Rush to Synthetics
I doubt it’ll surprise any regular readers that I’m pro-synthetics: Both Cushion Track and Polytrack have so far proved safer for horses than dirt at every track they’ve been installed, and I like the handicapping wrinkles synths introduce. But commenter JS makes a great point here that tracks are rushing to implement the surfaces without adequate review, especially since it’s become apparent that synthetics aren’t flawlessly fair and maintenance free. Hollywood’s Cushion Track came in for criticism this spring for changing consistency and causing soreness in horses as the wax coating wore away (DRF+) and Polytrack has demonstrated problems related to weather (LATG).
Now that Cushion Track and Polytrack have been installed in a number of tracks with varying climate and racing conditions, it wouldn’t hurt to slow down the synthetic revolution, collect some data, observe how the tracks change over time, and maybe focus on some of the other factors that contribute to injuries and breakdowns in racehorses.
JS notes a lack of turn-out time — year-round racing means year-round training for most horses — but an even bigger problem may be the rampant use of steroids. Trainer Michael Dickinson estimated that 95% of racehorses are on steroids during a Horseplayers Expo panel and there’s little evidence to contradict him. Steroids apologists point to the drugs’ many therapeutic uses (NY Daily News), yet that’s not how steroids are used on the backstretch — 95% of American racehorses are not off their feed. Rather, unraced two-year-olds as well as seasoned campaigners are given steroids long-term to build and maintain muscle mass, just like human athletes, and like humans, the practice makes horses more susceptible to joint and bone injuries. Synthetics may mitigate that susceptibility somewhat, but the surfaces aren’t a total answer to breakdowns.
