Week In Review: Dirt Tracks Getting Safer Every Year

[Wandering Eyes]

That the figures recently released by the Jockey Club from its Equine Injury Database showed another significant drop in the number of fatalities was good news, but hardly surprising news. The numbers seem to get better every year. But dig deeper into the data presented by the Jockey Club and there is a number that is quite surprising and encouraging.

In 2024, dirt tracks were almost as safe as synthetic tracks. There were 1.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts on the dirt, which came very close to the number in the same category for synthetic tracks, which was 1.02. Compare that to ten years earlier, when the number for dirt was 2.02 per 1,000 starts and 1.20 on synthetic surfaces. Ever since, the gap has been narrowing.

The Southern California dirt tracks, once considered among the most dangerous surfaces in the sport, are leading the way. On the dirt, Santa Anita had just one fatality from 2,579 starts. In 2019–a dark period in Santa Anita's history when the equine safety issue became front page news–the number was 13. At Del Mar in 2024, there was also just one fatality on the dirt from 1,709 starts.

According to Dr. Michael “Mick” Peterson, executive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) and professor of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at the University of Kentucky, the reason why dirt is getting so much safer is simple–tracks around the country have made huge strides forward in recent years to make their dirt surfaces more consistent and more comparable to one another.

“You've got to give HISA credit for this because everybody's on the same page. It's just that simple,” said Peterson. ”

Since HISA went into effect in July of 2022, the RSTL has been responsible for overseeing pre-meet inspections, material testing and daily measurements at all racetracks under HISA's jurisdiction.

Dr. Mick Peterson | Horsephotos

“At our pre-meet inspections, Branden [Brookfield, the RSTL on-site testing manager] will sit down with the tracks, he'll talk to them about the things he's seeing. [If there's a problem], nine times out of ten they'll say, 'oh yeah, I know.' And they'll fix it,” said Peterson.

As track operators face an increasingly unpredictable environment thanks to climate change, the question of consistency and variability from one dirt track to another is proving an increasingly important one.

Data was presented during last year's Jockey Club Welfare and Safety Summit breaking dirt surfaces into four climate groups. Dirt tracks in hot dry climates had an average 1.31 fatality rate per 1,000 starts, making them the safest. The dirt surfaces in climates with hot summers and cold, freezing winters had the worst equine fatality rates (1.53 fatalities per 1,000 starts).

Which is why the RSTL's centralized electronic database through which information is shared among tracks and with HISA has been so vital.

“When you talk to Parx they can look at Delaware. When you talk to Delaware they can look at Laurel. We're completely transparent with them. And if they've got any questions they call. At the end of the day, all the horses shipping back and forth are seeing more consistent surfaces,” said Peterson.

“All the barriers are gone and it's working,” Peterson added.

 

Virginia-Maryland Circuit An Example For Others to Follow

In a rare show of cooperation in a sport where everyone seems to be looking out for No.1, the new Maryland Jockey Club and Colonial Downs have formed a circuit. When Laurel or Pimlico is running, Colonial will be dark. When Colonial races, the Maryland tracks will not.

It's a good idea, but it's apparently going to need time to catch on.

Colonial ran a special three-day meet over last weekend, with the feature attractions being the Virginia Derby and the Virginia Oaks. Both races were previously held in the late summer and were run on the grass. They moved to the dirt and were run Saturday, making them races with qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Kentucky Oaks. With no other prep races being run for the Derby over the weekend, the Virginia Derby filled a void.

The fans clearly bought into the concept. Colonial is a small facility, so they put a limit on the attendance at 8,000. Last Wednesday they announced that the day was sold out.

American Promise punches his ticket to the Derby | Coady Media

Both races delivered. Making just her second career start, Fondly (Upstart) proved she's a legitimate contender for the Kentucky Oaks with a half-length win in the Virginia Oaks. In the Virginia Derby, Wayne Lukas did what he so often does, winning big races with a longshot who doesn't look like they can win on paper. After running fifth, beaten 13 lengths in the GII Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, the Lukas-trained American Promise (Justify) demolished the competition, winning by 7 3/4 lengths. In doing so, he punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.

The downside of the meet was that there were too many small fields. Over three days they ran 26 races, which attracted 152 starters. That's an average field size of 5.68.

Maybe that should have been expected. Over the weekend, Colonial mainly had to draw horses from Maryland. Those who normally race at Colonial won't arrive until the track opens its main meet, which runs from July 9 to Sept. 13. By then, Colonial will have two distinct horse populations to draw from and should offer a racing product superior to that at any other Mid-Atlantic track. Laurel should also benefit, as long as it can get the Colonial horsemen to stick around and race in Maryland the rest of the year.

Circuits will work. They will help with field size, which is a problem in the Mid-Atlantic, where there is way too much racing,  and they should result in increased purses. Maryland racing relies on a subsidy from the state and Colonial has fattened its purse because it has Historical Horse Racing machines. By running fewer dates at both places, the slices of the purse pie will be bigger.

Let's hope the Colonial-Laurel experiment is successful and inspires others to do the same. A Monmouth Park-Parx circuit should be a no-brainer, but things like that rarely come together in racing.

 

No Dubai For “Danno”

Jersey-bred star Book 'em Danno (Bucchero) was supposed to be using last Friday's Boston Handicap at Colonial Downs as a prep for a trip to Dubai. Trainer Derek Ryan said he was considering the $2 million G2 Dubai Golden Shaheen Stakes at six furlongs and the $1 million G2 Godolphin Mile. Both races are run on Apr. 5.

Book'em Danno is back in the winner's circle | Coady Media

But after Book 'em Danno won by 2 1/2 lengths over just two competitors, Ryan has changed his mind.

“He's up here in Ocala, rolling around in a round pen right now,” he said. “We're not going to Dubai. It's too close. I'd have to ship next Sunday. It's three weeks and I don”t like to run back in three weeks. Then you miss the early summer races here. Right now, it just doesn't fit in.”

Despite the small field, which also included Repo Rocks (Tapiture) and Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry), Danno was tested and didn't pull clear until late.

“I know it scratched down to a small field but they were the three main players entered in the race,” Ryan said. “We got what we wanted out of it. They ran fast but good horses will do that. The other two  were both stakes winners, legitimate hard knocking horses. And they were older horses, which gave them a big edge. But we got a perfect trip, a perfect everything.”

So far as where Book 'em Danno will start next, Ryan said he has yet to come up with a schedule.

–Dan Ross contributed to this story.

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