Barbaro's Injury Should Advance Cause of Track Safety

[spindrifter]

By PAT FORDE

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The biggest problem horse racing has is a chronic inability to keep its star performers around long enough for the public to latch on to them. The biggest reason is leg injuries. They happen far too often.

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There is something racing can do to address the problem: It can seriously and aggressively study widespread installation of Polytrack, the synthetic racing surface that gained popularity in Europe, is establishing a beachhead in North America — and has a reputation for being safer than dirt. Polytrack is formed from polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber, and silica sand covered in a wax coating.

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The data are far from complete on Polytrack, but early indications are that breakdowns are dramatically reduced on that surface. According to Turfway, there were three catastrophic breakdowns during the first meet on Polytrack. The year before Polytrack was installed there were 24.

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There are ... reservations about Polytrack. Will it provide a uniformly fair and consistent racing surface? Will its slightly bouncy nature lead to a different kind of injury?

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http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=1989637&page=1

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Anyone seen racing on this surface?

[KittyWampus]

1. no, but I think Barbaro was trained on it. A big help would be not racing

horses at so young an age. But that won't change anytime soon.

[Gman]

5. Often 2 year olds aren't 18 months old

3 year olds can technically be 25 months old. They race horses entirely too young and this is often the result.

I think its even worse for Quarter Horses. One short sprint, all out pure speed.

[kskiska]

2. Yeah, like every time a boxer is severely injured or dies in the ring

they start asking about whether the "sport" of boxing is "safe." Then the talk dies down and is never mentioned again until another incident.

[spindrifter]

3. Horse racing is in trouble and

they lose huge numbers of fans when newbies see a severely injured horse being euthanized on the track. People who are part of the trade may end up compromising and changing the surface if the public outcry is loud enough or if the gate receipts are low enough.

[regnaD kciN]

9. True, but...

...with boxing, each such incident caused a drop in its popularity. Boxing used to be one of the major televised sports in America, with fighters like Ali, Louis, Patterson, Sugar Ray Robinson, etc. as major media stars. Now, boxing has only a small following and is viewed with disrepute by the public at large. I doubt most people would even be able to name the current heavyweight champion -- something that would have been unthinkable in the '50s and '60s.

[regnaD kciN]

4. I hate to argue with the article, but...

The biggest problem horse racing has is a chronic inability to keep its star performers around long enough for the public to latch on to them.

Considering that "horse racing," for most of the general public, means the Triple Crown events for three-year-olds, this statement is absurd. Once the Belmont Stakes is over, that crop of horses utterly vanishes from public consciousness, to be replaced by the next crop of three-year-olds a week or so before the next Kentucky Derby. After the Belmont, those horses could go out to pasture or to the glue factory, as far as most people know or care.

If the goal of increasing horse racing's popularity by developing "star performers" that will stick around in the public consciousness is to be taken seriously, a thorough re-vamping of the sport would be necessary. To begin with, end the strict "one age only" restriction for the top races. But this would just require another re-thinking, since, if horses could qualify for the Kentucky Derby every year for a certain block of time, that would mean that only a horse or two per year could join "the big show." Could you imagine if, say, Secretariat could have run in the Triple Crown events every year from 1973-1978?

As to Polytrack and its popularity in Europe, as I recall it, lots of races throughout the rest of the world are simply run on grass. Have there been any studies on the frequency of (life-threatening) injuries on grass versus dirt, before we even consider Polytrack versus dirt? (And, by the way, considering their praise of the surface -- does ABC/Disney/Capital hold any ownership shares in Polytrack's developer?)

[spindrifter]

7. It's a good idea to argue with

the article and its premises. The Sport of Kings hasn't had its loyal following for nothing. I think the audience today would like to have a safer sport for the horses, if it's at all possible. I don't know if this "product" will help or not. I also don't know a lot about turf as a surface for racing. I'm too used to "mud" tracks.

[regnaD kciN]

12. Anything that would save horses' lives should be considered...

The irony is, of course, that if horseracing were to fade away in popularity, it would mean lots of horses with no future in breeding, and I think we can all guess what would happen to those horses in a relatively short time. :-(

[GrumpyGreg]

6. I was watching the Belmont Stakes in 1975 when Ruffian broke

her leg.

Nothing has changed.

It's rich folks using animals for their pleasure and profit.

Drives me nuts.

[regnaD kciN]

8. Actually, a bit HAS changed...

The technique of using a "recovery pool" for horses emerging from that sort of surgery was still in the theoretical stages back in 1975. Such a technique may well have saved Ruffian's life. I think it was actually pushed more quickly into development by the public outcry after her death.

[GrumpyGreg]

11. I hope so. It was an awful thing to watch---she fell right down.

[regnaD kciN]

13. I don't think I've watched another race since then...

...and I used to always catch the Triple Crown events, plus any other races that made national television.

[napi21]

10. Was it the track that caused Barbaro's injuries?

Unfortunately, I'm one of the people who only pay attention to horse racing 3 times a year, but I do watch those 3 top races on TV. I saw Barbaro but I haven't heard what they think happened. I haven't even heard any talking heads speculating, which is quite unusual.

[regnaD kciN]

14. I think the point is that...

...running hard on a dirt surface puts extra stress on one's body than doing so on turf (grass) or, maybe, this new synthetic surface. Imagine trying to run hard (not just jog) on a grassy lawn, then switch to a plowed field, and you get the idea. You'd have to put a lot more pressure into each step, which could cause fragile bones to snap.

[flvegan]

15. Howsabout we just stop racing them?

What's the payoff for folks, here?

I mean, if a payday is more important than the life of the horse providing same, or even the absence of suffering, I'd have to question the motives of those racing and supporting the racing.