2008 Breeder's Cup to Run on Synthetic Surface

2008 Breeder's Cup to Run on Synthetic Surface

The 2008 Breeder's Cup will be a challenge for horses and jockeys, but for a different reason than you might expect. Any time you are going up against the top horses in the world, you are going to be challenged, but this time around, jockeys and horses have to navigate a completely new running surface. The 2008 Breeder's Cup will be the first horse race to ever run on a synthetic track and there is a little bit of concern about what the results might be. All of the news coming from the Santa Anita track is good and it seems like the initial reviews of the surface have been very positive. Still, that does not completely calm of the worries of many trainers and owners going into the big race.

What differences might jockeys have to deal with on this new surface for the 2008 Breeder's Cup? More than anything, they will be dealing more speed. These races are always some of the fastest and most exciting in the world and the new surface will likely add to that. Just as professional athletes are always faster on synthetic turf, horses will likely see the same increase in their speed. This means that jockeys are going to have to get used to the feel of the horse in a very pressure packed environment.

So far, reviews of the new turf for the 2008 Breeder's Cup have been really good. No jockeys have been complaining too much, which is always a really nice sign. There even seems to be some sort of consensus that the new surface will provide a little bit more consistency than the old surface did. According to many of horse racing's finest brains, the new surface doesn't change nearly as much with the conditions are the old surface did. No matter if it is rainy or sunny, this surface is going to give a consistent ride to jockeys. That is the good news. The concern comes with the health of the horses.

The problem with a synthetic track is, no matter how much testing they put in, they can never be completely sure how the horses will react during race conditions. That is why there is some concern in the racing world about the 2008 Breeder's Cup and how it could change the face of racing forever. If horses are to handle the changes well, then more tracks might move to this type of surface in an effort to make races faster and more exciting. If some horse has an unfortunate injury on the synthetic surface, then you can bet that reviews won't be positive, at all. This comes with the territory, though, as all changes come with some measure of risk. The folks in charge of the 2008 Breeder's Cup are satisfied that they have put in sufficient testing to make sure that everyone involved in the race is completely safe and sound. No one will really know for sure until they line it up at Santa Anita for the 2008 Breeder's Cup, though.

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