Safety First: Churchill Replaces Inner Rail

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From Churchill Downs
Fans attending upcoming Spring Meet races at Churchill Downs may not immediately notice a change, but the jockeys and horses that compete on the historic track will significantly benefit from a new safety rail that is currently being installed along the inside portion of the one-mile dirt oval.

The $230,000 project to purchase and install the new safety rail, named the "Rider Protection System," is scheduled for completion in early February. The system was designed and patented by Steve Greene, a horse owner who serves as president of Horsemen's Track and Equipment Incorporated, which is based in Louisville, Ky. The safety rail, its adjoining safety panels and posts are all constructed of anodized aluminum, an aluminum process that will prevent discoloration of the materials.

The Rider Protection System offers three primary safeguards to help protect jockeys from serious injury in the event of an accident. The system's 24-inch wide panels, affixed to the top of the rail, will provide riders a safety shield from direct contact with the rail in the event of a mishap. The safety shields are flexible and angled, or tilted toward the inside. This will direct a rider's fall away from the track and oncoming horses. The posts that serve to support the rail are offset two feet from the track as compared to the previous system's offset of only one foot. This provides a significantly larger area under the rail for fallen jockeys to seek protection from oncoming horses.

"Our primary concern each and every race day is for the safety of the jockeys and horses as they race on the Churchill Downs track," said Alex Waldrop, president of Churchill Downs. "This new safety rail is a state-of-the-art piece of equipment that we are convinced will help us continue to meet our goal of providing horsemen, owners and jockeys with the safest, fairest racing surface in the Thoroughbred industry."

Preliminary work on the safety rail project began several months ago as track officials sought input and approval from the Churchill jockeys and horsemen. During the recent 2000 fall meet a section of the new rail system was set up in the Churchill Downs Backside Maintenance area to provide horsemen and jockeys an opportunity to view the rail and make comments. The installation work is scheduled for completion several weeks before the track
is reopened for training in early March.

"There have been various forms of safety rails offered in the past," said Churchill Downs vice president, track superintendent Raymond "Butch" Lehr. "But we feel this system best meets the concerns and needs of our jockeys and horsemen."

The Rider Protection System is currently used at American tracks such as Lone Star Park, Gulfstream Park, Sportsman's Park and Colonial Downs. It is also in use at El Commandante in Puerto Rico and Hippodromo de las Americas in Mexico City.

The new Churchill Downs rail will include 6,600 lineal feet and more than 660 posts. The former main track rail, which was installed in 1970, is not being discarded. It will be moved to the turf course where it will serve as a permanent outside rail.

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