Martin Collins, manufacturer of Polytrack synthetic all-weather surface, was recently granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to Queen Elizabeth II, which will be effective for a period of five years from January 1, 2008.

Martin Collins Surfaces and Footings, LLC, the North American distributor of Polytrack, is a joint venture owned by Martin Collins International and Keeneland.

Martin Collins Surface and Footings has installed Polytrack at Keeneland Race Course, Turfway Park, Arlington Park, and Del Mar, and Woodbine in Canada. Polytrack also is on three racecourses in England—Lingfield Park, Wolverhampton, and Kempton Park—and one in Ireland at Dundalk.

Collins pioneered the synthetic surface, considered by many to be safer for competition for racehorses than conventional dirt surfaces, more than 30 years ago. The majority of Britain’s top equestrian competitions, such as the London International Horse Show, Royal Windsor Horse Show, and Hickstead, are held on Martin Collins’s surfaces.

Royal Warrants are a mark of recognition to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for at least five years to certain members of the Royal family. The grantors, as they are known, are advised by the Lord Chamberlain, who is head of the royal household and chairman of the Royal Household Tradesman’s Warrants Committee. However, the final decision to grant a Royal Warrant is made by the member of the royal family concerned—in Martin Collins’s case, the Queen.

Royal Warrants are regarded as a mark of excellence and quality and are highly prized.

“It is a tremendous honor and a privilege to be able to include the coat of arms on our stationery,” Collins said. “I’m very proud for our company to be the first in our industry to have been granted a Royal Warrant—it means so much to us and I must thank everyone in the company who has worked so hard to help make Martin Collins such a success. We pride ourselves on providing a first-class service to all our clients and a surface that is both safe and effective for all equestrian disciplines, from Riding for the Disabled establishments to the racing fraternity.”