Anecdotally, American bettors consider dirt racing to be more predictable, which makes it a more popular medium for betting purposes.
[3] There is also evidence that synthetic surfaces are significantly safer than dirt in terms of equine breakdowns, though there are many variables that come into play.
[4] The statistics for North America in 2015 showed 1.18 fatalities per 1,000 starts on synthetic surfaces, 1.22 on grass courses, and 1.78 on dirt tracks.
[6] The first synthetic surface to replace dirt in the United States was installed at The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1963.
Hollywood Park (closed down)Courbold Park, Sunshine CoastToowoomba, Queensland[A]Klampenborg, DenmarkTaby Galopp, Sweden (closed)Al Khor Horse Breeders Park, Qatar Lyon La Soie (France) Pornichet (France)