Zito wants to keep dirt tracks
In response to the recent PETA suggestion that horse racing go to all-synthetic tracks, Hall of Fame triner Nick Zito said: “My purpose … is to protect the dirt surfaces as good as we can,” he said.
Zito made the point that he and his wife, Kim, work daily with a horse shelter to rescue horses and save horses’ lives. “Because I speak out on synthetic surfaces, it’s not because we never want to protect horses,” he said.
Zito, who believes dirt tracks are still the best when properly maintained and cared for, said Oaklawn Park spent $100,000 on resurfacing its dirt track and installing an on-site soil analysis lab, and that the result has been a 30 percent reduction in breakdowns from a year ago.
“If [Oaklawn] can do something like that with that least [amount of] money, there should be more research into dirt,” Zito said.
Zito has Stevil running in the Preakness.
