With Woodbine Continuing To Compile Admirable Safety Numbers, Lawson Remains Big Fan Of Synthetic Surfaces

When it comes to breakdowns, the Tapeta surface at Woodbine isn't perfect. But it might be as close to perfect as any surface on the continent.

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.”

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Racetrack Surfaces: Where HISA’s Rubber Meets the Road

The closer the clock ticks down to Nov. 4, when Turf Paradise's latest 130-day meet is scheduled to launch, the louder will the questions resound about the facility's historically checkered approach to equine welfare and safety.

Near the midway point during last year's Turf Paradise meet, its equine fatality rate was more than 2.8 deaths per 1,000 starts. This compares to the national equine fatality rate of 1.39 per 1,000 starts last year.

Between Oct. 10, 2021, and May 7, 2022, 11 horses were fatally injured during morning training at Turf Paradise and 18 were fatally injured during racing, with another 13 lost to other circumstances.

Anyone with even a glancing understanding of catastrophic injuries knows the complex nature of causality, with the term “multifactorial” much bandied about. One of these important factors, however, is the condition of the racetrack surface–an issue that has bedeviled Turf Paradise in recent years.

To prepare for the upcoming meet–as well as for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), the racetrack safety portion of which went into effect July 1–Turf Paradise has hired a new track superintendent and has joined forces with the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (AZHBPA) to hire noted racetrack expert Steven Wood to oversee these operations.

In many ways, tracks like Turf Paradise–those with more to do to meet HISA's baseline racetrack surface standards–provide something of an inflection point for the federal law, the rubber now meeting the road.

How long do tracks like Turf Paradise have to get up to speed, for example? What are some possible implications for non-compliance?

In the long term, how soon before the data collection components of these federal rules generate the kinds of answers needed to further racetrack surface safety in the U.S.? “Patience,” extolled racetrack surface expert Mick Peterson in answer to the latter. “It's not going to happen overnight.”

HISA Requirements

The racetrack maintenance component of HISA–summarised here–sets out two main areas of compliance.

Before the start of each meet, tracks are required to perform a set of testing protocols for all dirt, synthetic and turf surfaces. These include the examination of dirt or synthetic surface bases either visually or by using ground penetrating radar, as well as measuring the geometry of turf tracks.

Then on an ongoing basis during the meet, HISA requires a set of daily measurements to be made at all quarter-mile markers at distances of five feet and 15 feet from the inside rail. This includes moisture content and, for dirt and synthetic tracks specifically, cushion depth.

Sarah Andrew

Track superintendents are also responsible for keeping a log of what kinds of daily maintenance they perform on the track surfaces and the relevant equipment used, along with the amounts of water put on the tracks.

Though key regional differences mean no two tracks work their surfaces exactly alike, “our end goal is to have every racing surface feel the same to the horses when they run on it,” said Ann McGovern, HISA director of racetrack safety, mirroring comments made about the work done in recent years at Del Mar and Santa Anita to render their main tracks physical twins–work widely regarded as instrumental in making these two tracks among the safest in the country.

That's the goal. To get there, the rollout it is, like much of HISA's broader mandate, piecemeal.

In short, the reporting component of the law is already very much at play, with track superintendents required to keep daily logs either written into notebooks or submitted digitally.

Where HISA currently affords wriggle room is to the typically smaller, less-resourced tracks that might not have all the necessary equipment to meet new demands.

Has HISA identified a specific date by which all tracks need to be up to speed? “We don't have an end date for that,” responded McGovern, adding that “we plan on giving extra help to tracks that need it, and extra guidance.”

Thistledown Racino in Ohio is one of those tracks playing catch up.

“Implementing everything has taken some time, but we're going the right way,” said long-time track superintendent John Banno. “We might be further behind some tracks, but we might be further along than some others.”

As mandated under HISA, the track has established a safety committee that Banno attends with the safety director and director of racing, along with representatives from the horsemen, jockeys and stewards.

“We cover a lot of bases,” Banno said, about these monthly meetings. “It's mostly about keeping the lines of communication open.”

Ryan Thompson

Complying with another new mandate, Banno maintains a written notebook of numbers, details and wrinkles from his workday.

“If I'm putting down 100,000 gallons of water,” Banno said, of the details recorded. “If we use harrows for the first few races and we then switch to floats. If it rains–things like that.”

But as someone “more comfortable with dirt and mud than documentation,” ducks and water would hardly be analogized in the way Banno's taken to the task. “I'm hoping it gets a little more streamlined,” he admitted. Efficiencies can also be made elsewhere.

“I have a wish list every year,” said Banno, pointing out that his crew is working with equipment that is, in some cases, more than 40 years old.

“I'm sure many smaller racetracks have to deal with that, too,” said Banno, pointing out that new equipment is both pricey–new floats or harrows can run up to $25,000 each–and fairly limited in supply.

“As far as I can tell, there's only two vendors that sell this equipment, and one of them doesn't really supply too many things anymore,” he said.

The current Thistledown meet ends Oct. 14 before kick-starting once again next spring.

With more than six months between now and then, Banno has ample time on his hands to prepare for HISA's pre-meet testing requirements. Many other meets are scheduled to launch in the interim.

This is where Peterson, who founded the non-profit Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, is expected to step in.

“It doesn't tell you anything”

HISA is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with Peterson for his organization to oversee these pre-meet stipulations.

“Our agreement is to ensure that HISA gets what information it needs when we go to the racetracks to do the testing,” said Peterson. Not that he anticipates the same degree of involvement at all tracks.

Many of the larger, more prestigious tracks already meet and often exceed the baseline track demands under HISA. Take moisture content readings–what should be measured daily–with Fair Grounds “a good example,” said Peterson.

“I can tell you what the moisture content was measured at 24 points [around the track] in 2010 at Fair Grounds, every day of the race meet,” he explained.

But not all U.S. track superintendents currently use the requisite tool to measure moisture content–a funkily called time domain reflectometry device. Those that don't typically gauge it the old-fashioned way, grabbing a clump of dirt and squeezing it with their hand. Or through the feel of the equipment on the track.

The good news is that a time domain reflectometry device will set the buyer back around $1,400–hardly a bank-breaker. Nor do these instruments require a PhD in engineering.

“Incredibly simple,” Peterson said, about the device's ease of use. “You just stick it in, press the button.”

Sarah Andrew

For run-ragged superintendents at under-resourced tracks, arguably the biggest headache under HISA's new regime has proven the time and discipline involved in keeping daily testing and maintenance logs.

Some of the tracks already affiliated with the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory use the organization's online portal to record information, though Peterson admits it can still prove laborious, the database something of a Bronze Age relic of the early digital era.

That old software, however, is undergoing a digital facelift. “The new version with The Jockey Club is going to be a lot more user-friendly,” said Peterson. That revamped software will undergo beta-testing at the Keeneland fall meet.

Which leads to the ultimate aim of what Peterson describes as the wholesale collection of “standard data taken in a consistent fashion out of a lot of tracks”: the ability to refine the information to better determine what track surface maintenance practices improve equine safety–and those that don't.

“It doesn't tell you anything,” said Peterson, dismissive of the Clegg hammer–a device measuring hardness and compaction that is still widely used around U.S. racetracks.

Then there's the issue of sealed tracks. In California, for example, horses are not permitted to train on such a surface. According to Peterson, that reticence is probably unfounded.

The “largest study to date from the Equine Injury Database [EID]” found “no significant difference when comparing off dirt versus regular dirt track for risk factors,” Peterson said.

The question then becomes: How soon can we expect the data collected under HISA to bear fruit?

“It's going to take a lot of data,” said Peterson, comparing it to the evolution of the EID.

“The first four or five years, I remember it wasn't clear that the EID was going to contribute any meaningful understanding of catastrophic injuries,” he said. “It took a lot of data, even with full participation.”

Given the steadily shifting sands of public opinion toward horse racing, there's a chance some tracks with dicey safety records might not have that four- or five-year leeway.

“This surface is not right,” warned trainer Kevin Eikleberry during an Arizona racing commission meeting before the 2021-22 Turf Paradise meet when even the commission's head veterinarian bemoaned a lack of thorough and consistent surface maintenance standards.

With a change of crucial track personnel at the Arizona facility in the interim, however, expectations are noticeably higher one year on.

Coady

“HISA would absolutely react”

“We've had to make sure the banking is how we want it,” explained Wood, before ticking off a long grocery list of other preparations already conducted at the track, including removing “a lot” of material from the existing surface, and adding tons of new sand and bark, the latter for cushioning.

“All these things should help,” said Wood, before adding that “you're still going to have to have the other guys, the vets and such, do their job” to meaningfully shift the needle.

According to George Lopez, the newly minted track superintendent at Turf Paradise–himself a former protégé of the Wood academy of track management–the facility has also splashed out on new equipment.

This includes a new grader–used to redistribute surface materials–and two new water trucks. “We also have two good tractors now,” said Lopez, who describes his new job as a “challenge” to relish.

“I'm very confident and I'm very sure we're going to have a really good, safe meet this time,” he said.

But what if the meet resumes this November and safety expectations fall short once more?

Stressing the “multifactorial” nature of equine injury, McGovern said that in such an instance, the new federal authority would “immediately” get involved, though stopped short of outlining a clear set of potential actions.

“Getting involved may mean talking to management, talking to the track superintendent, sending Mick [Peterson] to look at the track surface, looking at necropsies, looking at training methods,” McGovern said. “HISA would absolutely react to any track that had numbers as significant as we have seen at Turf Paradise last year.”

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Equine Fatality Rate Continues Decline, Dips Slightly in 2021

An analysis of data from the 13th year of reporting to the Equine Injury Database (EID) shows a decrease in the rate of fatal injury in 2021 (1.39 per 1,000 starts) compared to 2020 (1.41 per 1,000 starts), The Jockey Club announced Tuesday. This is the third year in a row that the number has decreased, and the 2021 rate of fatal injury is the lowest number since the EID started collecting data in 2009. The risk of fatal injury in 2021 declined 1.4% from 2020 and has dropped 30.5% overall since 2009.

Based on the 2021 data, 99.86% of flat racing starts at the racetracks participating in the EID were completed without a fatality. For trends of the EID since 2009, click here.

For 2-year-olds, the fatality rate in 2021 was 0.98, while 3-year-olds showed a 1.52 fatality rate and 4-year-olds and up came in at 1.38. The 0.98 figure for juveniles is the lowest on record by age and the first time the fatality rate for 2-year-olds has dropped below 1.0 per 1,000.

Route races continued to be safer compared to sprints, as races beyond a mile showed a 1.19 fatality rate compared to 1.46 for six-to-eight-furlong races and 1.35 for races shorter than six panels. Synthetic races produced just 0.73 fatalities per 1,000 starts, while dirt racing had 1.51 and turf racing 1.25. There has been a statistically significant drop overall since 2009 in the risk of fatal injury across all surfaces: dirt (28.1%), turf (35.6%), and synthetic (51%). The synthetic fatality rate was below 1.0 for the second time and is the lowest since 2009.

“We provided this database as a service to the industry, and we are pleased that it is proving to be an invaluable asset in learning more about keeping our athletes safe,” said Jim Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club. “The downward trends in the EID data are very encouraging, and I'd like to thank the participating racetracks and official veterinarians for working with us and making this critical data available.”

Since March 2012, racetracks have been able to voluntarily publish their statistics from the EID on The Jockey Club website. The racetracks that publish their EID statistics reported racing fatalities per 1,000 starts of 1.15 as compared to 1.54 for those that do not publish.

The 22 racetracks accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance reported 1.24 racing fatalities per 1,000 starts versus 1.50 for the 58 non-accredited tracks that raced in 2021 and reported to the EID.

The EID statistics are based on injuries that resulted in fatalities within 72 hours from the date of the race. The statistics are for official Thoroughbred races only and exclude steeplechase races. Summary statistics for the EID are subject to change due to a number of considerations, including reporting timeliness. All data entered into the EID goes through a multilevel quality control process to ensure the data is completely and accurately reported.

The list of racetracks participating in the EID and detailed statistics from those tracks that voluntarily publish their results can be found here.
Throughout the course of 2021, approximately 99% of all Thoroughbred starts were included in the EID.

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Equine Fatality Rate Lowest Since Record Keeping Began

According to the Equine Injury Database, released Monday, there were 1.41 fatalities per 1,000 starters at North American racetracks in 2020, the lowest number recorded since The Jockey Club began compiling injury rates in 2009. The number of fatal injuries declined by 7.8% from 2019 and 29.5% overall since 2009, when the rate was 2.0 per 1,000 starters.

“Overall, there was an 8% decrease in the risk of fatal injury from 2019 to 2020,” said Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinary epidemiologist. “Since 2009, risk has declined by 29.5% or equivalent to 140 fewer horses sustaining a fatal injury while racing in 2020 than would have occurred had there been no change in risk since 2009. We will dig deeper into the numbers in the coming months to better understand trends in the 2020 data.”

There was also good news out of Santa Anita, which reported six deaths for the year for a rate of 1.17. Just a year earlier, in 2019, when the breakdowns at Santa Anita were making headlines and giving ammunition to animal rights activists, there were 20 deaths for a rate of 3.01 per 1,000 starters. The 2020 numbers at Santa Anita were the lowest since 2009 when the main track was a synthetic surface.

“The continuing reduction in equine fatalities is due to the collaborative effort of the industry stakeholders and regulators putting the safety of the horse first,” said Aidan Butler, COO of racing for The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. “This has been a significant culture change and, while it has required much adjustment from a lot of different parties, this modernization will allow for the sport's future. There is still some work to be done to ensure that  horses in every jurisdiction receive the same opportunity for intervention and injury prevention.

“We are thrilled to be on the low end and back to where we've been historically,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group. “This year we are seeing another decrease in our numbers from last year and we are optimistic that we will continue to improve. At Santa Anita, there has ben a complete culture change when it comes to how everyone views racing. It's from the trainers to the jockeys to the racing office to the veterinarians. It has become a culture of safety.”

Once again, synthetic tracks proved to be the safest surfaces among the three surfaces used for racing. The fatality rate on synthetics was 1.02 per 1,000 starters, a bit better than the 1.27 number recorded on turf. The number for dirt tracks was 1.49.

The injury database also revealed that sprint races are more dangerous than route races. The fatality rate for races run at more than a mile was 1.22. It was 1.35 for races run between six and eight furlongs and 1.66 for races shorter than six furlongs.

The Jockey Club report did reveal one area of concern. The breakdown rate in 2020 was highest in 2-year-old races, with 1.69 fatalities per 1,000 starters. That was higher than the numbers for 3-year-olds (1.57) and 4-year-olds and upward (1.29). In all other years between 2009 and 2019, the 2-year-old number was the lowest among all age groups.

Del Mar led the way when it came to the sport's safest tracks. It had just one fatality in 2020 from 3,417 starters. The rate of 0.29 breakdowns per 1,000 starters was best among all tracks holding meets of one month or longer. Keeneland came in a close second with one fatality in 2020 from 1,989 starters or 0.50 fatalities per 1,000 starters,

“Over the past three years, there has been an extremely dedicated safety effort by everyone involved with racing at Del Mar–our owners, trainers, jockeys, regulators, staff and others,” said Del Mar President Josh Rubinstein. “And we have seen a positive change in our culture. There is still more to be done, and we will continue to laser focused on the safety and welfare of our equine and human athletes.”

Kristin Werner, senior counsel and administrator of the EID, said the work to further reduce the numbers continues.

“Although we are thrilled to see improvement in the numbers from 2020 and commend the racetracks and regulatory authorities in their efforts to reduce injuries, other areas require closer study,” she said. “The recording of additional data through tools like the Electronic Treatment Records System and the Management Quality System of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory will give regulators, racetracks, and researchers a better understanding of horse health and racetrack safety, allowing for additional scrutiny and research aimed at preventing injuries.”

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