Synthetic Tracks in Victoria - an analysis.

[Chief Stipe]

Synthetic season by the numbers

www.racing.com

The curtain was drawn on synthetic racing in Victoria for 2022 at Ballarat on Tuesday.

Following 31 race meetings and 246 races, Racing.com assesses by the numbers the stats and facts from both the Ballarat and Pakenham synthetic surfaces this winter.

 

WHAT THE TRACK MANAGERS SAY?

Nick Stubbs – Ballarat Turf Club

The Ballarat synthetic track has just completed its fourth year of synthetic racing.

“We had some issues with the kickback and the way the track raced but when the weather warms up we can reapply the binder and the wax to the track which you can’t do throughout the cooler months,” Stubbs explained.

“When the track was initially put in we were always told between seasons three and four it would need the binder applied, this was our fourth season but through testing they thought we would get by, but it’s probably safe to say now that wasn’t quite right.

“We tried to show a few participants, such as trainers and jockeys, we have a few samples, and when you look at it it’s quite self-explanatory in the difference from the new product to the old product.

“The way it holds together, at the moment you can’t clump it up, but previously it balled up in your hand and binds together and has more substance to it.

“In December, January, February when the weather warms up we will be able to get that done and back to having the good, consistent racing surface we have had in the past.”

 

Bryce Mildon– Pakenham Racing Club

After seven years the Pakenham synthetic was fully resurfaced this season.

“People have voted with their feet as we’ve had really strong field sizes, which culminated last Friday with not only strong numbers but best quality of horses I think I’ve seen,” Mildon said.

“It’s a bit like the days of old, when the synthetic tracks first came in, and we saw good field sizes and trainers prepared to even run their better class horses and the way our track has played has installed a bit of confidence back in synthetic surfaces I think.

“Even from a training perspective we’ve never seen so many people galloping and jumping out on the synthetic surface, including the spring horses from the big stables.

“The wax is staying in it and the material is staying healthy but in the years gone by when the track wasn’t performing as it should, the wax was going dormant and that’s when the kickback increased.

“We had a cold and bleak winter with little sunshine and warmth but it hasn’t impacted negatively which is very positive."

 

MOST SUCCESSFUL TRAINERS ON SYNTHETIC TRACKS THIS YEAR:

Tony & Calvin McEvoy - 21 winners
Ciaron Maher & David Eustace - 19 winners
Phillip Stokes - 15 winners
Peter Moody - 9 winners
Ben & JD Hayes - 9 winners
Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) - 9 winners

97 individual trainers prepared winners on either the Ballarat or Pakenham synthetic this year.

 

LESS FREQUENT TRAINERS ON SYNTHETIC TRACKS THIS YEAR:

Patrick Payne - 0 starters
Paul Preusker - 0 starters
Gai Waterhouse - 1 starter
Danny O’Brien - 3 starters
Nick Ryan - 4 starters

Other leading stables: Team Hawkes - 11 starters, James Cummings - 11 starters, Chris Waller - 25 starters, Team Freedman – 26 starters.

WHERE THE WINNERS WERE COMING FROM?

Ballarat (all distances from the 600m mark)

Pakenham (all distances from the 600m mark)

 

MOST SUCCESSFUL HORSES ON SYNTHETIC TRACKS THIS YEAR:

Hallowed Ground, trained by George Osborne - 3 wins from 4 starts
Jolting, trained by Reece Goodwin - 3 wins from 3 starts
Mevius, trained by Thomas Carberry - 3 wins from 4 starts
Montenegro, trained by Gareth Andrews- 3 wins from 5 starts
Rosalia, trained by Paddy Payne - 3 wins from 4 starts

211 individual horses won races on either the Ballarat or Pakenham synthetic tracks this year.

STATS AND FACTS:

Since the 2015-16 season when 48 synthetic race meetings were conducted, the current racing season saw 31 race meetings held on either Ballarat's or Pakenham’s synthetic tracks.

In 2022-23 it is proposed to be reduced to 29 meetings.

RV acknowledged in its Victorian Racing Infrastructure Green Paper earlier this year that ‘grass racetracks are preferred by participants’ which has led to the 35 per cent reduction of synthetic race meetings in recent years, through investments in racing surfaces and draining systems at provincial grass tracks.

246 individual races were conducted in 2022.

The average priced winner was $6.30.

Average field sizes:

Ballarat in 2021 had on average 9.6 starters versus 8.8 in 2022.

Pakemham in 2021 had on average 9.8 starters versus 10.4 in 2022.

 

SYNTHETIC RACING INTO THE FUTURE?

In June this year RV released the Victorian Racing Infrastructure Green Paper which outlined the future infrastructure needs for thoroughbred racing in the state for the next 10 years.

Below are the key points relating to synthetic tracks:

• Racing on synthetic surfaces is likely to be reduced. It is acknowledged grass racetracks are preferred by participants, however the role of synthetic racetracks is also well accepted in Victoria as grass growing conditions are much more difficult in the southern regions of Australia.

• In the next decade, RV proposes to continue this downward trend and further reduce Victoria’s need to race on synthetic racetracks throughout the cooler months.

More specifically, RV proposes to:

• In conjunction with the Pakenham Racing Club, review whether or not the venue should have its synthetic track converted into a second grass racetrack capable of conducting additional racing. Should the review recommend such change, this is unlikely to occur until the latter stages of the 10-year period considered in this Green Paper; and

• Continue to invest in racetracks in country Victoria through track widenings and drainage and irrigation upgrades. This will improve their ability to host race meetings in the cooler months, thus providing greater scope and flexibility in the programming of race meetings.

A review into the future of the Pakenham synthetic racetrack will be completed within five years. This may see the synthetic track converted to a second grass racetrack and the current large sand training track converted to a synthetic training track. Should the review recommend such change, this is unlikely to occur until the latter stages of the 10-year period.

[Chief Stipe]

@TAB For Ever

[mumbles]

Bryce Mildon a good Ohaupo/Te Awamutu lad.Brother of Rhys,2nd in command at Marsh Racing and grandson of the late Jim Mouat trainer of Danzapride,Lepanto and others.