South Africa: Champion trainer Mike de Kock and former Plumpton chief executive Patrick Davis officially opened the new Polytrack gallop at the Randjesfontein training centre near Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The gallop is 1m2f in circumference and five metres wide. It cost SAR 7 million (£615,000) to install.
De Kock, whose Johannesburg string is based at Randjesfontein, said: "This will definitely give us an advantage over trainers based at Turffontein and the Vaal!"
He added: "Horses go really fast on this surface so riders must keep a tight hold on them or the horses might injure themselves. Also horses who are worked on Polytrack can sometimes be a gallop short going to the races."
Davis is the racing executive of Phumelela which owns Turffontein where replacing the inside grass course with Polytrack is under consideration.
He said: "Although there are 16 Polytrack racing surfaces in the world, none has been built this high above sea level and we need to see whether Jo'burg's altitude and harsh climate affect its performance."
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