Beulah Park will begin its 2011-12 racing season Oct. 10 with a renovated racing surface and "pick" wagers with a reduced pari-mutuel takeout of 15%.
Thursday, September 29, 2011The Racing Surfaces Committee formed at the inaugural Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit in 2006 has published a 34-page "Racing Surfaces White Paper."
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Churchill Downs Inc. reinforced its safety initiatives April 11 and said it plans to seek re-accreditation for its four racetracks through the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Weather and track conditions are forcing cancellations at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and Parx Racing, two Pennsylvania racetracks.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Santa Anita opened its new dirt track to horses the morning of Dec. 6. With most horses still stabled across town at Hollywood Park, few horses galloped on the new surface, which is a mixture of 90% sand and 10% clay.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Live racing returns to Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course the evening of Sept. 29 after a more than two-week break for renovation of the racing surface.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A study performed by Equibase at the request of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association indicates the percentage of "career-ending did-not-finish" incidents was about twice as high on dirt than on synthetics in 2009.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010An initial analysis of equine injury data released earlier this year shows no statistically significant difference in the risk of fatalities in Thoroughbreds on different racing surfaces, officials said June 28.
Monday, June 28, 2010Officials at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course have worked to correct a racing surface horsemen said "fell apart" when new material was added May 9-10.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The changing climate of the Thoroughbred industry and key areas of improvement were prominent topics of discussion by trainers Jonathan Sheppard and Christophe Clement at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club meeting.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
As people rush to takes sides in the great dirt-versus-synthetic surface debate, Dr. Mick Peterson and Santa Anita Park track superintendent Richard Tedesco suggested consistency and maintenance trump type of surface.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Santa Anita Park officials have indicated the California track's main racing surface will be replaced, but it remains to be seen if the new surface will be synthetic or dirt.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010A West Virginia racetrack has settled a lawsuit by a jockey who was paralyzed from the chest down during a racing accident in 2004.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
A month after Turfway Park experienced eight catastrophic breakdowns during its 21-day holiday meet, state veterinarian Dr. Bryce Peckham and Turfway president Bob Elliston were on hand at a Feb. 10 Kentucky Horse Racing Commission meeting in Lexington to present commissioners a much more positive report.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009Though five horses have been euthanized as a result of catastrophic breakdowns at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots since Jan. 17, Dr. Tom David, equine medical director for the Louisiana State Racing Commission, said the incidents appear to have no direct connection with the condition of the racing surface.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Santa Anita Park announced June 23 that its main track will undergo a complete overhaul beginning July 14, and will be reconstituted with a mixture of Pro-Ride synthetic material.
Monday, June 23, 2008After track superintendents from across the nation discussed various methods for maintaining their individual surfaces at the Track Superintendent Field Day at Keeneland June 3, Dr. Mick Peterson offered ways to apply what was learned and make the necessary changes to lessen on-track injuries.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008The second Elastikon Equine Research Award, funded through a grant made by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co. to the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, has been awarded to Dr. Wayne McIlwraith of Colorado State University and Dr. Mick Peterson of the University of Maine for their research designed to enhance the safety of racetracks for horses.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
On the second day of the Track Superintendent Field Day at Keeneland June 3, the focus was turned toward dirt tracks, as a panel of six superintendents from across the nation talked about various methods used on the surfaces.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The number of catastrophic injuries on dirt tracks has gone up while the corresponding number on synthetic surfaces has gone down, according to a revision of a report first given at the March 17 Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Due to heavy overnight rains continuing into April 4, the New York Racing Association has canceled live racing at Aqueduct in an effort to preserve the racing surface for the Wood Memorial program on April 5.
Friday, April 04, 2008Rollercoaster weather conditions continue to plague Beulah Park, which canceled live racing March 5. It was the fourth consecutive full or partial card that was canceled, and dates lost during the meet are in the double digits.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Santa Anita Park canceled live racing for Jan. 7 because of continued problems with its Cushion Track surface.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Jim Bolger, one of the leading trainers in Ireland, is reported as saying a dirt surface should never again be used for the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The high probability of rain for Breeders' Cup weekend has led trainers to make some decisions on shoeing.
Friday, October 26, 2007Participants from the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit announced a second summit is scheduled for March 17-18, 2008, at Keeneland. In addition, members on Sept. 20 provided updates on a variety of summit-inspired initiatives.
Thursday, September 20, 2007Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino won't be compelled to install a synthetic racing surface, at least not in the immediate future. But the Iowa track's dirt surface could be the topic of future discussion.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Members of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association voiced their displeasure with the racing surfaces at Saratoga, Belmont Park, and Aqueduct during a meeting Aug. 31, but the New York Racing Association track superintendent later said he stands by the surfaces.
Friday, August 31, 2007Officials tracking an unusually high number of horse deaths at Colonial Downs said an ongoing investigation hasn't indicated problems with the turf course or dirt track at the Virginia racetrack.
Monday, July 23, 2007Organizers of the 2006 "Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit" have released an update outlining the work of various committees. A second summit could be held in early 2008.
Thursday, May 10, 2007Martin Collins, creator of the Polytrack artificial surface, said the surface has encountered some problems in North America, but it's still much better than American dirt tracks, which tend to be inconsistent.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007Woodbine in Canada will employ a two-step process beginning in May in an attempt to improve the Polytrack surface it installed last summer.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007Arlington Park is in the final phase of installing an $11-million Polytrack surface that will debut when live racing begins May 4.
Thursday, March 29, 2007Arlington Park announced Feb. 6 it will install Polytrack for its meet that begins May 4.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007The California Coastal Commission has approved plans by Del Mar to replace its dirt surface with a synthetic Polytrack, track officials said.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006Hollywood Park, which will debut its Cushion Track for racing when its fall meet begins Nov. 1, is expecting some out-of-town trainers to send horses after the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006As Keeneland officials noted with a laugh, it couldn't have been better scripted. But sometimes in horse racing, things have a funny way of coming together despite numerous factors. And on Friday, opening day at the Lexington racetrack, they did just that.
Friday, October 06, 2006Tests performed Aug. 8-9 on the main track at Arlington Park have determined the Illinois track is consistent and safe for racing.
Thursday, August 10, 2006The Polytrack surface at Turfway Park has held up well in the heat of the summer, but it will be modified before the next live meet begins Sept. 6 at the Northern Kentucky racetrack.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006A two-day examination of the dirt surface at Arlington Park revealed nothing that would lead officials to believe the track is unsafe.
Monday, July 17, 2006Santa Anita Park plans to interrupt its training schedule in mid-July to peel back and inspect the base of the main track, said Ron Charles, president of the Arcadia, Calif., facility.
Friday, June 16, 2006Business is way up, and catastrophic injuries are way down. But Turfway Park officials aren't surprised their new Polytrack surface is a work in progress.
Monday, February 27, 2006Following the refusal of jockeys to ride the remainder of the live card after two races had been completed Jan. 7, Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa., announced Jan. 9 it would cancel live racing and training for this week while attempts are made to fix "inconsistent" portions of the racing surface.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006Turfway Park will get a more accurate indication of how its synthetic Polytrack will play during four months of fall and winter racing that begins Nov. 27, opening day of the holiday meet.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005Though it hasn't made an official decision on whether to install Polytrack on its main dirt track, the board of directors of Keeneland directed management Oct. 12 to continue with the planning, design, and engineering for the synthetic surface.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005The feedback was much louder than the sound of hooves as Turfway Park unveiled its Polytrack surface with three "trial" races Wednesday morning.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005The first pari-mutuel race on the new Polytrack at Turfway Park isn't scheduled until the evening of Sept. 7, but trainers have showed they're anxious to try it out by entering enough horses for three exhibition events the morning of Aug. 24.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005With the conclusion of training hours at noon Aug. 10, Philadelphia Park closed its main track for racing and training for 14 to 16 days, weather permitting, for renovation of the surface.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005The Polytrack racing surface at Turfway Park was installed two weeks ahead of schedule, but the sighs of relief by track officials may be short-lived as the Sept. 7 meet opener approaches. This is new territory, and questions abound, not the least of which is how horsemen and the betting public will respond.
Thursday, August 04, 2005Six-furlong races at Prairie Meadows were shortened to 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 2 because of an uneven spot in the backstretch chute.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
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