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#1
08-10-2007, 10:17 PM
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They gave out folding camping chairs in a bag, even with cupholders, on July 4th (which is normally a big day for them too due to the biggest fireworks display in Chicago on the 4th... downtown's is always the 3rd). 
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#3
08-10-2007, 11:14 PM
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“To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” Thomas Jefferson
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#5
08-11-2007, 02:27 AM
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Dr. Mary Scollay has started a national injury reporting system this year (for any track, not just synthetic), and I believe the CA tracks are participating.
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"Have the clean racing people run any ads explaining that giving a horse a Starbucks and a chocolate poppyseed muffin for breakfast would likely result in a ten year suspension for the trainer?" - Dr. Andrew Roberts
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#6
08-11-2007, 03:52 AM
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Rain on the poly does make the track fast, and it's up to the track how fast they want it, not the weather conditions. If Arlington has had a lot of rain (which it looks like it has) the track will tighten up and could become lightning fast IF not much is done with it. Over here, if we have had a lot of rain on the poly, what we call a Clerk Of The Course will walk the track and identify if he/she thinks the surface is TOO fast for the horses. If so, they will arrange to have it harrowed slightly deeper than normal, allowing the rain water to soak through to the harcore/drainage underneath more quickly.
If poly is managed peoperly, it can be the best surface in the world, but just like any man made substance, put it in the wrong hands and things can change very quickly. I can't be sure, but after hearing about Turfway, i'd guess these tracks just aren't doing enough to make sure they are safe. Yes, it means hard work quite often, but if these tracks are prepared to take brake downs over hard work they don't deserve to be running a horse racing event. the term "all-weather" is becoming a bit far fetched now. We have found that snow is probably the worst weather condition for poly. Heavy snow will lay on poly easily and create a freezing layer on top. Depending on how heavy the small fall is there can be very little you can do about it. This happened at Wolverhampton back in the winter, but even harrowing after every race wasn't doing the trick. Horses were coming back with frozen poly stuck in their hooves, and jockeys had complained of getting hit with what felt like rocks, when it was just the frozen poly getting kicked back. Freezing temperatures are not ideal for poly, but there is no reason to believe that heat will cause any problems. Intense heat may mean the tracks might want to put some water on beforehand, but nothing else. I'd be interested to know whether any of you guys know which 'blend' of polytrack each of these tracks have got. As far as i know there about 5 or 6 different blends available now, all slightly different in consistancy. The best i have seen is at Lingfield, which rarely has any problems whatsoever, their blend is a much darker colour to look at.
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Avatar ~ Nicky Whelan  and now we murderers because we kill time
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#7
08-11-2007, 07:49 AM
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seriously, i think people leaped at poly, but are mismanaging it the same way they mismanaged their dirt surfaces. look at the tracks that still have dirt that are not seeing the numbers that del mar and arlington had last year. why? because they are focused on taking care of what they have, and doing it properly. installing poly won't help, if the mind set hasn't changed, and if no proper care is given the surface.
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Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln
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#8
08-11-2007, 08:10 AM
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I hope that they start to realise what work has to be carried out so they can start to manage to surface properly, and then all the doubters would crawl back into their holes. Racing is a sport that doesn't react well to change of any kind, and it will take sometime for some people to like the poly, but it will happen. We have been racing on poly for around 5-7 years now, i think. I remember the first day Lingfield opened it's gates to the new surface and invited trainers from all parts to take part in 'trial' races. No one was quite sure how they would react to it, but the comments were amazing. "rides like a thick layer of snow" i think was one of the quotes from the jockeys, and the trainers were also as happy. It shouldn't have been an issue because these horses have been trained on poly for many years now and there are some trainers that swear by it. John Dunlop (who is one of the old school) never gallops his horses on turf, he uses the artificial surfaces instead, mostly poly and woodchip. There will be a few that will knock the poly all day long, but all i suggest to them is to come to England or at least get in contact with some of our trainers, or even the tracks themselves and get a proper opinion.
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Avatar ~ Nicky Whelan and now we murderers because we kill time
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#9
08-11-2007, 08:25 AM
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Arlington's is a lighter color, almost like an ocean sand from a distance.
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#10
08-11-2007, 08:54 AM
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Sounds like Arlington have the same style as Wolverhampton do. Probably not exact, but that is a very light colour, where as Lingfield is a much darker colour polytrack
__________________
Avatar ~ Nicky Whelan and now we murderers because we kill time
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#11
08-17-2007, 12:14 AM
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#12
08-17-2007, 04:52 AM
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I sense that some of you guys cannot take change very well. Polytrack is here to stay and it is a good surface, if your tracks managed it correctly it would be altogether different.
Sure it won't be as quick as dirt, and nor will it be so harsh on horses. Get used to it, if you find it difficult to bet on, don't bet on it....... is anyone making you? Stop blaming the surface and start blaming the tracks, if they looked after it you would see a massive surface. I have seen just how good Polytrack is over the last five or so years to know that it isn't the surface causing all of these problems in America.
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Avatar ~ Nicky Whelan and now we murderers because we kill time
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#13
08-17-2007, 05:01 AM
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Have to say I've had very little experience with the surface though, the only time I've seen it live was when I was on a family holiday in the UK in 2005 and went out to Lingfield. But that was a totally awesome day, the track was absolutely beautiful and winners were coming from all over the place - a couple of horses led all the way, some came from the back, some burst through from midfield. And not only that, but the best horses were winning - one of the races was won by a horse called Cesare. I hope it ends up exactly the same at the US tracks. Last edited by _ed_ : 08-17-2007 at 05:12 AM.
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