NYRA forms committee to study artificial surfaces

The New York Racing Association announced Wednesday that they have formed a committee with other prominent racing organizations to study the impact of various racing surfaces on injury rates, with a particular focus on artificial racing surfaces.

The committee, which will be chaired by NYRA chief executive officer David O’Rourke, will convene over the next several months and forward any conclusions and recommendations to the Racetrack Safety Committee of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Committee, which announced its own examination of the feasibility of installing more artificial surfaces at U.S. racetracks last fall. That announcement came after HISA conducted a study into rashes of fatalities in 2023 that occurred separately at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Laurel Park in Maryland, and NYRA’s Saratoga Race Course.

Data from the Equine Injury Database, which was launched in 2009, has consistently shown lower overall fatality rates on artificial surfaces than on turf or dirt. However, some horsemen and veterinarians also contend that artificial surfaces can lead to a higher number of soft-tissue injuries than dirt and turf tracks, and debates over the safety, utility, maintenance, and costs of the surfaces continue among various racing constituencies, including horseplayers.

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NYRA installed an artificial surface over its quarter-mile pony track at Belmont late in 2022, and the association plans to install a one-mile track with an artificial surface at Belmont as part of that track’s complete overhaul. NYRA officials have used the pony track to collect data on maintaining the artificial surface under local weather conditions.

In addition to O’Rourke, the members of the committee are Gatewood Bell, the vice president of racing at Keeneland, which used an artificial surface for its main track from 2006 to 2014; Drew Fleming, the president and chief executive of Breeders’ Cup; Craig Fravel, the executive vice chairman of 1/ST Racing and Gaming; and Josh Rubinstein, the president of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Del Mar used an artificial surface for its main track from 2007 until 2014, while Santa Anita, which is owned by 1/ST, used an artificial surface for its main track from 2007 until 2010. Gulfstream Park, another track owned by 1/ST, debuted a synthetic racing surface late in 2021, and continues to use the surface for off-turf races.

Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, owned by 1/ST, has used an artificial surface as its main track since 2007. The track is scheduled to close this year.

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