RUMOR: "SA at Del Mar"?
 

Rumor floating from San Diego that the Del Mar main track was unsealed today preparing as a possible emergency venue for the Santa Anita meet scheduled to begin Dec. 26...

Visitors to Arcadia earlier today, and sources at Santa Anita who declined to be identified, say there is an increasing uncertainty surrounding the Cushiontrack's readiness for next Wednesday's Opening Day.

Why wouldn't they use the logistically easier Hollywood Park instead? Especially with that meeting just ending and the surfaces similar.

That was my first thought too...

what a joke.....

That would be awesome

put the dirt back and roll with it...

Acccording to the San Diego Trib (http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports...orsecol.html):

"On certain portions of the Del Mar oval, cars are being driven over the woodlike Hexadeck covering while the drivers and passengers, having paid the fare, gaze in wonder at the annual Holiday of Lights displays on the infield and surrounding Del Mar Fair grounds."

The light show runs through New Year's Day.

Although the article continues: "Now, while the Hexadeck occupies part of the track, in other areas there's experimenting being done to address the situation that generated criticism from some trainers and the exodus of one major owner last summer."

They probably cant have the meet at Hollywood because that track is **** too

Hollywood Park and Santa Anita have never been on friendly terms. I mean never, regardless of who the owners were.

Cool, Del Mar In Winter. Women With Fur Coats And 60 Degrees!

Where the surf meets the Smurf.:p

I dont see Santa Anita opening at another track. I think they would just delay the opening and add the lost days where ever they can.

I have a feeling that Santa Anita and not Cushion Track is the root cause of the problems with the installation of the track. Santa Anita started this mess with letting their track forman ( Steve Woods ) go and I'm sure they wanted the surface to be faster than it was designed for. Just what I see looking in thru the closed gates.

Fairplex

cotton candy


funnel cake

personally...i'd love a SA at Del Mar meeting

maybe one day we'll have an Oak Tree at Santa Anita at Del Mar meet.

You would think the CHRB would want some kind of scientific data, or proof these tracks did what they were supposed to do prior to installation. Instead they just wing it for 10 million a pop. They are getting what they deserve, complete idiots.

Thank God the rest of the world doesnt function as wreckless and foolishly as racing. It would be a miserable life.

Are you sure? So if our President was in charge of racing in CA everything would be perfect?

The game would be a lot better off with a Governing body. Whether Bush would be the right guy, we could all vote. Hed certanly be better than Barak Hussein Obama.

This gets stranger as it goes... Had a conversation just now which revealed the twist and origin of this rumor... Having the SA meet at Del Mar apparently was not a consideration. Del Mar though had offered to take up their Polytrack cushion and ship it to Santa Anita to be laid down there! If Santa Anita cannot get things straightened out, running races at Hollywood would indeed be a possibility.

Rick Hammerle and probably Ron Charles on 'At the Races' tonight (6pm) to deliver the latest on what can only be described as a very difficult situation right now...

Steve

If that was infact true would Del Mar have wanted it back after the meet? They tried to loan their Polytrack to Santa Anita? Racing in California is now BYOS, bring your own synthetic. How far the game has come.

Is that the nuttiest thing you've ever heard or isn't it? I was dumbstruck. Can't you can hear a truck driver calling the Santa Anita switchboard? "Uh. hi.. I got the racetrack here in 14 trucks... Where do you want it?"

I thought it crazy, too, until I remembered that Santa Anita's problem was small sand in their cushion clogging their drainage ... did they not heavily test the draininge, like Keeneland did? with the first section of track laid? Sounds like a free new cushion from the manufacturer to me (I read the complaints SA had about the manufacturer not being immediately responsive to their problems with the installation)

Anyway, so I suppose if SA has the base, they can put another cushion down over it - maybe it's not so whacky a rumor?

if it's that bad a shape how hard is it to just go back to dirt and be ready to run a week late??

It's not the surface, but the cushion underneath that has been clogged by sand that is too fine.

then there is no "quick" fix. sounds like take it all out and start over. stay at hollywood or go to delmar.

Or just hope that no drainage is needed during the meet. :rolleyes:

Didnt that American League Baseball team do that kind of name thing allready ? :D

Steve

Its absolutely insane. The CHRB should be ashamed of themselves for madating synthetics. The uppercrust at these tracks should be humiliated that they didnt have enough forethought to test it. How can the track execs be so dumb? Why would anyone who created any synthetic not sell it as all weather and perfect? Why would anyone buying it not ask more questions and have a team of scientists check it?

hollypark and delmar seem to have made the transition with minimal difficulty.

i suppose we'll have to wait for the next storm to see how the santa anita track drains with the changes made. but it looks like opening day goes forward.

i'm not sure how one "tests" a track other than what has happened here. you install it. you find problems. you work to fix them. it isn't like racetracks are uniform. what works at one will need to be tweaked at another.

there will be issues with any change. i'm sure there will be more issues as the long meet progresses.

take a chill pill. wait for the meet to start. then pile on if it's warrented.

So you dont think the "scientists" and "experts" should have known what kind of wax and sand to lay down? Tearing a track up months after its layed isnt a tweaking, its a disgrace. I suppose having an entire surface dismantled isnt a good enough reason to bash them. The track was uneven and causing mass injuries, besides the lack of drainage.

I think its fair to say they really dont know what they are doing with these surfaces. Along with the breakdown rate remaining the same, the uneven surface, the unhappy horsemen, what are the benefits? I guess they have been pretty easy to take care of which was the number one selling point :eek:

I am shocked that a Magna track could have problems that no one else seems to have. First losing money with slot machines and now this! Frank should fire the complacent bastard that oversaw this debacle. Those Magna execs have just been there too long, they just aren't hungry anymore.

DEEP-FRIED SNICKERS BARS!

Now thats funny. Does Frank keep anybody longer than 2 years?

The Main track at Santa Anita is open for training this morning.

Yeah, but it doesn't mean it will be open for long. Doesn't sound likey they are too optimistic that it will drain correctly over time...

Santa Anita Opens for Training

It don't rain in California !!!!!!

i'm happy with my take so far.

And Keeneland or Del Mar do not have a bias problem?

Nor a credibility problem with many of their race results?

If you wish to compare the management "problems" of Keeneland and Del Mar to Magna then be my guest.

Biases are not problems, not being able to safely use one's new 10 million dollar track is a problem.