University of Kentucky Agriculture Equine Programs Director Mick Peterson said horse track consistency is one key objective in any effort to reduce racing related breakdowns. UK got word last week of a $100,000 gift from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Charities.
The money will go to establish an Equine Surfaces and Safety Lab. Peterson says the aim is to develop the basic technology and automation required to do real-time monitoring of the race track.
“That will provide the information not only for the superintendents to minimize variation, but it’s also critical to provide information to trainers in order to adapt their training to understand the speed of the horse to the fitness of their horse,” said Peterson.
While training methods may vary, Peterson said working to see one horse track consistent with another seems achievable. Much attention recently has focused on life-ending injuries to horses in racing, particularly those at Santa Anita in California.
Here's an extended interview with Mick Peterson about his work and future research on race track conditions:
