Keeneland Approves Polytrack
As expected, the Keeneland board of directors unanimously approved the installation of Polytrack in a meeting on Wednesday. Track president Nick Nicholson conceded there were some risks to switching from a dirt to a synthetic surface, particularly when it comes to horsemen using the Blue Grass and Lexington Stakes as Derby preps, but also suggested the benefits of Polytrack outweighed such concerns: “I don’t know how horsemen are going to react to the Derby,” he said. “But I do know that horses are going to be safer and healthier and have fewer problems, and I know fewer riders are going to get hurt.” With Polytrack, Keeneland may lose its speed-favoring reputation, but bettors will have plenty of other angles to play when the fall meet opens: The surface change is only one part of a multi-million dollar renovation project to be completed over the summer that also includes wider turns and a longer stretch.
Related: Steven Crist calls Keeneland’s decision “bold and innovative,” but warns against “a rush to transform the game as we know it before more is known.”
