Commentary

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.