They have made a stupid decision and its one that will doom them. The money is in the back end in ths game. Noone is gonna shell out big bucks for a sire or mare who wins a grade one on that stuff.
They really blew it. All they hadda do was truck in a good soli/and mixture and maybe lay down a good cushion. Then not bow down to certain trainers who say that they want the track sped up and not so deep. This is common sense folks and I just don't buy that climate or anything else couldnt be overcome. That excuse just doesnt hold water.
Saratoga's surface is currently the best one in NY right now and geez, they only race here 6 weeks a YEAR!!! Every year they take up the track and pile it up in September and every July they lay it back down and work on it. If they can take a surface up here only used for 6 weeks a year and make it that good, you can't tell me that they couldnt just mix up a new natural surface out there and maintain it.
The decision to switch to that stuff will be the knockout punch on Cali racing. Its gonna be a turf and Cal Bred haven like the previous poster said.