A polishing system includes a first carrier assembly configured to receive and hold a substrate and a polishing pad. The polishing pad includes a top major surface and a bottom major surface positioned opposite the top major surface, and a plurality of polishing elements extending from the top major surface of the polishing pad. The system further includes a polishing solution disposed between the top surface of the polishing pad and the substrate. The polishing fluid includes a fluid component, and a plurality of ceramic abrasive composites dispersed in the fluid component, the ceramic abrasive composites including individual abrasive particles dispersed in a porous ceramic matrix. The system further includes a second carrier assembly configured to receive and hold the polishing pad. The system is configured such that the polishing pad is movable relative to the substrate to carry out a polishing operation.