
Today, only Woodbine, Arlington, Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania, Turfway Park in Kentucky and Golden Gate Fields in California are the only remaining tracks in North America with synthetic tracks.
When Keeneland made the switch, many high profile trainers applauded, including Kiaran McLaughlin, who said, “Owners and trainers who compete at the highest level prefer a dirt track.”
Each of the three legs of the American Triple Crown is run on dirt, and after committing to go back to dirt, both Keeneland and Del Mar were awarded the Breeders’ Cup.
Woodbine’s Polytrack may have maintained a low rate of catastrophic breakdowns, a chorus of horsemen, including Lynch, began to attribute the track to other types of injuries such as back and hind-end troubles. Many trainers condition their horses in the mornings on Woodbine’s dirt training track to avoid the wear and tear they believed horses were suffering from exercising on the Poly.
While he admits the weather experienced in Toronto “favours the synthetic,” Lynch, who has trained and raced horses on both synthetic and dirt, says he’s a “conventional dirt sort of guy.”
“I just think the dirt’s got more give to it, (the horse’s have) more slide,” he added. “The point of impact when they go to push off and when they get into it, there’s a little bit more give to it.
“The jockeys will be the first to tell you what the difference is when they hit it.”
Queen’s Plate winning rider Jesse Campbell has had his fair share of spills in his 20-year career, including one on the penultimate day of racing last year at Woodbine. He’s competed at tracks all over North America before deciding to base himself out of Woodbine. He has no strong preference for which type of surface Woodbine should go with.
“It used to be I never wanted to fall on the turf course, I’d rather fall on the dirt,” he said. “Now, it’s the other way around. Me, personally, the shoes I stand in as a rider, when you fall on that surface, it is extremely hard — like nothing (I’ve felt before.)
“It seems to have a sticking (effect). You don’t really bounce or roll like you would on a dirt surface. You just seem to stick to it. That is by far my biggest complaint about the synthetic.”
Some critics of synthetics lament that the surfaces favour come-from-behind types of horses, but Campbell says he always felt the track was fair.
“I won the Queen’s Plate going wire-to-wire,” he said.
Outside of the racetrack, thoroughbred breeders and stallion farms could feel the ripple effects of a change in track surface.
For instance, Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Aurora, Ont., stands nine stallions, including Sligo Bay, sire of Queen’s Plate champ Lexie Lou, all brought to Ontario to produce horses that could be competitive on both Polytrack and turf.
Asked if Woodbine switching to dirt would change their breeding program, Adena Springs’ Dermot Carty said:
“Our hope it to breed international horses, not just for the Ontario market,” adding he’d prefer if Woodbine followed the current trend and went back to dirt.
“It will bring us back up to the international standard of all tracks in North America.”
Pressure on Woodbine to make right track decision
Toronto Star
Canada’s marquee track must decide whether to maintain the existing Polytrack surface, replace it with a new synthetic like Polytrack or Tapeta or switch back to conventional dirt, the material Woodbine was before 2006 and the surface of the majority of racetracks in North America.
By: Katie Lamb Special to the Star, Published on Sun Mar 08 2015
Right now, Woodbine Racetrack has one fundamental question on its mind: should it stay or should it go? In question is the material of Canada’s marquee track’s surface.
They could go one of three ways: Woodbine Entertainment Group could decide to maintain the existing Polytrack surface, replace the cushion with a new synthetic like Polytrack or Tapeta, or switch back to conventional dirt, the material Woodbine’s main track was before 2006 and the surface of the majority of racetracks in North America.
The decision has a myriad of implications and factors that must be considered. Woodbine must weigh horse and jockey safety, as well as keep Toronto’s ever-changing climate in mind. There are also questions about durability for Woodbine’s eight-month season, not to mention the current trends in North American racing, all to provide the best product possible.
“They definitely need to change the surface they have now,” said Woodbine-based trainer, Brian Lynch. He closed out last season at the track with 33 wins in 143 starts and earnings of more than $1.9 million.
“The material they’ve got, it seems like it’s lost a lot of life that was formerly in it. So whatever decision they need to make about putting a new track in is a good one, whether they get the Tapeta, renew the Poly or go back to conventional dirt.
“But they definitely need to replace the surface they have now.”
Nine years ago, in an effort to increase safety for horses and jockeys, Woodbine Entertainment Group made the decision to change the running surface of its main track — the track that the Queen’s Plate and the majority of the their thoroughbred races are run on. At the time, it was part of a growing belief within the horse racing industry that synthetic tracks — made of a composite of fibres, sand, rubber and a wax coating — provided safer footing for the horses and helped to offer “racing that is consistent, and competitive,” said David Willmot, former chairman and chief executive officer of WEG.
According to the website of Martin Collins, the man who developed Polytrack, the synthetic surface is designed to remain consistent whether horses are racing during temperatures well below freezing or at the height of summer. It was also manufactured to withstand heavy usage and minimize risks of injuries to horses running at top speed.
And in many ways, the Polytrack lived up to its promises.
In the time Woodbine has used Polytrack, it boasts an exceptionally low catastrophic breakdown rate for races, and in 2014 the track was recognized by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as one of the “leading racetracks in commitment to safety and integrity.” Part of that is from implementing a number of checks and balances, like rigorous pre-race veterinary examinations, and part of it can be accredited to the Polytrack.
Also, Poly-era Woodbine has never had a “sloppy” or muddy main track, even after heavy rain.
Woodbine wasn’t the only track that jumped on the synthetic bandwagon. Famed courses like Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., California’s Santa Anita and Del Mar (as well as the now-defunct Hollywood Park) and Arlington, near Chicago, all replaced their dirt tracks with synthetics, marking a supposed new era in horse racing. When Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse, home to the $10-million Dubai World Cup, opened in 2010 it opened with a Tapeta track.
But soon the winds of change started feeling the blowback. First Santa Anita, after experiencing drainage problems, went back to dirt, then Keeneland, Del Mar and Meydan made the decision to return to dirt.
Today, only Woodbine, Arlington, Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania, Turfway Park in Kentucky and Golden Gate Fields in California are the only remaining tracks in North America with synthetic tracks.
When Keeneland made the switch, many high profile trainers applauded, including Kiaran McLaughlin, who said, “Owners and trainers who compete at the highest level prefer a dirt track.”
Each of the three legs of the American Triple Crown is run on dirt, and after committing to go back to dirt, both Keeneland and Del Mar were awarded the Breeders’ Cup.
Woodbine’s Polytrack may have maintained a low rate of catastrophic breakdowns, a chorus of horsemen, including Lynch, began to attribute the track to other types of injuries such as back and hind-end troubles. Many trainers condition their horses in the mornings on Woodbine’s dirt training track to avoid the wear and tear they believed horses were suffering from exercising on the Poly.
While he admits the weather experienced in Toronto “favours the synthetic,” Lynch, who has trained and raced horses on both synthetic and dirt, says he’s a “conventional dirt sort of guy.”
“I just think the dirt’s got more give to it, (the horse’s have) more slide,” he added. “The point of impact when they go to push off and when they get into it, there’s a little bit more give to it.
“The jockeys will be the first to tell you what the difference is when they hit it.”
Queen’s Plate winning rider Jesse Campbell has had his fair share of spills in his 20-year career, including one on the penultimate day of racing last year at Woodbine. He’s competed at tracks all over North America before deciding to base himself out of Woodbine. He has no strong preference for which type of surface Woodbine should go with.
“It used to be I never wanted to fall on the turf course, I’d rather fall on the dirt,” he said. “Now, it’s the other way around. Me, personally, the shoes I stand in as a rider, when you fall on that surface, it is extremely hard — like nothing (I’ve felt before.)
“It seems to have a sticking (effect). You don’t really bounce or roll like you would on a dirt surface. You just seem to stick to it. That is by far my biggest complaint about the synthetic.”
Some critics of synthetics lament that the surfaces favour come-from-behind types of horses, but Campbell says he always felt the track was fair.
“I won the Queen’s Plate going wire-to-wire,” he said.
Outside of the racetrack, thoroughbred breeders and stallion farms could feel the ripple effects of a change in track surface.
For instance, Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Aurora, Ont., stands nine stallions, including Sligo Bay, sire of Queen’s Plate champ Lexie Lou, all brought to Ontario to produce horses that could be competitive on both Polytrack and turf.
Asked if Woodbine switching to dirt would change their breeding program, Adena Springs’ Dermot Carty said:
“Our hope it to breed international horses, not just for the Ontario market,” adding he’d prefer if Woodbine followed the current trend and went back to dirt.
“It will bring us back up to the international standard of all tracks in North America.”
