Presque Isle Downs is in uncharted territory with its synthetic racing surface.

Presque Isle Downs made history on a number of different counts with its inaugural meeting (September 1 through 29).

By far the richest Thoroughbred meet ever conducted in the Mid-Atlantic region—with purses averaging $432,074 a day—Presque Isle’s 25-day stand also marked this region’s first venture into the brave new world of racing conducted over a synthetic surface.

Once hailed as a safer, surer alternative to conventional dirt, synthetic surfaces are becoming a topic of intense debate. And, unfortunately, the experiences at Presque Isle tend to reinforce the views of people who are concerned that the industry may be moving too quickly in embracing the new technology.
Of course the situation cries out for research—scientific studies capable of yielding hard, cold data. Until that happens, the pros and cons of synthetic surfaces can only be a matter of speculation. But anecdotal reports from trainers, veterinarians and insurance companies indicated numerous problems believed attributable to the racing surface.

Concerns over synthetic surfaces aren’t limited to Presque Isle, of course. And MTR Gaming, which owns Presque Isle, should be complimented for its willingness to be in the vanguard of what was believed to be progress.

Now MTR executives have an opportunity to do the right thing, and allow Presque Isle to serve as a model for the industry. Slots-wealth could be used to fund studies that zero in on the important issues surrounding synthetic tracks.
Synthetic surfaces may still turn out to be the way of the future. Maybe, as it has been suggested, the problems are not in the racing surfaces themselves, but in the techniques involved in caring for them. As track superintendents become more adept at maintaining the synthetic material, suspected trouble may disappear.

Presque Isle’s management will no doubt ponder many adjustments before the track opens next spring for its first full meet, which is set to span 100 days. And lucrative purses will be a staple of the program. But if the track isn’t performing properly, nothing else will truly matter.