The Polytrack experiment at Turfway Park was deemed a success–especially for safety reasons–at the conclusion of the 22-day summer/fall meet, though the Northern Kentucky racetrack expects to get a more accurate picture of the synthetic surface during its four-month fall/winter meet that begins in late November and runs through early April.

When the 22-day meet ended Oct. 6, there hadn’t been one breakdown during training or racing, track president Bob Elliston said. Ten horses didn’t finish during the meet but for reasons other than catastrophic injury. Last year, there were 21 “DNFs,” three of which were breakdowns.

“There were a few soft tissue injuries, one bowed tendon, and a horse eased at the wire,” Elliston said. “But the horse van didn’t come onto the racetrack in the morning. It has been a wonderful success.”

The new surface played very fair during the meet, with no apparent bias. Polytrack surfaces are mixed to suit certain climates, and the Turfway surface was made for cold-weather racing. In addition, there was very little rain in September, so the surface didn’t get much of a chance to settle