Another breakdown at Turfway

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by eurobounce

I have looked at the negatives and I have said that enough is enough when it comes to a synthetic surface. I believe there should be a 3rd surface. Do the negatives outweigh the positives--imo, NO. Are the negatives that people bring up a big deal NO. The kickback is no big deal, the clumping can be a minor problem. Do you want to the know the real negative of a synthetic surface that no one mentions....well here it is and this one is a HUGE deal. The surface is so forgiving that it is hard to detect a minor injury that can compound in a serious one. For example: horses with a stone bruise travel effortlessly over the surface. Get them on a dirt surface and they are in pain. To me this is the major problem with Poly. Kickback, clumps, breathing are just topics to bitch. If you want to talk the negatives then bring up a true negative--not something to bitch about.

Actually, if I recall, Cunningham brought that issue up numerous times...

We won't know the full impact on breathing issues for a while, anyway... this is the kind of stuff that may not show an immediate reaction, but may show it later on in life. I, for one, believe that it would have been more beneficial to spend the money needed to improve on the condition of the former dirt surface, rather than the millions spent on this synthetic stuff.