Zayat is Leaving; Baffert hates it

[Antitrust32]

In college, I did a few projects on Polytrack, before it was ever installed in any track besides the Keeneland Training track. One of the big 'sells' of it, was that it would save the tracks something like $400,000 per year on maintenance fees. I think that is a reason Martin Collins does not want to admit it needs to be watered, because then that selling point would be mute.

Also at this past year's Arizona Symposium, all the artificial surface guys were out in full force, and let me tell ya, Polytrack was by far the WORSE surface out of all of them.

I held a few different kind of surfaces, and my favorite was Cushion, when you picked it up, it did not bulk up into a snowball like Poly did. It was consistant and looked like a good surface. Polytrack was sooo clumpy and disgusting that it wouldnt even come off my hands unless I scrubbed them. It just left my hands grimey and full of wax/sand. It clumped up and was so messy. No good IMO. Tapeta was good and the fourth brand which name is excaping me was good also. Polytrack definatley had the most problems.

I really think the tracks made a mistake by going with Polytrack instead of the other surfaces. Polytrack was the first to really market itself, and with Keenelands backing (they own 50 percent of the American product) and the fact that other UK tracks had used it, the US tracks decided to buy it.

Now since the tracks spent 8-10 million dollars to install it, they have to promote it.

I feel like if the tracks went with Cushion instead, we would not hear the complaining that we are getting with Poly.