Turfways field size has increased. I agree with BTW that it wouldn't surprise me, either, if the vets were doing better prerace inspections, but who knows.
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That being said, do you begrudge those who think that racetracks and state boards rushed into installing synthetic surfaces?
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No, not at all, I do not like that CA mandated a change. But I don't adhere to "we know nothing at all about them".
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At least I'll say this: first of all, that was an amazing catch by Hines Ward, though it was negated by penalty;
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Yes!
Look - the only racehorse I own a part of is Sumwon, and I think I only own some tail hairs, maybe a bit of an ear, not any of her feet or legs.
Given that Santa Anita is indeed a disaster (and the manufacturer has totally screwed that up, and should be held fully responsible at no cost to SA), this is what
I think of the other synthetic surfaces that are in use in England, at private training farms, in Australia, and in the US:
Nobody ever said a good synthetic track was "total" safe or "totally" maintenance free. Not even the manufacturers.
Synthetics don't freeze as readily as dirt tracks. They don't turn to mud in the rain, have to be sealed, and thus turn more dangerous. They don't have to be harrowed after morning training, dragged or harrowed after every race, or watered constantly throughout the day like dirt. When muddy and sloppy, horses don't drop down through a synthetic into the base like they can with dirt.
I think they are obviously less maintenance, are obviously more consistent than dirt through changes in weather conditions (rain, freezing).
Because they have a higher shock absorption rate than dirt, a lower elasticity repulsion rate than dirt, an engineered consistent base unaffected by weather and freezing and horses over the years gradually eroding the stability of the base like dirt - a horse is far less likely to blow it's cannon bone apart in a race, or get bone chips, or fractured sesamoids. Two of those things kill horses, right then and there.
At the end of the day, I sure as heck would prefer to own a horse that had received a serious muscle pull in it's butt, versus the euthanasia shot behind the tarp for it's fractured cannon bone or sesamoids.
Are synthetic surfaces perfect? Nope. Are good dirt tracks generally safe? Yes, with an excellent track super. Are synthetics better than dirt? In many ways, yes - especially in the reduction of horses having catastrophic, life-ending injury.
Your actual mileage may vary.