by Frank Angst

A representative of Polytrack Surfaces said on Monday that one of the side benefits of switching from dirt tracks to synthetic surfaces has been closer racing finishes.

Jim Pendergest, of Martin Collins Surfaces—which along with Keeneland Race Course markets Polytrack—presented statistics that show tracks with the surface have seen closer finishes. Pendergest shared the information during the Kentucky International Equine Summit in Lexington on a panel discussing the initial experiences with artificial surfaces.

Pendergest presented numbers that showed during Keeneland’s final year with a dirt main track, the average winning margin was 3.86 lengths in the spring and 4.33 lengths in the fall. In 2007, those winning margins were reduced to 1.84 lengths and 1.32 lengths in the spring and fall, respectively.

Pendergest presented similar statistics for Arlington Park, Del Mar, Turfway Park, and Woodbine since their conversions to Polytrack.

“We think it’s important to have horses finish closer together,” Pendergest said. “Close finishes give the bettor the feeling that they weren’t too far off. When a bettor plays a horse that gets beat by 12 lengths, they get frustrated.”

Pendergest said the closer finishes thrill fans.

“When you go to Del Mar and the field is turning for home and most, or all, of the horses are still in it, you can really hear the excitement,” Pendergest said.

While Polytrack is installed at racetracks and training tracks to improve safety, Pendergest said the closer finishes have been an additional positive.

Also participating on the panel was Bill Wahl, owner of Skylight Training Center, which offers a Pro-Ride synthetic surface. Wahl said the synthetic surface allows horses to maintain a consistent stride during training.

Michael Dickinson, founder of Tapeta Footings, said that while synthetic tracks in the United States have reduced catastrophic injury rates, synthetic tracks in Europe have registered even better safety statistics.

Dickinson said the difference is that toe grabs are still allowed at many United States tracks and are not needed on synthetic surfaces. He added that statistics have shown that horses break down more often in toe grabs and clipping heels is more dangerous when horses’ shoes feature toe grabs.

Dickinson also noted that because of the prevalence of dirt tracks in the U.S., some trainers may ship horses with some injuries from a dirt track to a synthetic track.

The University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program and the University of Kentucky’s Equine Initiative are presenting the summit. The summit, which continues through Tuesday, includes three general topics: Equine Economy in the 21st Century, Emerging Science of Horse Breeding, and Wellbeing of the Competitive Horse.

Frank Angst is a Thoroughbred Times senior writer