Turfway to tweak its surface

Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., plans to replace the top layer of its artificial racing surface this August in order to minimize the amount of kickback thrown up by the surface, the president of the track said Friday.

Robert Elliston, Turfway's president, said that the top two inches of the surface, a synthetic blend of wax-coated materials called Polytrack, will be removed and replaced with a slightly different mix of materials. The new materials will then be mixed into the bottom five inches of the surface.

Turfway does not anticipate having to cancel training over the track at any time during the renovation, Elliston said, and will complete the project by the end of August, prior to the opening of the track's fall meet on Sept. 6.

Turfway is owned in part by Keeneland, which is a partner in a company that manufactures and installs Polytrack. Elliston said the cost of the renovation project is estimated at $1 million, with a significant portion being borne by Polytrack's owners.