Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Kasept
It's totally unfair to chide Santa Anita management for the situation there.
As Jerry Moss said at the CHRB meeting the other day, the manufacturer(s) are the ones who promised outlandish things that have not come through. CushionTrack Footings screwed this composition up by trying to get cute with the temperature concerns in Arcadia vs. Inglewood, and the fine silt they added to the Santa Anita surface has been acknowledged as the culprit and as a mistake. Santa Anita had no choice but to believe the installer when they said that what they were going to mix as the surface was going to be 'right'.
In fact, had SA management NOT sensed a problem early on last fall, they would not have been in position with Ian Pearce (sp?) of Pro-Ride to make the ammendments they are going to make to get through the meet. Pro-Ride began testing and playing with the CushionTrack mixture late LAST YEAR... By doing that they were ready to offer the polymer binder add-in to ameliorate the drainage situation...
|
I think MAGNA has shown for quite sometime now that they are capable of making a bad situation worse and my intent here was to get a thread going that hopefully will provide updates on what to expect the next few days in Southern California.
What MAGNA did to Maryland racing last year by firning the most competent admired and respected racing czar they could possibly have, the abomination of GP's changes to make it literally impossible for racing fans to enjoy a day at the races and the instability they have created in the largest single owner of tracks in the country speaks for itself........these are not great business minds or apparently very loyal employers to work for as evidenced again in the recent court settlement in this weeks news.
I am a fan and admirer of Rick Hammerle's efforts at Santa Anita as anyone, he seems like an affable, bright, ethical guy who is one of the high points of the show each week Friday at 600 PM......This is not his or any on site employee of Santa Anita fault, however I think it is fair to look at recent decisions MAGNA has made in a number of areas over the last couple of years and call attention to a potential problem that may compromise one of racing's most fun winter events.
ProRide,Cushion Track,Poly Track or Noah's Arc floating down the chute Saturday.....If the rains forcast are a reality, what is MAGNA (not just Santa Anita) planning on Sunshine Million day to salavage the weekend, that's all...I wasn't calling for anyone to take responsibility for it raining.....I agree it's unfortunate the calendar hasn't allowed Santa Anita to put down the ProRide chemical savior to salvage the Sunshine Saturday but it would be nice to know from a handicapping perspective what they plan to do, if anything ,as that influences handicapping as well.
God Bless Rick Hammerle and his calendar give aways otherwise I'd have to look at the fading paint on my Sub Zero in near comparable temps...