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Dirt, Turf, and Synthetic by the Numbers

After the TDN published two opinion pieces which recommended a return to synthetic surfaces, one by Earle Mack in the May 31 TDN and one by Bill Finley in this Monday's TDN, we have been inundated by comments, questions, and opinions about the relative safety of one surface versus another. Some of the questions asked for a year-by-year comparison, while other comments cited statistics that were not correct. Courtesy of The Jockey Club's Equine Injury database, here are the figures of racing fatalities per thousand starters, year by year for the past 14 years. These statistics include fatal injuries of Thoroughbreds that occurred during a race as reported by veterinary officials and includes Thoroughbreds that succumbed to a race-related injury within 72 hours after the race day. For a link to the complete table, click here.

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Why Do Horses Eat Weird Things?

Quality equine nutrition is paramount to keeping horses looking and feeling their best, but some horses eat things they shouldn't, which could lead to colic or cause long-term health issues. Pica is an eating disorder that involves ingesting items that aren't typically considered food.

Some horses eat:

Manure
Called coprophagy, manure eating is natural. Foals eat manure to populate their digestive tract with beneficial bacteria and some adult horses do the same, but eating feces could be a sign that something more is amiss. Adult horses often eat manure because they're lacking in fiber.
Poisonous Plants
Horses often only eat poisonous plants when they have no other forage option. Knowing what plants are poisonous, and removing them, is important to keeping horses safe. Offer plenty of quality forage so the horse doesn't think poisonous plants are the only edible option.
Dirt
Eating dirt is fairly common, but may indicate horses are seeking minerals like salt, copper or zinc. Check his diet to be sure he's receiving the proper amounts of minerals he needs to be healthy.
Tree Bark
Eating tree bark is natural, but some horses chew bark because they are bored. It's important to ensure that the tree bark the horse is eating isn't poisonous. Additionally, if the horse is ingesting so much bark he's harming the tree, fencing horses away from tree trunks may be necessary. Offering a horse-safe logs to chew on is an option.

Indiana Grand Donates Old Track Surface Material To Community Project

In preparation for a project on the horizon for Shelby Parks and Recreation, Indiana Grand Racing & Casino delivered two loads of dirt to Blue River Memorial Park Thursday, April 1. The dirt, which was formerly used as racing surface on the track, will become part of the amphitheater area to be constructed at Blue River Memorial Park.

“The amphitheater at this time has no particular time frame,” said Karen Martin, Executive Director of Shelby Parks and Recreation. “It is in our master plan. As we get dirt to create the mound for the audience to sit on, then preparations will get started for the rest.”

Indiana Grand Track Maintenance Team Members Paul Jordon and Doug Boring delivered two truck loads of material to the site of the future amphitheater. The dirt equaled a total of 20 tons.

Once enough material has been collected, Doug Hunt, City of Shelbyville Street Commissioner, will begin forming the dirt into a “U” shape mound that will extend up at least 12 feet high. Once the mound is in place, drainage will be added and a staging area with dressing rooms will be constructed.

“After an extended period of time, the materials we use on the racetrack become less effective and it loses its bounce when the horses travel over it,” said Roy Smith, Track Superintendent. “We take the material off and replace it with a fresh mixture of sand, silt and clay. The stockpile of previously used dirt will be perfect for the creation of the amphitheater.”

Smith and his team are in final preparations for the upcoming 19th season of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, which begins Tuesday, April 13. They are working on both the one-mile dirt course as well as the seven-eighths mile turf course, which is currently equipped with turf blankets to strengthen the grass base and speed up the process of growth. Turf racing is set to commence in early May, pending weather conditions.

Live racing in 2021 will be conducted at 2:25 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with first post on Thursday set at 3:25 p.m. In addition, six all-Quarter Horse racing dates are set on select Saturdays starting June 5 at 10 a.m. A special Indiana Champions Day highlighting the state's top Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses will be held Saturday, Oct. 30 beginning at 12 p.m. More information about the 2021 racing season is available at www.indianagrand.com.

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Saudi Arabian Dirt Likely for Oxted

Group 1 winner Oxted (GB) (Mayson {GB}) is likely for the six-furlong Riyadh Dirt Sprint instead of the 1351 Turf Sprint at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 20. A winner of the G3 Abernant S. last June, the bay gelding added the G1 July Cup at Newmarket one month later. After undergoing wind surgery, Oxted resumed with a fifth in the Oct. 17 QIPCO British Champions Sprint S.

“At the moment we are favouring the dirt really because it's six furlongs,” said trainer Roger Teal, whose son Harry will accompany his stable star to Saudi Arabia, at a Saudi Cup press conference. “Obviously, it's an unknown surface for us but because it's a flat six furlongs I think that is where we are going to go. He's a good-moving horse. He likes the top of the ground and handles all sorts of ground.

“He trains on an all-weather surface every day, so I'm just hoping. The reports are very good about the dirt track in Saudi. That gives me confidence. There's not too much kickback apparently. As long as there wasn't going to be tons of kickback, I think we're going to be happy to run him on it.”

He added, “The timing of the race was good for us. It was enough time to give him a break and then prepare him for the season ahead. We can go to Saudi, come back, maybe go to Dubai for World Cup night if things go to plan. We can then prepare for Ascot and another go at the July Cup. We'll be a little bit wiser after the event. He's pretty straightforward and takes things in his stride, but you don't know until you do it. He should be fine.”

Regularly ridden by Cieren Fallon, Jr., the now 5-year-old gelding would reunite with Fallon in Saudi Arabia.

“He definitely gets on so well with the horse,” said Teal. “Hopefully when Cieren's available he can ride him whenever. This horse has got good gate speed. He travels strong. He's got early pace so I think the pace of the race will suit him fine. The pace beat us at Ascot [on Champions Day] last year. There wasn't enough pace for him.”

“Harry will go with him out there,” he added, but was non-committal on his own attendance. “You can't make any firm plans yet, but we'd like to be there if we can. He's pretty much on track. He's been stepping up weekly. We're very happy. We'll just keep tipping away with what we're doing and get him there in good shape.

“If we're allowed to I'm looking to getting him to Wolverhampton just to have one good sprint round the turn because he's never run round a bend. That's another thing we've got to find out about him. He's in good shape. He had a short break after Ascot. He had a month away and came back looking tremendous. He's really blossomed through the winter.”

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