The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club announced that it will install Polytrack as the
new main track surface for its 2007 racing season. A five-member committee voted
to select Polytrack following the completion of an RFP (request for proposal)
process overseen by the California Construction Authority and the State Race
Track Leasing Commission.
Polytrack, an engineered racing surface that consists of silica sand, fibers
and recycled materials, has been used in the United Kingdom for years and, most
recently, in Kentucky and Canada at Keeneland and Woodbine, respectively.
“The key to the future is safety,” said Joe Harper, Del Mar’s president and
general manager. “Polytrack is going to make our racing surface a safer place
for our horses and riders, and we know if we do that good things will follow. We
are in the horse business and our top priority must be the horses and riders.”
Del Mar will present its plans to the California Coastal Commission for
approval in mid-December. If it receives approval, plans call for installation
to begin in January and proceed over several months. The current main track will
be skimmed down and removed, a new drainage pipe system will be installed,
followed by a covering of porous macadam and dense aggregate rock, and then the
Polytrack.
The California Horse Racing Board has directed that all major tracks in the
state must have a synthetic track in place by the end of 2007. Hollywood Park
became the first California track to do so, installing Cushion Track for its
current meet.