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COMMENTARY SEPTEMBER 7, 2005 by Steve Moody New era in Kentucky racing begins Wednesday at Turfway Park Turfway Park ushers in a new era of racing in the Commonwealth when it unveils the Polytrack surface on Wednesday night as it begins its 22-day fall meet. Racing will be conducted Wednesday through Sunday with post times set for 7 p.m. (EST) on weeknights and 1:10 p.m. on weekends. Turfway and Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Kentucky, will have a blended card on September 17 and September 24, and Kentucky Cup Day will be held Saturday at Turfway. Turfway officials are hoping the new Polytrack surface will prove to be the solution to Turfway’s long-standing problems with cancellations due to winter weather and the freeze/thaw cycle. The traditional dirt surface has been completely replaced with a combination of polypropylene fibers (carpet), recycled rubber and sand covered in a wax coating. Pioneered by Martin Collins, Polytrack was installed at the famed Epsom Racecourse in England and later at Lingfield Park. Other European installations have come at Wolverhampton in England and Ballydoyle in Ireland. Among its advantages are that the surface is said to be kind to a horse's back and legs, helping reduce injuries and providing secure footing that still allows the "give" necessary for horses to perform to the best of their ability. The surface is also supposed to reduce kickback significantly, so horses trying to close from off the pace have much less dirt kicked back in their faces. The surface remains uniform even in different weather conditions and is dust-free. The dust cloud you sometimes see at racetracks when the track is extremely dry won't be present at Turfway. The cost of the new installation is expected to pay for itself over time because the new surface will need far less maintenance. A special machine for the new surface is pulled behind a tractor to condition the surface, but the big savings will come when inclement weather arrives. Most all dirt racetracks are designed to drain water horizontally. When it rains, the track crew seals the track to squeeze water to the surface and have gravity take over. Tracks are crowned and the water is supposed to gradually drain to either side. Unfortunately, the drains can often times clog and the drying-out process may take much longer than desired, leaving a very uneven surface in the interim. Since the drains are located underneath the rail, this can often leave the part of racetrack nearest the rail very sticky while the area out in the middle of the track is much better for racing. While handicappers can sometime take advantage of these irregularities, it can be an unfair situation for owners and trainers and a safety issue for jockeys. The Polytrack surface drains water vertically. The redesigned track is comprised of several distinct layers. The top layer is approximately seven inches of Polytrack surface material -- some of which is compacted on the bottom and some of which is harrowed loosely on the top. Under the Polytrack layer sits a specially designed 10-inch base consisting of a layer of porous macadam, a clean stone base and a drainage system that uses longitudinal drains together with cross drains. Because of the unique structure of the track surface and base, water flows vertically through the materials to a specially designed drainage system that carries the water away from the track. Heavy snow is plowed off the track as it would be on a dirt track, but as temperatures fluctuate in a freeze/thaw cycle, the water from the melting snow and ice will drain right through the surface and be carried away by the drainage system. The new surface is supposed to eliminate the days when the daytime winter sun causes water to seep back up from the ground, turning the track into an uneven quagmire and causing day after day of cancellations. Officials at several racetracks will be looking closely at how the Polytrack surface performs this winter. If all goes well, many believe Turfway’s majority owner, Keeneland, which already installed Polytrack on their training track, will replace their dirt surface with the new material. It’s also been rumored that officials at Del Mar are thinking seriously about the new surface, obviously not because of weather problems, but because they feel it’s a safer surface for racing. Equibase, the official record keeper for Thoroughbred racing, has now closed all of Turfway’s track records. New records for all distances will be established as this meet continues. Andy Beyer, creator of the Beyer Speed Figures, told Turfway announcer and morning-line maker Mike Battaglia he would be personally calculating Beyer Speed figures each day during the Turfway Fall meet. Normally, a member of his staff, Andrew Beyer Associates, would be responsible for double checking daily speed figures, but Beyer himself will handle that chore for this meet. According to reports, the Polytrack surface initially favored early speed types when installed at racecourses in Europe, but began to even out with more use. That’s something that handicappers will want to look closely at the first few days of the meet. When Turfway recently staged three trial races during a media breakfast, all three races were won by front runners. One of the trial race winners is now a stakes winner. Tommy Panache (Mercer Mill), who won the first of the Turfway exhibitions, won his official career bow in the $40,000 Loyalty S. at Thistledown on Sunday for trainer Wayne Mogge.
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