Synthetic surfaces

The Toronto Star, in an ongoing opinion feature it calls “The Big Debate,” focused on equine safety in its most recent installment, asking the question, “Are race horses being put in danger.” Taking the stand that the sport does put horses in danger was Katie Lamb, a horse racing enthusiast and free-lance writer based in […]

An online survey of New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association members was almost evenly divided on whether or not the New York Racing Association should install a synthetic racing surface at Aqueduct. NYRA CEO Chris Kay raised the issue earlier this month at a meeting of the New York Racing Franchise Oversight Board, saying his organization was […]

Newcastle Racecourse unveiled its new all-weather racing surface May 17, with eight races carded for the track’s inaugural meet. According to the Chronicle Live, the £12-million renovation of the racecourse took six months to complete, and includes not only the new Tapeta racing surface, but floodlights to conduct night racing as well. Newcastle is currently the only facility in the North […]

New York Racing Association officials are considering installing a synthetic surface at Aqueduct. The Blood-Horse reports that NYRA president Chris Kay told the Financial Oversight Board that costs are still being negotiated regarding the installation. The new track is expected to cost between $9 million and $12 million. “We believe having a synthetic track at Aqueduct would be […]

After Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum publicly criticized Meydan Racecourse’s synthetic Tapeta surface last week, its inventor Michael Dickinson comes to its defense. Sheikh Hamdan, whose Mukhadram finished second behind African Story in the Dubai World Cup, told the Gulf News that some horses don’t adjust well to the surface. “It is also inconsistent,” he said. […]

Many of the top Thoroughbreds in the world have arrived in the United Arab Emirates for Saturday’s rich Dubai World Cup program. While the official draw has not yet taken place, it is quite noticeable how very few North American-based horses will compete. Of the eight Thoroughbred races that will be contested, only three U.S. […]

The California Horse Racing Board voted in 2006 to make synthetic or engineered racing surfaces mandatory at the state’s major tracks beginning in 2008. Its members did so with the belief that synthetic surfaces are safer in the prevention of catastrophic injuries and fatalities. They were right. Using only a limited sample size from Turfway […]

Thoroughbred injuries are clearly an ongoing and major concern for the sport of racing. Scientists around the world have been studying the issue for decades, and in recent years, have seen significant progress towards a better understanding of why certain injuries occur and what can be done to prevent many of them. At the University […]

Since its open in March 2009, the Tapeta racing surface at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has received praise as one of the best synthetic surfaces in the world. Horsemen and jockeys alike have expressed approval of the track, describing it as a fair and forgiving racing surface. Tapeta is a patented mix of sand, […]