Irwin Driedger, director of the thoroughbred surfaces at Woodbine race track in Toronto, believes in 10 years most of the tracks in North America will be using the synthetics. (Woodbine/Michael Burns Photo)

When you scoop up a handful of the "dirt" on the main course at Toronto's Woodbine race track and inhale deeply, the smell is startling — wax.

And the surface is unlike anything you've encountered in your backyard — a mix of sand, synthetic fibres, recycled rubber and bits of coloured "jelly" wiring such as you would find in a modern telephone or computer — all held together with a wax binding.

What you're holding, proponents believe, is the future of horse racing around the world, and it comes at a time when the industry is facing rising pressure to cut down on the number of catastrophic injuries to its animals.

Statistics vary and most agree it's too soon to make a definitive judgment, but a simple comparison shows that in the year before Woodbine installed the Polytrack brand synthetic surface in September 2006, there were 11 breakdowns on the dirt track.

That number fell to five in 2007.

'I think it's safer'

"Honestly, in my opinion, I think it's too early to tell what the number are, but I think it's safer," says Irwin Driedger, director of the thoroughbred surfaces at Woodbine and a former jockey who rode the dirt for two decades.

"I think it's better, safer, more consistent. I know our numbers say it's safer and the overall American numbers say it's safer."

There are four commercial brands of synthetic track now being used, with more in development.

Irwin Driedger, pictured at Woodbine race track this week, says the new synthetic surfaces all offer consistency no matter what the weather. (Woodbine/Michael Burns Photo)

Polytrack is used at four North American courses, including Woodbine and Keeneland, in Kentucky, and five in Europe. A brand called Cushion Track is employed at two California facilities, while Tapeta Footings has been installed at two tracks in the U.S.

An Australian formulation, Pro Ride Racing, advertises itself as wax free and thus claims to be a step ahead.

All offer consistency of surface, and that, Driedger says, is the most important factor.

Dirt, he believes, is not inherently dangerous, but "weather really affects dirt, especially when it rains."

Tracks get sloppy, they get deep and, as happened at the Breeder's Cup last fall at New Jersey's Monmouth Park, that translates has a huge effect on the competition.

Now, Driedger says, when it rains a lot at Woodbine, you don't see horses out on the dirt training track. All the trainers use the Poly.

"I've always been an advocate of [the new surface]," said Roger Attfield, a trainer with seven Queen's Plate victories in his career on the old dirt surface.

"Keeneland put the main track in that way and I was always very pleased with it. I hated Keeneland when it rained, and then once they put the Polytrack in we didn't have any concerns with it."

Fine tuning needed

That's not to say there haven't been teething problems with the new surface.

Woodbine had to switch the wax binding's composition to deal with the three seasons of varying weather found in Toronto. And Attfield would like the camber (banking) of the surface's corners increased a touch from its current three degrees to help the horses get around.

That's because there is practically no slippage or "cupping" to the surface. On dirt, each time the horse puts a hoof down, there's a few centimetres of slippage forward, and that can put stress on the joints.

At the same time, Attfield says, there's no movement of the hoof at all on the Poly and that means problems as well.

"We have some slightly different types of injuries than you get with the dirt track," he said. "We have more back problems and high-end pelvic problems with it, but we don't get near as many problems as we did in the past."

Back problems can be treated. A catastrophic leg injury means destroying the horse.

However, what synthetic surfaces may not be able to prevent is the type of injury suffered by the filly Eight Belles at this year's Kentucky Derby.

After she crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs a game second to Big Brown, the filly broke both front ankles during her gallop out and had to be immediately euthanized.

No one, Driedger says, really knows what happened, and even a big supporter of synthetic surfaces such as himself cannot clearly state the dirt track had something to do with it.

Track of future

But what that incident has done, he says, is galvanize public interest in making the racing game safer.

"Horse people tend not to like change, they are traditionalists," he said. "Some people say 'Why should we change? We've been doing this for 200 years?'

"Well, you know what? My thinking is, if something is better or can be made to be better, why not?"

In 10 years, Driedger expects most of the tracks in North America will be using the synthetics, including Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park, where the American Triple Crown races are run.

Attfield's bottom line is more personal. When it rains overnight and he lies in bed listening to it, he doesn't get worried like he used to. And that's a welcome step forward.