Has Woodbine Become a Good Fit for the Breeders' Cup?

Woodbine Racetrack | Michael Burns

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It wasn't that long ago that Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson was convinced that the Breeders' Cup would never return to Toronto. He didn't believe it would ever again be held at a track that did not feature a traditional dirt surface. Now, he's not so sure.

“The climate has changed, the dialogue has changed and people are saying, 'You know what? It might make sense to race these horses on a synthetic track because it is a safer surface,'” Lawson said.

It's an argument that probably would have gone nowhere prior to this year. But the sport has had to look inward in the face of the rash of breakdowns earlier this year at Santa Anita, the death of Mongolian Groom (Hightail) during the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and the ensuing maelstrom. The idea that synthetic surfaces are safer than dirt surfaces and that they need to be given a second chance after the sport's brief fling with them is back on the table.

What does that mean for the Breeders' Cup? Lawson chooses his words carefully and says that Woodbine is not campaigning to bring the Breeders' Cup back to Canada. It's more a matter of putting out a trial balloon, the idea being to spark debate as to whether or not holding the Breeders' Cup over a synthetic surface makes sense in light of the vow the sport has made to become safer.

“I actually think it is a plus that we have a synthetic track,” Lawson said regarding whether he thought the Breeders' Cup would return to Woodbine. “The world is changing and we have to recognize the change. The industry has made a statement that we are concerned about horses first and safety first. If you look at our safety record over the last 10 years, we are the probably the highest ranked racetrack or close to it. The numbers don't lie.”

The Breeders' Cup was last held at Woodbine in 1996. Despite fears that having a Breeders' Cup in late October or early in November in Canada was risking bad weather, the temperature was moderate that day and Woodbine received favorable reviews as a host site.

Woodbine installed the synthetic Polytrack surface in 2006, replacing its dirt track. With the Polytrack having been worn down by time, management decided it was time to put down a new surface and elected to go with another synthetic track, a Tapeta surface, in 2016.

“We debated and studied for a long time whether to put in a dirt surface or Tapeta surface,” Lawson said. “One of the negatives at the time was we felt we might be disqualified from hosting a Breeders' Cup again if we put Tapeta in. We shrugged and said the Breeders' Cup was two days a year, we run 133 days a year, and we can't let one or two days a year every five or 10 years dictate what kind of surface we put in for our horsemen and for safety reasons. Because of the weather we have late in the year and early in the year, it's a better surface for us than dirt.”

In the latest figures available from the Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, in 2018 there were 1.86 fatalities per 1,000 starters on the dirt. On synthetic tracks, the rate was 1.23. In every year studied, synthetic tracks have proven to be safer than dirt tracks. The Tapeta surface at Woodbine got off to a strong start so far as safety goes, as there were 0.86 fatalities per 1,000 starters over it in 2016 and 0.56 in 2017. It didn't hold up as well in 2018, as the fatality rate was 1.30 per 1000 starters.

“I think a Breeders' Cup at Woodbine would work,” said trainer Mark Casse, whose vast stable includes a string at Woodbine. “You're touching on a subject that is very dear to me. I've probably run more horses on synthetic and dirt than maybe anyone in the world. I do my own studies all the time. There are not a lot of things I know for sure in this game, but I definitely know that the synthetic is better on the horses. With all the trouble we're facing now with our great sport, we have to continue to look at what is best for horse racing. I think it would be nice for people to see how things are done at Woodbine on the Tapeta.”

If not for questions regarding the track surface, Woodbine would seem to be an ideal track to host a Breeders' Cup. It is a large facility located just outside a major North American city and is close to the airport. It has a solid reputation when it comes to amenities, food service and handling major events. By 2022, the first year a Breeders' Cup location is available, Woodbine is expected to have two hotels on the grounds and a 5,000-seat auditorium. The track has two grass courses and the main course is similar to a typical European track, which makes it an enticement for overseas stables to ship in.

“For a whole lot of reasons, Woodbine is a great choice,” Lawson said. “You have Toronto as the host city, the proximity of Woodbine to the airport and the facilities we have here.”

If the Breeders' Cup would decide to give the green light to hosting the event at a track with a synthetic surface, Woodbine would be the only option. Arlington also has a synthetic surface and has hosted a Breeders' Cup, but that track's future is very much up in the air. The scenario could change if Santa Anita converts its main track to a synthetic surface, which management there as said is a possibility.

Not that this would be an easy decision. Trainers, owners, breeders and gamblers all grumbled constantly about synthetic tracks when they were in place at Santa Anita, Del Mar, Hollywood and Keeneland and some traditional dirt horses might stay home if the Breeders' Cup were held over the Tapeta track. Those are factors the Breeders' Cup will have to consider, but so, too is safety.

“People are saying maybe it's time we start to look at synthetics if racing wants to show the world that it is concerned about safety,” Lawson said. “Maybe we should be thinking about Woodbine. We're not pitching or campaigning for the Breeders' Cup. We are reacting to what we hear and the current situation racing faces and saying, 'Yes, coming back here is certainly something worth considering.'”

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