Why is the dirt at horse tracks so "thick" or "loose?" I was watching American Pharoah yesterday at Belmont and as the horses were walking towards the starting line and as they were on the track competing, it seemed that they were sinking into the dirt as they were running; my imagination or reality and why?

I'm a bit confused by the question. Opposed to running on a compacted surface? You want some "give" to the surface to help minimize the impact on their joints. But, not too deep because if it is too deep, that puts strain on tendons and ligaments.

OK, I don't really know what is to deep or not. I was just surprised when I saw American Pharoah sink what appeared to be 2"+ into the turf when he was walking to the starting gate vs. running on a hard pack surface like a track athlete does.

I guess that is normal. If a human ran on a surface in which he sank 2" I don't think anybody could run a sub 9.6 sec 100 meter dash. That would be like running at the beach.

Thanks.

The track at Belmont is nicknamed "Big Sandy" because it is a bit looser with a bit more give than other tracks.

If it wasn't you would put shooting horses on the track even more. They can't run like that on hard surfaces. These aren't your typical field type horse.