Turfway Switches from Polytrack to Tapeta; JC Donates to Surface Study

“Some people may not like the synthetic track,
but I look at my charts every day and I see what is
safer and it’s not even close, it’s the synthetic” – Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse

If you have picked up the final issue of Canadian Thoroughbred Magazine featuring 25 of the Most Influential People in Canadian Horse Racing Today, you would have seen this quote from one of the world’s top trainers. Mark Casse states what his statistics and industry statistics illustrate; synthetic is safer.

Scroll to continue with content

Turfway Park, one of a few tracks in the U.S. with a synthetic dirt surface, will have its 15-year-old Polytrack replaced by owner Churchill Downs this spring with Tapeta, the surface that has been in place at Woodbine for 3 years.

News also came from the Jockey Club that it will donate money to the further study of racetrack surfaces through the Racetrack Surfaces Testing Laboratory:

Churchill Downs Incorporated (“CDI”) (Nasdaq: CHDN) announced Tuesday plans to invest $5.6 million to replace the existing track at Turfway Park (“Turfway”) with a new Tapeta synthetic track, one of the world’s leading surfaces for racing and training, through an agreement with Tapeta Footings, Inc. (“Tapeta”). The removal of Turfway’s existing Polytrack and installation of the new Tapeta synthetic track will take place immediately following the close of Turfway’s Winter/Spring Meet on March 28 and is expected to be ready for the 2020 Holiday Meet beginning on Dec. 2.

CDI owns and operates three of the four synthetic tracks in the United States while Turfway will become only the third track in America to use the state-of-the-art Tapeta synthetic surface, joining CDI-owned Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania. The product is specifically designed as an all-weather surface for the safety of horses and riders in Thoroughbred racing. Tapeta is comprised of a carefully selected mixture of the finest silica sand, wax and fibres that simulate the root structure of turf and has been proven to perform exceptionally well in heavy rainfall and winter weather consistent with Turfway’s racing conditions.

“The Tapeta team are all delighted to have been chosen to install a Tapeta surface at Turfway Park,” said Jan Wakefield, Vice President of Tapeta Footings, Inc. “We look forward to working with CDI and can only applaud them for a huge commitment in upgrading the entire facility. It is a huge boost for Northern Kentucky and comes at a welcome time for the racing industry.”

The Tapeta track installation is one component of CDI’s investment that will make way for development of Turfway Park Racing & Gaming, an up to $150 million state-of-the art live and historical Thoroughbred racing facility.

“The agreement with Tapeta is the first of many exciting initiatives to come for Turfway,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack and Turfway Park. “By partnering with Tapeta to provide the safest racing conditions for Turfway’s winter meets, we will be able to deliver one of the key elements supporting our goal of bringing a first-class racing product to Northern Kentucky.”

The redevelopment of Turfway is anticipated to support up to 400 direct full and part-time equivalent positions and create an estimated 800 direct construction jobs. The project will include a historical racing machine facility featuring up to 1,500 machines, a state-of-the-art clubhouse as well as food/beverage venues.

In related news the Jockey Club announced the completion of a contribution of more than $750,000 from its commercial businesses to the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) for equipment and other assets to expand services to additional racetracks across North America.

The need to increase and sustain the future of research and innovation in track safety testing by the RSTL was expressed by Dr. Nancy Cox, dean, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, at The Jockey Club’s August 11, 2019, Round Table Conference. Following Dr. Cox’s remarks last summer, Stuart Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club, confirmed The Jockey Club’s funding support.

Track in the box testing of an arena surface in accordance to RSTL and FEI testing protocols’

“Track surface is one of the most important aspects of racing safety, which is a priority for The Jockey Club,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating office of The Jockey Club. “The Jockey Club has supported the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory since its inception, and we hope these donations will ensure our horses and jockeys have the safest possible surfaces to train and race on.”The equipment, which will be strategically located across North America, includes new trucks modified with testing equipment including ground penetrating radar systems and biomechanical surface testing machines. The Jockey Club Technology Services is also contributing another $75,000 in software development services to the laboratory to enhance its centralized database.
“The database is an integral component of the laboratory,” said Dr. Mick Peterson, University of Kentucky professor and director of the Racetrack Safety program. “It acts as the central warehouse for storing weather, moisture, and track surface maintenance data that is critical to optimizing surface safety.

“These additional assets will enable us to expand the RSTL such that no longer will we be faced with difficult decisions of where to deploy the assets among racetracks opening during the same week,” Dr. Peterson added.

For more information about the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, visit racingsurfaces.org