Overall Surface Statistics
Safety
Statistics show a 40% drop in fatalities during races at synthetic tracks when compared to dirt tracks from Jan. 1, 2004, through Sept. 9, 2009.
From 2000-2009, less than half the percentage of horses that raced on engineered surfaces failed to finish their races (0.61% of horses that started the race), compared to the percentage of horses on dirt tracks (1.33%) that did not finish.
The Jockey Club conducted a 13-month pilot program from 2007-2008, and concluded that the rate of fatal injuries on tracks with engineered surfaces was 27.59 percent less than on dirt surfaces.
On March 23, 2010, The Jockey Club announced that fatal injuries to horses from 2008-2009 were 2.04 per 1,000 starts.
For more information about the safety and health of workers in the horse-racing industry, here is an April 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, An Overview of Safety and Health for Workers in the Horse-Racing Industry here.
Field Size
Average field size at North American tracks with engineered surfaces was 8.18 horses in 2009 compared to overall average field size of 8.24 horses.
Handle
Overall racing handle declined from 2007 to 2008, but tracks with engineered surfaces fared slightly better than dirt tracks. The average combined daily handle for North American tracks with engineered surfaces dropped 6.94% in 2008 from 2007; the average combined daily handle for U.S. dirt tracks dropped 7.16% in the same time period.
Handicapping
Winning Favorites:
From 2000-2009, 34.7% of favorites won on dirt tracks, compared to 33.63% on turf and 32.62% on engineered surfaces.
Wagering:
Handle through 2009 had increased 1.28 percent at synthetic tracks [while] combined handle at all North American tracks in 2009 was 9.9 percent lower than in 2008 and 16.68 percent lower than in 2006.
Handicapping Resources:
Since North American Thoroughbred racing tracks began installing modern engineered surfaces in 2005, a variety of handicapping tools specific to these surfaces have become available to assist everyone from the casual fan to the experienced handicapper to wager and win.
These include:
• www.polycapping.com
• “Betting Synthetic Surfaces,” by Bill Finley, DRF Press 2008
• www.turfway.com/handicappers.asp
Average Race Times
