"Horses running on dirt surfaces in 2011 at North American tracks suffered fatal injuries at nearly twice the rate of horses running on artificial surfaces, according to a Jockey Club project that tracks equine injuries. The Jockey Club, which released the information Thursday, said that racetracks representing 93 percent of the race days in North American are participating in the project. The fatality rate for horses running on dirt surfaces was 2.07 per 1,000 starts for 2011, according to the data. Horses running on synthetic surfaces suffered catastrophic injuries at the rate of 1.09 per 1,000 starts. On turf, the rate was 1.53 per 1,000 starts."

"According to Scollay, the one fatality [at Turfway] occurred in December and was followed by two months -- January and February -- in which no which horses died during races over the track’s artificial Polytrack surface. Scollay said that equated to one fatality for the 4,532 starts recorded at the track during the three-month period. The national catastrophic injury rate is about two horses per 1,000 starts. Scollay attributed the safe racing to a collaborative effort on the part of Turfway Park management, horsemen, veterinarians working at the track in Northern Kentucky, and the KHRC’s veterinary staff that conducts pre-race inspections."

"Julie Balog, a spokesperson for Keeneland, said that the dissolution was 'solely the result of market conditions in the United States and in no way reflects diminished confidence in the company’s products or expertise.' Balog said that Keeneland has no plans to replace its synthetic surface." (See DRF interview with Keeneland president from October re: partnership.)

"There was a tremendous amount of inconsistency, and if there’s one thing that drives trainers crazy, it’s inconsistency," Arthur said. "Unfortunately, a lot of people gave up on synthetics just as we were learning how to maintain the surfaces."

"Why U.S. bettors have not had the same experience as their British counterparts is a mystery to me. The fact is that serious punters in Britain and Hong Kong or wherever bet more adventurously than Americans. It is arguable that form on synthetics is generally closer to turf form than to dirt, so anyone who can handicap grass races and bet on them successfully should have no fears about betting on synthetics."

Re: Presque Isle Downs stats: "Three fatalities from 800 races and 6332 starters in 2010. We have had no equine ambulance runs at PID since it opened 4 years ago, not even to take a slightly lame horse off the track."

"The last terresterial-televised racing before Christmas is likely to comprise all-weather action from Lingfield and Southwell, with only Haydock still in the turf picture, though Saturday's fare in Britain could be hit further."

Synthetic surfaces boast fewer catastrophic breakdowns than dirt, Jockey Club stats say.

"Despite the course running fast, leaders staggered home in very slow sectionals but still held on as if by magic -- unless, like Spectacular Award, the run-on horses came up the rail. Horses which travelled up well and switched out rounding the home turn, disappeared into quicksand, never to be seen again."

"The track provided an even surface, consistency of form and really encouraged punting."

"Santa Anita's decision to return to dirt means the only cheering from outside the States is from officials at Ascot and Longchamp. They have to compete with the Breeders' Cup to attract top-class runners for the respectively revamped Champions Day and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meetings.... The American Thoroughbred appears to be in decline -- and while everyone in their industry fears it, they would sooner bury their heads in the dirt than do something more sensible about it."

"But the winds of change might be shifting again as the Breeders' Cup moves to tradition-rich Churchill Downs this weekend with 14 races worth $26 million. Despite early evidence suggesting all-weather tracks might help limit catastrophic injuries, Santa Anita is abandoning Pro-Ride for dirt. And a number of prominent trainers view synthetics as a well-intentioned movement gone astray."

"The richest horse race in history was staged in Dubai earlier today, and it was a $10 million advertisement for how synthetic surfaces can make a complete mess of so-called world-class championship racing. For all that it proved about the quality of the contestants either individually or as a group, the results of the Dubai World Cup might as well have been drawn out of a hat."

"The differences between dirt and synthetic were only amplified last week when news came that Santa Anita’s all-weather surface is going to be torn up and replaced by a traditional dirt course. That was greeted with widespread delight by many Californian horse professionals, a short-sighted reaction that is hardly positive for an American industry under pressure to clean up its act, never mind the impact on those trying to make racing’s world a smaller and more inclusive place."

"Dirt champions break their rivals with a remorseless rhythm. These new tracks, like turf, favour horses that can rip through the gears. Only the most hopeless reactionaries could suggest that such horses lack 'class'."

"'Dirt' was what a vocal and deeply frustrated segment of the population wanted to hear. 'Dirt' represented the comfort of the known, a familiar demon that had been wrestled in the past instead of something that emerged from a laboratory test tube. For a large portion of Stronach’s audience, 'dirt' sounded a return to motherhood, apple pie, and pitchers taking their own turn at bat."

"I’m setting the over-under at 35 percent, the number of fewer foreign entrants in the next Breeders’ Cup hosted by Santa Anita."

"... Santa Anita's move to dirt actually will take some heat off the public relations hatred toward all synthetic tracks. In smaller doses at Keeneland and Del Mar, horsemen and horseplayers will continue solid support and those meets will bounce back when the economy rebounds in general. My guess is that the public relations battle would follow similarly." I can see that.

"With a new dirt track to race over this winter at Santa Anita, it'll be put-up-or-shut-up time for horsemen and horseplayers." Related: Trainer Richard Mandella reacts: http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_15835315

"In a move heavily laden with significance for the entire US racing industry, Santa Anita is to replace its troubled all-weather strip to return to a conventional surface." See comment: "I'm disappointed because the European horses won't be as effective in the BC and I can't win as much money on backing them through the Yankie Tote."

"They're making me be a guinea pig and I'm tired of it. For me, the experiment is over. I'm tired of hearing how great these [synthetics] are." (Via @superterrific)

Fascinating results from the first year of the TJC equine injury database. "The analysis also showed female horses had a lower fatality rate than intact male horses; that females weren’t at increased risk when they compete against males; that 2-year-olds were less likely to break down than older horses; that there was no statistically significant difference in fatal injuries with various surface conditions."

More on TJC injury data. "This tells us the debate goes on."

"Dirt statistics from 2009 had an average of 0.39% CEDNFs per starter, so if the hypothetical meeting was strictly on a dirt track there would be 18 horses that didn’t finish and never raced/worked out again. A meeting conducting entirely on an all-weather/synthetic track, with a percentage of 0.19% CEDNFs, would have just nine non-finishers who never raced or worked again. An all-turf meeting would have 12 CEDNFs, based on the percentage of 0.26%. So, in 2009 at least, all-weather/synthetic tracks produced half the number of career-ending incidents than were recorded on dirt, and synthetics were even safer than turf." PDF: http://jessicachapel.com/docs/natb-062810-final.pdf (Also see: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/57670/study-looks-at-number-of-dnfs-by-surface Note TOBA no-comment.)

"Crist's contention the World Cup outcome was a 'crapshoot' is ludicrous on its face. The top three finishers in the race had been separated by one and one-quarter lengths in the primary prep for the race, the March 4 Maktoum Challenge, over the same Meydan course at the same distance as the World Cup. Fourth-place finisher Gio Ponti was about one and one-quarter lengths behind the World Cup winner, a similar margin to his one length loss to Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic." Re: http://cristblog.drf.com/crist/2010/03/dubai-world-crapshoot.html

"Although there is no perfect statistical measurement for evaluating sires, I believe I've come up with a short list of stallions who are better at consistently siring the most successful synthetic performers than those who top the progeny earnings list for synthetic runners." Useful!

Polytrack results through August 17, 2007