Martin Collins Surfaces & Footings, LLC, conducted two Standardbred exhibition races over Keeneland’s main Polytrack racetrack on May 21 for a group of horsemen from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Representatives of the United Horsemen of Alberta met with Martin Collins at Keeneland to get a first-hand look at the Polytrack surface, which they are considering for their new racetrack in Calgary. Slated to open in 2009 as part of the CrossIron Entertainment Center, the facility will feature a one-mile Thoroughbred track and a seven-furlong Harness track. With the opening of the new track, horse racing will no longer be conducted at Calgary’s century-old Stampede Park.
“I am a big fan of Polytrack,” said Gordon Wilson, president of the United Horsemen of Alberta. “We race both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds in Calgary; one breed races in Calgary while the other breed races in Edmonton, then we switch. We need to take care of both breeds, so we’re here to see how Harness horses perform on Polytrack.”
Standardbred pacers from the stables of Kentucky-based trainers Lendell Coleman and Gary Neafus participated in two one-mile exhibition races. The first race was conducted over a portion of the Polytrack that had been “rolled” to compact the surface. The Polytrack was then “cut” to produce a one-inch cushion for the second race.
If Calgary chooses Polytrack, it would become the first Standardbred track in the world to race on a synthetic surface.