The following comment is quoted from the TDN article HISA Town Hall: Regulatory Reach, Environmental Contamination, Lab Variability and More Discussed: “Probably the racetrack that had the biggest complaints about this rule was Prairie Meadows, and they went from in 2022 at 2.39 [fatalities per 1,000 starts rate], a much higher fatality rate. And this year, they were exceptional–they were 1.14,” said Lazarus. “I'm not suggesting the whole reason is to do with toe grabs, but at least the data shows they're not worse off with that rule than they were previously.”

The facts: in all of 2021, PMRC experienced two breakdowns from 3,849 starters, thus 0.52 fatalities per 1,000. In May and June of 2022 prior to that, when horsemen believed the new zero tolerance on toe grabs was to go into effect, PMRC experienced 0 breakdowns from 1,265 starters, thus 0 per 1,000.

More precisely, for all of 2021 and including the period prior to the implementation of HISA's safety protocols and toe grab rule, there were two breakdowns out of 5,114 starters, thus 0.39 fatalities per 1,000.

Beginning July 11 (the period after which horsemen believed they couldn't have front or rear toe grabs and were trying to come into compliance with the rule), we had our first of eight breakdowns in less than 11 weeks.

The Iowa HBPA, along with the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's (IRGC) regulatory veterinarians, early on in the spate of breakdowns identified there was an urgent issue and unsuccessfully pleaded with HISA to grant us a waiver of the rule until the end of the racing season. Our stance was that nothing had changed in this environment other than horsemen re-shoeing their horses to be in compliance with the no toe grabs rule, front or rear.

As many others also began to reach out to HISA about the absurdity of no toe grabs at all, HISA acquiesced to the pressure, releasing on July 29, 2022 a newly-updated noncommittal statement saying they would not enforce the rule regarding hind-shoe toe grabs effective Aug. 1. That attempt at communication failed badly, lacking clarity and coming much too late after many horsemen had gone to the considerable expense of re-shoeing their horses.

Nine months later, horsemen–even contenders in last year's Kentucky Derby–were still confused or unaware about an alternative shoe rule to the point that the Kentucky HBPA had to issue a horsemen's advisory trying to explain what was or was not allowed for something as easy as toe grabs!

But while the hind toe grabs ban was in effect and the injuries accumulated, the pleas of the IA HBPA and IRGC's veterinarians went unheard. A back and forth of letters (one of which HISA provided after the end of the racing season in 2022) effectively said our horsemen and IRGC regulatory veterinarians were solely at fault and missed the underlying issues with the horses who had suffered catastrophic injuries.

Point of Fact: not one member of the HISA Racetrack Safety Committee ever made a trip out to Prairie Meadows, reached out to either the IA HBPA, IRGC or jockey colony or spent any time understanding the issues for which we were expressing our heartfelt concerns over a cascading series of events or helped us resolve the horrendous continuation of horses breaking down on our racetrack.

Quite the opposite occurred in fact. Instead we, and specifically PMRC, were spotlighted in a Twitter post by PETA for one of the breakdowns, highlighting the horse's name and calling us all out on where the horse was and what occurred.

At the end of the 2022 racing season, there had been a total of eight breakdowns from 3,762 starters, thus 2.13 fatalities per 1,000. If only reviewing from July 11 through September 19, there were eight breakdowns from 1,754 starters, thus 4.56 fatalities per 1,000 starters in that small time frame.

So, what happened post PMRC's 2022 racing season and the start of the 2023 racing season, all without the help of HISA? The IA HBPA and PMRC did the work.

Work that involved the IA HBPA and PMRC having long discussions on what horsemen encountered, what jockeys experienced riding across the surface, and what veterinarians expressed about the horses coming back from training and racing. PMRC then took the initiative and worked in such a way to ease what the IA HBPA viewed then–and still do now–as an abysmal application of a one size fits all rule to revamp the racing surface to fit the rule.

PMRC added 900 tons of sand, 21 tons of clay and finally 100 yards of pine bark, something that never had been added to PMRC's surface ever in its history nor never needed to be before. But needed to be done now to make the surface fit the rule.

We went from having one of the safest track surfaces in America to a horrific streak of catastrophic injuries. The only thing that changed was HISA's toe-grab ban, implemented with virtually no input from those with boots on the ground. Thankfully our safety record got back on track, and contrary to the figure stated by Ms. Lazarus of 1.14 breakdowns per 1,000, our 2023 record was back to 0.57–with no help from HISA. For Lisa Lazarus to suggest otherwise is disingenuous.

Sent on behalf of the Iowa HBPA.

The post Letter To The Industry: Iowa HBPA Response To HISA Town Hall Comment On PMRC Catastrophic Breakdowns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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She writes: “I have always felt proud and grateful to be part of Maryland's thoroughbred racing community. Over the past 50+ years my circle of friends, employees, trainers, and colleagues have been exemplary humans who have provided the best care for my horses and have always had my back. I cannot let the 60 Minutes segment on cheaters, corruption and breakdowns be the last word. Please take the time to send a response to Cecilia Vega and 60 Minutes. The horse industry deserves better! We deserve better! Send to 60min@cbsnews.com.”

Her own letter to 60 Minutes reads:

Good Morning 60 Minutes and Cecilia Vega.

I am writing in response to Sunday evening's segment on racing's worst problems which did a great job of casting doubt upon the future of the Thoroughbred industry which I love. I question your motives. Why would 60 Minutes choose to highlight cheaters and horse deaths to present to their 12 million viewers at a time when this industry is in crisis?

Thoroughbred racing just completed a successful Breeders Cup weekend with so many newsworthy stories to report. World class race horses, devoted owners, hardworking HONEST trainers and backstretch workers and the world's best racing and there was no mention of that! Where was the poignant account of the bond between the boy Cody Dorman and the horse Cody's Wish?

Why is the only news offered for this sport about tragedy or corruption? Where were the statistics to show how drastically the fatality numbers have decreased and the protocols that have been implemented for the safety and welfare of our horses and jockeys and their track surfaces?

I accept that you have the right to present your gruesome facts and sound bites of cheaters and horrific footage of horses breaking down but you could have acknowledged the honest hardworking people in our industry and left us with HOPE. WE deserve better!

My GOOD news story is from Maryland and I owe it to my horses, trainers, workers and myself to acknowledge what racehorses have done for me.

JoAnn Hayden

The post Hayden Urges Racing Supporters to E-Mail 60 Minutes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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How many of us bite our lips when the full flight of competitors turns the corner at the quarter pole hoping and praying that they cross the wire safely, not having to be destroyed for the sake of entertainment or for gamblers to experience another hit or miss? Upon witnessing these events, people walk away during watch parties, quickly change the channel, walk out of the racecourse on what purported to be a beautiful day at the races and eventually, walk away from the sport.

With no substantial uniform national rules, creating and sustaining entertainment value for a whole new and different culture is one of the many challenges of thoroughbred racing. We have had way too many deaths, irregularities and misinterpretation of rules which contributed to the prolonged delay of naming a Kentucky Derby winner as well as the conviction and possible imprisonment of a celebrated trainer winning an international event for cheating that involved veterinarians as well. Sadly, this is becoming the face of our sport.

With decreasing foal numbers and closing of racing venues over the years, it is no secret that we are not growing. In fact, we are dying as a celebrated sport and as a source of livelihood for thousands. The industry is in the trauma bay, and we need all hands on deck to survive and perhaps be able to again thrive.

Allow me to introduce myself and also offer a possible lifeline to the sport and industry: a lifeline based on physiologic fact that will perhaps quell the rising tsunami that threatens our very existence by supplying a palpable, visual solution while also serving as a public relations tool.

I am a human surgeon by training and a third-generation horseman by choice. My undergraduate degree is in animal and veterinary science which prepared me to enter vet school but I chose medical school and surgery as my primary profession. I have been competing in equine sport my entire life. I have a show horse background and have worked with and for trainers in different disciplines and have achieved world-championship status during my show career. I have been involved in the thoroughbred industry as an owner, principle of a racing LLC, creator of racing and sales syndicates, horse farmer and pinhooker for over 15 years. I have an intimate knowledge of these athletes, how they work and the physiologic machine that allows them to perform at peak levels.

Catastrophic breakdowns and efforts to decrease them are nothing new to the sport . We have traditionally looked at multiple racing surfaces by trying to find the culprit in the infrastructure, and content of the surface on which we run.

However, we have not discussed PROPRIOCEPTION…. what it is and how it works in both the human body and equine athlete. Proprioception permits horses to sense pressures, discomforts, tension and location of their bodies and limbs. It is an automatic feedback mechanism through sophisticated neurological pathways generated by bone and sinew all the while telling the animal where its body parts are in relation to the environment.

Equine sport places unusually steep demands on both horse and rider. Proprioception allows the horse to sense joint angles, muscle length, tendon tension and postural balance. These proprioceptors are nerves that can pick up .002 percent of muscle length and send that information to the horse's brain allowing him or her to make adjustments for gait and ultimately, survival.

Enter the crop. The crop is an age-old tool that has many purposes in equine sport and has been modified on several occasions. But let's face it, it is primarily used as an accelerator. Granted, it causes very little harm to the horse and on most occasions just strikes the saddlecloth. But it is an accelerator for all to see coming down the stretch.

Now consider the physiologic framework of proprioception and the horse's natural competitiveness combined with the concomitant use of the accelerator. Could the accelerator (crop) be a participant in the horse surpassing and overriding his natural proprioceptors, thus causing him/her to extend themselves past the point of bone and sinew? If so, wouldn't it be prudent to omit this piece of equipment to protect the horse from over extending and instead winning the race with his own heart, determination, conditioning, and riders urging, all the while demonstrating to the public that thoroughbred racing takes action, thus easing the ever present threatening public relations issue. Now may be the time to” Drop the Crop.”

David W Ranson, MD, Principle of Equivest Racing LLC 

The post Drop the Crop: Letter to the Editor, by Dr. David Ranson appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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When “Born to Run” sounded through the grandstand as Mandaloun, Hot Rod Charlie and Midnight Bourbon bounced onto the track, it didn't matter how the race would go. I was in. It was enough to latch onto despite the outrage I felt towards my home-state regulators for an ill-advised whip rule that took down Midnight Bourbon, along with my exacta box.

But though he fell, everyone came home safe that day.

I turned into a racing evangelist, with Hot Rod Charlie at the center of my devotion. I brought my friends along to his revenge tour at the Pennsylvania Derby, where he finally triumphed over Midnight Bourbon. We gutted out another inquiry, after which, I wildly bear-hugged a friend. We'd finally hit that exacta.

I loved racing. My dorm room was littered with Daily Racing Forms. I missed dinner to watch the Breeders' Cup Classic. Ducked into empty classrooms to watch Derby preps at Oaklawn. I drove three hours round-trip to Aqueduct at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to bet the Dubai World Cup because they didn't offer the superfecta on 4NJBETS.

After college I kept it up. In March of this year, I went with my girlfriend–one of our first dates had been at the 2022 Haskell–to Kentucky for the first time. We stayed in Midway, there for “Road to the Horse” at the Kentucky Horse Park. I left in the middle, hiked over to see Funny Cide and Silver Charm in their stalls. One afternoon we walked around Keeneland. Circled the paddock, went beneath the stand and onto the track. It felt like walking on hallowed ground. A few months before, we'd been brought to tears by Cody's Wish's win in the Dirt Mile and dazzled by Flightline's romp in the Classic.

So you know how I felt when I saw Maple Leaf Mel, the undefeated New York-bred, bounding away from a Grade I field as the camera zoomed in on her. She went fast early–44 and two for the half mile–and she went fast late, with a gutsy performance by turning away her classiest opponents yet. She was “six-for-six.” That's the line etched in my mind. It's the last thing I remember hearing from track announcer Frank Mirahmadi before she went down.

It felt like a gut-punch–it was the first time I understood what that word meant. I couldn't think for a few minutes. I couldn't talk. I couldn't watch Cody's Wish run afterwards.

I avoided watching Saratoga after that. But this past weekend I turned on the FOX broadcast for the first time since. It had been three weeks, I reasoned. Enough time to reset my mind. Anyways, my favorite active horse, Arcangelo, was running in the Travers, and I felt sure he'd win. What kind of sport would this be if I couldn't watch it live?

So I turned on the broadcast shortly after 3 p.m. I watched Gunite, under a great ride from Tyler Gaffalione, take down Elite Power along with his eight-race win streak. I saw that the next race was an allowance, turned the broadcast off, went back to my book. But I was back for the Jerkens. I saw the Baffert runners in the paddock, saw Jimmy Barnes sweating bullets. Saw New York Thunder looking flat, his coat dull. I pulled up the replay of his last race. Saw him blaze to victory without changing leads.

It was the post parade now. I kept watching, live on FOX. I even almost made a bet on Verifying, he was looking so muscled-up before the race.

When they burst from the starting gate, I watched New York Thunder stride out on top. He led the way through the far turn. The Baffert runners dropped back, New York Thunder having run them off their feet, each stride pounding the dirt and carrying him away from them. But then I heard Frank Mirahmadi call out the fraction of 44 and two in this $500,000 seven-furlong Grade I sprint for three-year-olds. A punishing half-mile. I shut my laptop. My nerves couldn't take it.

A minute went by. I reopened the laptop, fired up FOX. I hoped they'd come home safe. But then I saw the wide-angle camera shot, saw that the five horse wasn't in the drop-down of the top four finishers. I heard the empty unsteadiness of the commentators. I shut my laptop again, leaned back in my seat, looked blankly out the window.

I watched the Travers that evening, only after I'd known Arcangelo had won and had come back in good shape. I couldn't enjoy it, even after he sailed past the wire. When he seemed to take a bad step in the gallop-out I held my breath, despite having read that he was fine. I wanted to look away the whole time.

That's my favorite horse winning the Midsummer Derby.

I'm drawn to racing, in part, for the history. Today I watched a replay of the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Thirty-five years ago. Personal Ensign running down Winning Colors under the Churchill Downs wire. A hard-won performance from an undefeated champion. It should have been rousing. Instead during the stretch drive, I felt nothing but worry that she might fall.

That's what I see when I watch racing now.

Horse racing fan Isaac Hart lives in Glen Rock, New Jersey.

The post Letter To The Editor: From A Young Fan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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In the past year, nearly every major racing nation has suffered the unwanted attention of idealistic and disruptive 'animal rights' activists. If not actually detailed in agenda meetings, the subject of Welfare has been the elephant in the room for practically every board of directors/trustees of racing and breeding activities around the world. If American racetracks make the wrong decision, then these elephants will grow into dinosaurs for everyone. Maintaining the status quo and traditions of US Racing is unlikely to be an option, for these diligent activists feast on statistics to bend an interpretation to their own agenda. However, there is strong statistical evidence out there to suggest that there is a more acceptable solution, as highlighted recently by Mark Casse and Graham Motion.

There is little doubt that the 'animal rights' activists in Europe or Australia mimic and use similarly informed campaigns to like-minded individuals in America. Their disruptive ambitions will have been reinforced by the horrific experiences viewed by huge numbers of racegoers at Saratoga and Churchill Downs. When the time suits them best, provocative agendas will inevitably be pumped into the world of social media by re-fueled keyboard warriors. A resulting tsunami of unwanted activity will surely ensue at our major racing festivals. US Racecourse boards and executives have the tools in their hands to change the narrative. The world awaits.

Now is the time for the owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and associated bloodstock trades of America to make their voices heard loud and clear by racecourses. They have the support from thousands of like-minded and employed people from around the world. The wrong decision from racecourses could create an existential threat to a wonderful global industry and community.

Grant Pritchard-Gordon is a U.K.-based bloodstock agent, and the principal in Badgers Bloodstock Consultants. He is the former longtime racing manager for Juddmonte Farms.

The post `The World Awaits.’ Letter to the Editor from Grant Pritchard-Gordon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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While horses throughout North America broke down on the dirt at a rate of 1.44 per 1,000 starts in 2022, the rate of breakdowns over the synthetic surface at Woodbine was 0.42. This year, after about 4,500 starts over Tapeta there have been only two fatalities during races. Also, there have been about 14,000 published workouts over Woodbine's synthetic tracks and only two fatalities there.

Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson is proud of those numbers, but not surprised.

“The statistics don't lie,” Lawson said.

Lawson, like most in the industry, has grown gravely concerned about the many high-profile breakdowns that have occurred this year in racing and believes that the sport must do something to combat the problem. Does that mean a massive shift from dirt surfaces to synthetic surfaces? While he is hesitant to tell someone else how to run their racetrack, he's not shy about telling Woodbine's story.

Woodbine replaced its dirt track with a Polytrack synthetic surface in 2006. By 2016, there was a need for a new racing surface and Lawson said he was under intense pressure to go back to dirt.

“I was under a lot of pressure and was attacked for considering that we go with Tapeta,” he said. “We wanted to be transparent about it, so we polled all our horsepeople. There was maybe a slight preference for Tapeta, but the people who were advocates of going back to dirt were nasty about it. I can't describe it any other way. We did the right thing when we moved to Tapeta.”

The Tapeta surface has consistently been one of the safest tracks in North America.

“It's come time for the industry to take a harder, more honest look at what's going on,” Lawson said. “As an industry, we are in a difficult position. The industry seriously needs to consider a change.”

Woodbine Racetrack's Tapeta surface | Michael Burns

An owner and breeder before he got involved in management at Woodbine, Lawson is well versed in dirt racing. He said that changing weather conditions make it difficult to maintain consistency on dirt tracks and that inconsistent tracks can be unsafe tracks. That was particularly an issue in Canada, where the early spring and late fall can be include a lot of nasty weather.

“A dirt surface is very good as long as the conditions are perfect and it's well maintained,” he said. “These major tracks, they do a good job. But they are dealt the hand they are dealt. You get cold weather and moisture and have to deal with drying out tracks. It's just not the same when it comes to consistency. Inconsistency with dirt surface is what is causing a lot of the problems. That's what we saw in California when they had their problems. It was watery on top, hard underneath. Or you would have a drying out track that would get lumps. It's much easier to keep a synthetic track, especially when you factor in weather, consistent and safer for the horses.”

Lawson has heard all the arguments made for sticking with dirt, namely that switching to synthetics would cause an upheaval in the breeding industry. He's not buying it.

“When we were deciding whether to go to Tapeta or back to dirt, I kept hearing that these stallions, particularly traditional dirt stallions in Kentucky, would be affected,” he said. “I have never seen any evidence that horses by high-end stallions won't do just as well on the Tapeta. Most horses like the Tapeta, regardless of who their sire is. It's the rare horse that doesn't like Tapeta. I have never bought this argument that it is somehow going to change the breed if we as an industry move significantly toward synthetic surfaces. I don't think anymore than 10 or 15 percent of the horses don't like Tapeta.”

The Breeders' Cup has been run once at Woodbine, in 1996 when the main track was dirt. Though the Woodbine facility is a good fit for the event, it has not come back since and Lawson is among those who believe one of the reasons is that the Breeders' Cup team does not want to upend things by switching its traditional dirt races to synthetics.

“I quietly campaigned a couple of years ago to have the Breeders' Cup take a hard look at Woodbine again because of our turf courses and our synthetic track,” he said. “I thought they could make a statement that this is potentially the future of the industry.”        He has not given up on having the event return to Toronto.

“I think that it would be a bold statement to move the Breeders' Cup to Woodbine at some point,” he said. “For there to be meaningful change, it's going to take someone to step up. I would love to see them give Woodbine another chance at the Breeders' Cup.  That's not me campaigning for the Breeders. Cup. I think the industry needs to recognize it has a serious problem and that this is a way to address this issue.”

The post With Woodbine Continuing To Compile Admirable Safety Numbers, Lawson Remains Big Fan Of Synthetic Surfaces appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Q: Were you at the races at Saratoga on Saturday?

MC: Luckily, I missed (New York Thunder). I had seen the Test, and I thought, I've been doing this for 40-some years. It was the most sickening thing that I'd ever witnessed in racing.

Q: Where do we find ourselves right now in horse racing?

MC: I'm a big HISA supporter, and I believe that we've already made great strides. There's no question that, when I go over for a race, I feel like we are competing on a more level playing field. I think there's still a little room for improvement and that we'll  continue to go forward, but you can look at who's winning now and who was winning before. There are lots of rules and regulations that are being put out there to make things safer or we're trying to make things safer for the horse, and I'm going to make a lot of people unhappy when I say this, but until we change the racetracks, we're going to continue to have these kinds of situations. I'm not saying that, with synthetic, we will never have them. You're always going to have some injuries. I have 30 horses here at Saratoga, and the worst injury that I've had at the meet is a horse that hurt herself in her stall. When you have live animals and you have horses, things are going to happen. But we need to do everything possible to know that we are doing our very best.

I am always trying to be bigger and better. I feel like if you stand still, you get run over. Currently, at my organization, we have an app where we can videotape a horse jogging, and it gets sent to Stockholm, Sweden, and within about three minutes, it sends us back a report that tells us if a horse is off on a certain limb. We use it constantly. We're always trying to take care of these horses as all of us, but the things happen.

Q: So what would you like to see happen?

MC: I think we really, seriously, need to look at more synthetic tracks. I believe in them. I believe they've got plenty of data to back that up, and I think if anybody's an expert on it, it should be me.

Q: At any given time, how many horses do you have in training on dirt and on synthetic?

MC: Right now, I have approximately 90 horses training at tracks on dirt. I have 75 at Woodbine training on synthetic.

Q: And how many starts per year do you think you make on each surface?

MC: I broke it down over the last four years. In 2022, we had 1,402 starts, 525 on turf, 432 on synthetic, and 445 on dirt. From 2019 to today, we've had 5,921 starts since the beginning of 2019, 2,766 of which were turf starts. But 1,574 synthetic starts and 1,581 dirt. So it's pretty close.

Q: Tell me what your observations are from your horses running on each surface.

MC: A lot of things are different. We scope every horse after they breeze and after they race. We breeze or run 50 horses a week on dirt and I would say that at least 40% of those horses will show some type of bleeding when they're scoped, even if they're on Lasix. If those same 50 horses run over synthetic or turf, the odds of them showing any signs of bleeding would be somewhere around 5%.

Q: And what do you attribute that to?

MC: It's less stressful. I can also tell you this. A horse that you want to run on synthetic takes about as half as amount of breezes to get them ready to run as a dirt horse. So in other words, say I'm going to run a horse off a layoff, a horse would maybe need 10 or 12 breezes, and I'll run horses off of six or seven breezes on Tapeta. It's just less stressful, so when you have less stress, they rebound quicker. They're sounder the next day.

Q: What other differences do you see in your horse population at Woodbine, in terms of the health of your horses?

MC:  There's no question, over the years, if I have horses that are coming back off long layoffs, it's much easier to bring them back over synthetic. I train for a few different clients that have horses with other trainers around North America, and I actually get most of their horses that have bowed or had suspensory injuries, and the reason for it is it's much easier to bring them back over synthetic. We have a great return rate with these old injuries. If I have horses that have had physical injuries in the past, I pretty well send those horses to Woodbine to train over the synthetic. What people don't realize is this. Yes, we're seeing injuries on the dirt, and we're also seeing injuries on the turf, right? It's my belief that some of these injuries we are seeing on the turf, it's because these horses are training on the dirt. A turf horse, for the most part, a true turf horse struggles with the dirt surface. It's like having a car where the wheels are imbalanced. You're going down the road, and it struggles. It's not smooth, and all at once, the hubcap flies off. There was nothing wrong with the hubcap, but over a period of time, there's a weakness, there's a crack in the armor, and then that's what we're seeing. So when you see a lot of these injuries, there is something that's been going on for a while. I know a lot of my good turf horses, they just thrive at Woodbine, because they get to train over the synthetic every day. Interestingly enough, Tepin won all over North America, except in Saratoga, and I always thought it was because she struggled so much with the deeper surface here. We get to breeze them on the grass once a week or something like that, but their everyday training is on the dirt.

Q: We have heard a lot of trainers say that there are more soft-tissue injuries on synthetic surfaces. That was a very common theme when so many tracks switched to synthetic several years ago. What is your opinion on this?

MC: I have sent out somewhere over 150,000 horses to train over synthetic, and that could be no farther from the truth. That is an absolute falsehood. The chances of a horse hurting their suspensory, soft tissue injury, a tendon, is much greater on the dirt, and it's not even close. I base this on lots of data. I tell everybody, I do my own studies. I study every day. I've been studying for 40-some years.

Q: Several years ago, several tracks, like those in California and Keeneland, switched to synthetic, and then switched back. Why do you think this was?

MC: I think what happened was they didn't know how to handle them. They definitely didn't know how to install them, so I think there were a lot of issues with the early tracks. In California, I think they had three different tracks, and they struggled. Santa Anita struggled. Del Mar, I remember, I actually went out the last year, the last meet that Del Mar had synthetic. I was there, and I'd have conversations all the time with trainers out there, and they were like, “Oh. We're going to be so happy to go back to dirt.”

And I can remember saying to them, “Be careful what you wish for. Be careful what you wish for.”

And we know that things didn't turn out so well. As far as Keeneland goes, I think it was 2008. I was asked to talk on a board, because they were looking at possibly putting in synthetic. I can remember Todd was there. Dale Romans was there. Nick Zito was there. We talked about it at that point in time, and one of the panel members said, “Well, we have to worry about tradition.”

I said to them, “We're going to be history. We're not going to have to worry about tradition.”

I feel that way now. We have to stop worrying about tradition or history, I'm sorry, or we're going to be history. We can't worry about tradition. Look, at Woodbine I think we just ran the 164th Plate, and the first 130 of them were on dirt, but they still made that switch, and I applaud them for that. So Keeneland put it in. That was Polytrack. Fifteen years ago, New York didn't have the money. I think if New York had gone ahead and been able to put in synthetic at that point in time, Keeneland keeps theirs.

Some others would've maybe followed suit, but when New York couldn't do it, they couldn't afford to do it, Keeneland, in my opinion, felt like they were the only kind of synthetic track, and they were losing some of their Derby prospects and Oaks prospects, and they succumbed to the pressure. I was listening to a conversation 15 years ago or so at Keeneland. I heard a very good horse trainer who has since retired telling somebody, “I like synthetic, but if we run them at Keeneland and they run well, the owners will want to send them somewhere else, and we don't have synthetic in New York, so we just don't run them.” I found that interesting.

Q: What do you say to the argument from breeders in Kentucky who oppose a switch to synthetic, citing not only tradition, but the investments that they've made in dirt stallions? Is there any validity to their argument, do you think?

MC: I don't think so, because if we don't have an industry, it's not going to matter. The way we're going, that's where we're headed. Look, you have two of the biggest racetracks in the world who have had crises this year. I've sat there and watched how hard Saratoga works on their racetrack. Glen Kozak does an absolute tremendous job. He is unbelievable. Churchill's the same way. They have the best of the best. They do the best they can do, but again, look at it. What if we had kept the Model T? Instead, look at what we've done with automobiles, how we've made those so much safer. We're still using a racetrack that's been around for 125 years, and there's only so much you can do for it.

Patrick Husbands has been champion rider in Canada for years, and he told me something very interesting one time. He got hurt about three or four years ago, and I didn't see what happened to him, so I called him in the hospital, and I said, “Patrick, what happened? Did a horse fall with you?” He said, “Mark, I've never had a horse fall with me on synthetic.” I said, “What do you mean?”

He said, “The difference between a synthetic track and a dirt track, for the most part, is that the synthetic actually catches them and gives you a little bounce back. A lot of times when a horse breaks a bone, the next step is where it gets ugly. It's like a thud. There is no give to it, so it doesn't bounce back.”  Here's a guy that's ridden thousands and thousands and thousands of races, and for him to say that, I just found it very interesting.

Look, I'm getting to the end of my career. I've been doing this 40-some years, and I feel like, and it's why I'm involved with HISA as well. I have a son, Norman, who has been very successful. I have another son, Colby, that could end up being a horse trainer as well. This industry has been very good to me. Everything I have is because of it, and I just want to try to make it better. When I leave, I want it to be better than when I started. So that's why I'm speaking out. This is not for me. I'm fine. I'm just trying to make our sport better.

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“Sunday's live racing program will proceed as scheduled following a series of productive meetings held with horsemen, jockeys, and veterinarians last night and throughout the morning,” read an emailed statement. “Based on these conversations and ensuing dialogue, NYRA is confident in the safety and overall consistency of the racing surfaces.”

On Saturday's Travers Day card, Nobel (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) broke down in the fifth race while galloping out on the turf, and New York Thunder (Nyquist) broke down when on his way to an apparent victory in the GI Allen Jerkens Memorial S. on the dirt.

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Despite the immediate response of on-site veterinarians, the horse was humanely euthanized due to the severity of the injury. The 3-year-old gelding owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC was trained by Michelle Nevin and ridden by Ricardo Santana, Jr., who was uninjured.

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Horse racing is in a firestorm. We are at survival tipping point. The decisions that are made in the short term will determine whether horseracing can endure as we know it. The American public has no tolerance for what they perceive as a sport that is immersed in carnage. I commend Churchill Downs for suspending racing to take a hard look at their future and to explore solutions that will be significant in mitigating breakdowns and restoring confidence to our fans.

The one decision that would be a major game changer is to convert the racing surface at Churchill Downs to synthetic. In the released 2022 The Jockey Club (TJC) Equine Injury Database (EID) for the year 2021, injuries on dirt were 1.44 per 1,000 horse starts. Turf injuries were 0.99 per 1,000. Injuries on synthetic were vastly diminished with 0.41 per 1,000. This data shows that synthetic surfaces are 3.5 times safer than dirt and 2.2 times safer than turf. These stats are compelling in showing the exponential safety of today's synthetic surfaces over dirt and turf.

The data is compelling but it doesn't tell “WHY” synthetic tracks are safer. Back in 2006, I chaired the shoeing committee for TJC Welfare and Safety Summit. We were tasked to examine the safety of toe grabs which Dr. Sue Stover at UC Davis had shown to significantly contribute to breakdowns. We employed sophisticated high-speed cameras with a closed group of nine horses provided by Chris McCarron's jockey school to understand why toe grabs were contributing to breakdowns. We filmed the hoof's contact with the racing surface using a variety of shoes with varying toe grab lengths on both dirt surfaces and Keeneland's synthetic track.

The results were dramatic. What we learned was the effect of “slide” on the lower limb of the horse. With Queen's Plates, the front foot has an average slide on dirt of 3 1/2 to 5 inches. The average slide on synthetic was 1 1/2 inches. Slide is important to understand. It's the “give” in a horse's stride. The increased length of slide on dirt causes two things to happen. First, it magnifies torque on a horse's lower limb. If a horse “toes in” the limb incurs torque medially because of the increased forces on the outside of the hoof. If they toe out, then the torque is lateral with the increased forces on the inside of the foot. And when horses step in holes on a dirt track, the torque can go either way. This doesn't happen on synthetic tracks because of the shorter slide which greatly diminishes torque. Also, a horse's foot is always landing flat on a synthetic surface as opposed to the cuppy holes that cover a dirt track. Synthetic also provides a much higher energy absorption than dirt with a higher energy return.

The second important factor that we were able to measure was the magnified load on the pastern that was presented on dirt. Because of the exaggerated slide and delayed break over on dirt, the pastern continues to load through the stride, increasing its drop by as much as an inch over synthetic. We were also able to see this increased load when horses landed in the “holes” created on dirt tracks.

As you can visualize, the increased load or drop of the pastern creates excessive strains on the suspensory apparatus of the horse's lower limbs magnifying the opportunity for a catastrophic failure. When a horse blows out its suspensory apparatus in a race it leads to a broken leg in the next few strides.

Suspensory and tendon injuries are extremely rare on synthetic but occur way more frequently on dirt because of these magnified strains.

The videos also exposed how lethal toe grabs were on all surfaces. They were especially detrimental on synthetic because they abruptly stopped the foot not allowing any slide. This is why trainers were experiencing rear-end injuries early on because they were continuing to use toe grabs on the rear feet.

Sarah Andrew

Catastrophic break downs are rarely caused by one bad step although this is more likely on dirt. As most orthopedic surgeons will testify, they are the result of cumulative microscopic injuries that accrue with the thousands of steps a horse accumulates in training and racing. It's the laws of physics. Excessive torque and loads on a horse's legs will eventually take its toll. With a synthetic surface these strains are greatly diminished and a horse's natural ability to remodel its bone will repair and strengthen it at a cellular level.

We not only have the irrefutable data over hundreds of thousands of horse starts on synthetic but we have the notable success of several major tracks that have employed them.

The first is Keeneland. The last meet they ran on synthetic in 2014 was the most successful meet in Keeneland's history at that point. All-time attendance and handle records were set. There were record field sizes, minimal scratches with inclement weather when races were taken off turf. And most importantly, there were zero breakdowns!

The second is Santa Anita. The last meet run at Santa Anita in 2009 had an injury rate of 0.57 per 1,000 horse starts compared to their pre-synthetic era on dirt of 2.78 per 1,000. That computes to a 4.8 times higher safety record. This is in spite of a poor-quality installation that would not properly drain, eventually having a subsurface membrane failure allowing aggregate to float to the surface.

Here are some compelling stats from three tracks currently running on synthetic surfaces: Golden Gate, Presque Isle, and Gulfstream.

Golden Gate had an injury rate of .38 per 1,000 with 12,986 horse starts in 2021 and 2022 on their Tapeta surfaces.

Presque Isle race meets in 2021/2022 had 0.24 injuries per 1,000 with 8,178 horse starts.

Gulfstream with its newly installed Tapeta track had the best record of all with only one injury out of 7,085 horse starts with 0.14/1,000. This translates to a 9.7 times safer surface than their dirt track.

Belmont has recognized the advantages of having a synthetic surface with its scheduled completion in the spring of 2024.

Injuries on a national basis have dropped significantly at certain tracks since the implementation of intensified pre-race veterinary examinations of our horses and have the promise of continuing to diminish injuries with mandated requirements by HISA. This high-level scrutiny of starters combined with the safest possible racing surface will dramatically reduce injuries and show the world that we care.

Horseracing is a sport with a rich history of tradition. The thought of changing the racing surface of the Kentucky Derby to a synthetic surface will not appeal to those that value tradition above the safety of our horses and the survival of our beautiful sport. If we do not take drastic proven steps to significantly eliminate breakdowns we are destined for the fate of Greyhound racing.

Today's public has no stomach or tolerance for what they perceive as abuse of our horses. The “writing is on the wall” or in our case the New York Times, CNN and the 6 o'clock news. We either embrace innovative change supported by the data to maximize safety for our horses and riders or we are destined to experience a slow painful death.

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