Grass Ranks Thinning Because of Synthetics
 

When they first put this stuff in Kentucky, it was clear that turf horses were doing better than dirt horses on junk tracks. I made a prediction that synthetics would be the end of top level grass racing in America because more and more trainers would opt to give their good grass horses a run on the junk because the races are worth more money generally and have more prestige.

The Santa Anita Hcp will be run soon and two of California's top grass horses, Medici Code and Champs Elysees will be skipping grass races to run here. It's a good thing there are no good dirt mile races at Santa Anita or else, I bet the Kilroe Mile would have suffered too.

I'm expecting Champs Elysees to win all the "dirt" G1's in California this year. I'm going to want to punch out the first person I hear that calls him a great dirt horse because of it. There is absolutely no reason to run on the turf now. The Breeders Cup the next two years is going to be such a farce if the foreigners realize what is going on here. If Go Between can win big races on the cushion crap then imagine what a good European horse could do.

It makes the one or two big Euros that will run in the classic a whole lot more viable.

Glass ranks thinning because of CHEAP PURSES at GP and the need by FG and TAM to "save" their turf courses.

Plenty of fine turf horses out there.

Those tracks don't have synthetics though so there aren't other options for them. If Gulfstream was a synthetic you would see Shamdinan and Cosmonaut showing up and probably doing well in the Donn Handicap.

a danehill or dansili winning the classic?

The Santa Anita Handicap is a million dollar Grade 1 race. Frankel and Juddmonte have nothing to lose by taking a shot in this race. There are no standouts scheduled to run in the race anyways.

No one is arguing that. In the past though this horse would have never run in the Big Cap cause he isn't a dirt horse. With the synthetics in place there is no point in running in the turf races when you can just run on the synthetics for a lot more money.

How 'bout the idea of Go Between winning the Big Cap?

I can't actually think of a horse running there that I think would be deserving to win so I don't think I'll be bothered by any outcome.

go Tiago :)

turf racing has always been the red-headed step child of horse racing over here anyway. altho some of us enjoy a good turf race, most think that dirt is the be all, end all....no surprise that an alternative to dirt is thinning the turf ranks more.


but, the big dirt races draw some crossovers every year. had santa anita remained dirt, you may well have had a few turfers make the attempt anyway, just because the race is coming up relatively weak-remember that einstein recently made the not so successful attempt on the main in fla--where there is no synthetic...

After reading what I posted I realize my main point was buried at the end. There are no standouts in this race. I agree that the new track most likely played a role in their decision. However since this race lacks a superstar, I think Frankel would have took on a shot even if was on the old dirt track. At least there a full field for a Grade 1 at the classic distance.

Right, which is exactly what would have happened to horses like Go Between in the past. On the synthetics though these turf horses are becoming G1 winners on the "dirt" when they wouldn't run a step on real dirt.

which is why they need to quit pretending we still race on two surfaces.

Synthetic surfaces have done two things, and they are exacerbated in high level races. First of all they have narrowed the gap between dirt and turf horses as in a sense they've created an evening factor of talent in that both types of horses may handle this third surface. Where the dirt horses were " faster " at each level than their grass counterparts we now see these two divisions being brought together. So, the turf horses, in a sense, are " better " on the synthetic surfaces and the dirt horses are " worse. "

The second thing they have done, essentially because of the first, is they have marginalized high level racing. The supposed good dirt horses aren't as good and the supposed good turf horses are seemingly better. In a sense this has created an interesting new division.....but it has clearly destroyed the former theoretical high level some of these races inhabited. Take, for instance, the two biggest Grade 1s on Polytrack in 2007, the Spinster at Keeneland and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Panty Raid is a nice horse, but she is certainly below the field she beat on Polytrack on the dirt. If you disagree with this feel free to revisit the Alabama Stakes. And then there's Student Council. His dirt form, while not awful, was certainly not superior to a number that finished behind him on Polytrack. Thus, these races are meaningless as " dirt " races and can only be rated as tests of synthetic ability. Now, this may not necessarily be a wholly bad thing, but it is certainly a new thing.......and no winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, as long as Santa Anita is a synthetic track, can ever be truly compared to the past winners of this race.

But, if you like Polytrack, whether for gambling reasons or some other reason I can't fathom, then you have plenty of opportunities to enjoy it. And, if you don't, then find a track with dirt. But, it goes without saying that these races are no longer the races they were in the past, whether you believe it's for better or worse.

I wouldn't use a horse like Go Between to support your opinion. The Sunshine Classic is restricted to only Cal and FLA breds. The pace in the race was 22 3/5, 45, 1:08, 1:33, 1:45 3/5, it fell apart and Go Between won. against a suspect group. He's also a colt who's sire is Point Given and he was pretty good routing on dirt although I agree that the dam side of his pedigree is all turf. Besides Asi Siempre I can't remember another turf horse winning a Grade 1, but she won on Keenelands Polytrack.

I've watched the last three Keeneland meets, Delmar in 07, Hollywood, and Santa Anita and the two synthetic surfaces seem to be completely different. Cushion Track plays more like a real dirt track and Polytrack races look like turf races but in a way they don't. In many Polytrack races they crawl early and the closers still inhale the front runners. In turf races there are many times that horses who set an slow early pace usually hold their postitions from start to finish.

Panty Raid won the G1 Spinster.

Thus far there have not been a ton of Poly G1's but Student Council's Pacific Classic bodes for some strange G1 results, at BTW points out.
The Oak Tree meets major races were pretty formful, but they were pitting most of the same SoCal stakes horses against each other.

In Summation is another that immediately jumps to mind. He was done on the dirt and only useful as a turf sprinter and is suddenly winning G1s on the synthetics. There have been a lot of G2 winners too that will probably win G1s soon enough. Just a week or two back a South American turf filly won a G2. I still don't buy that Nashoba's Key is anymore than a turf horse that is winning G1s on synthetics either.