updated 5:12 p.m. ET May 25, 2006

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Horses can take a misstep and break an ankle on any racetrack. The injury to Barbaro, however, has renewed debate over whether such an injury would happen less often on a surface other than dirt.

European-designed Polytrack — a synthetic mixture of wax-coated polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber and fine sand — was a hot topic in horse racing circles even before the Kentucky Derby winner broke down in the Preakness. Several tracks in England have used it for years, and it’s starting to catch on in the United States.

Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., already has installed it, and Keeneland has a Polytrack surface on its practice course. The tradition-rich, picturesque race course in Lexington is now in the process of installing the artificial surface on its main track.

In the weeks leading to the Kentucky Derby, trainer Michael Matz kept Barbaro at Keeneland, partly because of its Polytrack practice course.

There are two primary advantages: easy drainage, allowing for races in practically any weather condition, and safety because of a more even composition across the track.

“If I had a horse that was worth a lot of money, I’d be more comfortable with a horse at a Polytrack than I would on a dirt track,” said Michael Spirito, veterinarian at the Hagyard-Davidson-McGee hospital in Lexington. “It’s a matter of statistics.”

Most dirt or clay tracks are slightly tilted inward, so when it rains some spots are thicker and others are thinner — making the surface somewhat uneven. On Polytrack, water seeps straight through to a drainage system below, eliminating any clumps that might be found on dirt.

NBC VIDEO Update on the condition of Barbaro May 24: NBC's Melissa Stark reports on the condition of Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, and shows the first video of the racehorse since his devastating injury at the Preakness. Today show

“Just as other sports have progressed, as science has led us to new and safer surfaces in other sports, we think this is a newer and safer surface for our sport,” Keeneland president and chief executive Nick Nicholson.

Besides the cost — estimated at more than $6 million to make the switch from dirt — tradition has been a major impediment. The classic American races have always been run on dirt, just as many famous European ones are run on grass. Secretariat’s record Derby run happened on dirt, so some argue a switch to Polytrack would invalidate that and other marks.

FREE VIDEO Barbaro's jockey talks May 22: Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro has a 50-50 chance of survival after a catastrophic injury at this weekend's Preakness. Live & Direct speaks with Barbaro's jockey in his first live television interview since the incident. Rita_Cosby

Bob Holthus, who trained Lawyer Ron for the Kentucky Derby, said it’s a shame Keeneland is installing the surface. That track hosts the Blue Grass Stakes, one of the prestigious Derby prep races, and Holthus says it’s better for horses to run on dirt in their final race before heading to the dirt track at Churchill Downs.

As for Barbaro’s injury, Holthus says he doesn’t think a change of surface would have prevented it.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with it,” Holthus said. “Horses make bad steps and they can do it on any kind of surface.”

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