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Originally Posted by JJP
We'll see if they can get it right. Like Crist said, we have more extreme weather here and I don't think many who rushed to judgement took that into account. I won't rip Turfway Park because they have to race thru brutal conditions and from what I've seen, their racing has been more like normal dirt racing than the other synthetic tracks. And they were losing race dates. Arlington? I hated to see my local track get it but I knew it was going to happen because of all the bad publicity last year. The Chicago Tribune, a paper who basically eliminated horse racing coverage and charts ten years ago, was on a witch hunt to make AP look bad. Was it the surface? Maybe, but I think some trainers were definitely to blame for some of the breakdowns we saw last year (which seem to be escalating recently).
But California? This was just plain wrong for the CHRB to mandate synthetic surfaces on all the tracks. They don't have weather issues out there. If this was a reaction to breakdowns at Dmr last year, then fine, just put it there but don't penalize the other tracks and fans. And Keeneland? That track has become a laughingstock. The Poly propagandists love to point at the Sinister Minister race as being fraudulent but I would argue that the most fraudulent Grade 1 on dirt I've ever seen was the Blue Grass this year.....and I even nailed the exacta so it wasn't sour grapes.
A little bit of synthetic is fine; a good alternative for winter tracks like Turfway....I could see Aqueduct replacing the inner dirt with it and it probably would make sense. But to see tracks like Keeneland and Santa Anita go to it is just wrong. I hope to God Saratoga and CD never go to it because that will be the end of American style racing as we know it.
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i'm thinking the type of poly selected may be a big part of the equation. i believe hollywood was praised as being almost no different from a dirt surface-having gone with Cushion Track. arlington has been pretty kind to all types of horses, as the #'s have been showing. seems turfway is the one who had the worst of it, and of course right now del mar (poly, not cushion)is showing a bias.
golden gate is going with Tapeta.
i still think these tracks should have stayed with dirt, that had they invested in revamping their dirt track, they'd have been fine. it's not like you can lay down a dirt surface and it will last forever. and if they had the mentality that it WOULD last forever, they may have the same style of thinking that poly is maintenance free, rather than taking care of it correctly.
but you may as well get used to it, it's not like those tracks are going to lay out 9 million, and then pull it right back up again. but perhaps in future tracks might consider going with cushion like at hollywood--seems some of the confusion is based on calling all these artificial surfaces poly track, when that is only one type....kind of like calling all tissue brands a kleenex!