By: Richard Linihan
Remington Park should be a safer place for horses and jockeys during turf races as a new rail has been installed for the upcoming Thoroughbred season that begins Aug. 16.
The inner-turf railing is made from a different material than the traditional aluminum rail that was replaced.
Matt Vance, Remington Park Executive Vice President of Racing noted that safety standards will increase based on what statistics show. The 5,500 linear feet of new railing was installed in recent weeks.
“We purchased the new rail from Equinox Racing. It is amazing,” Vance said. “Several prominent tracks have gone to this type of rail made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride). I recently saw a race from France on YouTube where a horse hit this kind of rail, taking out about 40 feet of the rail, and when all was said and done there wasn’t a scratch on the horse or the jockey.”
Equinox Racing boasts on its website that their rails “are at the highest safety performance and longevity standards” in the horse racing industry.
Vance said the installation covers the entire seven-eighths of a mile that follows the circumference of the turf course here, and also includes the turf chute that allows for races up to 1-1/8 miles.
“We are really excited about this new rail. Not only is it safer, but it is easier to deal with when it comes to changing the starting point for different distances,” he said. “It should take half the manpower to change the rail settings in comparison to the old aluminum rail. It’s just easier to work with.”
The rails of the turf course are periodically moved in and out to save on wear and tear of the grass caused by the racing.
“We have the easy-to-move rails,” it states on the Equinox Racing website. “It will make the work hassle-free for the turf course crew.”
Vance said the components of the new rail will make it seem simple and seamless to move on those occasions.
“We will be able to do it with three or four guys now,” he said. “It also will be no-nonsense when it comes to repair vs. the standard aluminum railing.”
Vance gave props to those in charge of the racetrack’s racing surfaces.
“Superintendent Ron Collier, who has been with us for two years now, has been overseeing the improvement of renovations for our racing surfaces,” said Vance. “He has been working tirelessly on projects for the turf and main track that have improved the drainage on both. Chris Thomas, who has been at Remington for many years, has done a fantastic job with a new seeding program that has really helped the Bermuda grass on the turf course. It looks really good and has been maintained well.”
