ajkreider Wrote:
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> Completely serious question Bob:
>
> Concerning the surface horses evolved on, is it
> correct that horses that came of the Arabian
> peninsula were evolutionarily fit to run on
> grass?? Seems like there\'s another surface at
> work there.
>
> Maybe, all the modern tracks should replicate
> Belmont.
ajkreider,
I appreciate the thoughtful question historical and I will try to give you a thoughtful historical answer.
While the first horses evolved on grass, it is also true that the Arabs developed a breed that was able to run on their sandy surfaces. The modern thoroughbred was developed in England when Arabian foundation sires were bred to their native mares. This modern race horse was bred to run on grass, and in a sense, return to its roots - if you\'ll pardon the pun.Yes, the US has bred horses that can run on dirt, but that does not mean that the dirt surfaces aren\'t harder on a horse\'s joints.
I am being totally truthful in saying that if there was a study showing Belmont\'s
fatality rate was lower than any comparable track (synthetic or otherwise) or a study showing that its surface has the same biometric properties, such as shock absorption and energy return, as grass or synthetics, then I would agree that Big Sandy should be the modern model. Of course that doesn\'t mean that there shouldn\'t be continued research and development for a safer surface.
It is completely accepted, and all the research proves that grass racing has fewer injuries than dirt racing. The only reason dirt tracks came into existence was to make possible a much heavier racing schedule than could be supported by grass, but at a price to the horses. This was less of a problem before modern race horses became so delicate and so vulnerable to less forgiving surfaces. We can either wait for the industry to do an about face and start breeding for soundness, (don\'t hold your breath) or try to provide as safe and similar to natural grass surface as we can.
Economics dictates that we cannot run only on grass, but we can design another surface that is durable and more closely resembles grass, in its biometric properties and safety, than something like dirt that only has its naturalness in common with grass. Mountains are very natural but that doesn\'t mean we should race horses over rocks.
Something for people to think about the next time they take off their natural leather shoes and put on their polyurethane running shoes the next time they go jogging on their local rubberized track if they can\'t find a grassy field.
Bob
