Synthetic-track horses signal new era for handicapping

Ed McNamara
12:15 PM EDT, April 29, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

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The Daily Racing Form's past performances show a tiny "A" inside a diamond. "A'' stands for artificial, indicating a race was run on a synthetic surface. To many horseplayers, the "A'' is a scarlet letter, casting doubts on the validity of the form.

Man-made tracks, sometimes called "Kitty Litter" by their detractors, consist primarily of a mixture of silica sand, rubber, carpet fibers and oil-based wax. They're about 7 inches deep, 3 or 4 inches more than dirt tracks. There are three distinct brands -- Polytrack (Keeneland, Turfway Park, Woodbine, Arlington, Del Mar); Cushion Track (Hollywood Park, Santa Anita) and Tapeta Footings (Golden Gate Fields, Presque Isle Downs).

Studies indicate fewer catastrophic breakdowns on synthetic tracks but more soft tissue injuries. Horseplayers care more about their bankrolls than the well-being of the animals they bet on, and they are wary of the frequent form reversals on the synthetics. Even shippers from one to the other can move way up or way down.

As trainer Todd Pletcher said: "It certainly is a concern to me that the handle seems to reflect that the big bettors don't have confidence in the surface."

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This year, for the first time, quite a few Kentucky Derby contenders have little or no experience on old-fashioned dirt, making the handicapping puzzle even harder to put together. Californians Colonel John and Bob Black Jack have never tried the sandy loam, and grass standouts Cowboy Cal and Adriano are 0-for-1. Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John is the leading West Coast contender, and will he like Churchill Downs' surface on Saturday?

"I don't have any concerns," said his trainer, Eoin Harty. "I think possibly the racing public and the media have some concerns. I think if you're good enough, you can overcome that. I don't see the racetrack being an obstacle. I think if you ignore the synthetic-track races, you ignore them at your own peril."

California-based Gayego won the Arkansas Derby April 12 at Oaklawn Park in his dirt debut, duplicating what the filly Zenyatta did there in the Apple Blossom Stakes. "Zenyatta had never set foot on a conventional racetrack before and she destroyed a champion [Ginger Punch]," Harty said.

So it can be done. Last year's 1-2 Kentucky Derby finishers, Street Sense and Hard Spun, had excellent credentials on dirt but had their final preps on Polytrack, with Street Sense missing by a nose in the Blue Grass at Keeneland and Hard Spun winning the Lane's End at Turfway. Trainer Carl Nafzger knew Street Sense disliked Polytrack but figured it would set him up for a peak effort at his favorite surface, Churchill.

James Kasparoff, Bob Black Jack's trainer, thinks the California-based Derby horses might even have an edge in conditioning. "I think you can train on the synthetic tracks and run anywhere," Kasparoff said. "I don't think there are any fitness issues if you run on synthetics. Those tracks can get a little deeper and are slower, and I think you develop a little more muscle. But if you try to go vice versa, training on a conventional dirt track and then racing on synthetic, that's a lot harder to do."

Steve Asmussen, trainer of Pyro and Z Fortune, agrees. "Going from Polytrack to dirt, I've had some success," he said. "Dirt to Polytrack, I haven't had any ... I definitely think it is a new era [for handicapping].''

Before Monba and Cowboy Cal ran 1-2 in the Blue Grass, Pletcher was in jeopardy of missing the Derby for the first time since 1999. Monba won at Churchill last fall, and Pletcher is optimistic he can reproduce that form Saturday.

"For the horses who have never run on dirt, people will be watching to see how they work out at Churchill," Pletcher said. "It looks to me like the West Coast form has held up very well. I think my take on it would be that they're all good horses and will be able to transfer their form to the dirt."

Maybe, but many Derby bettors have serious doubts. And you thought America's Race was confusing enough already. Go figure.

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