Stronach reneges on SA surface change..

[Honu]

Originally Posted by asudevil

That means Dick!! It's pathetic! And even more so given the mid week cards. It's over for that place in the winter.

Whatever dude , if it was dirt we still wouldnt be training on it , but we would have that sealed racetrack to look forward to running on . Everyone seems to forget why they put the the surface in in the first place , its because horses were dying at an alarming rate. Were you here when the freaking horse ambulance was hauling horses off more than once a week to be put down? No you werent and you didnt see horses legs just hanging on by skin and you didnt see riders going down and being lucky to just break a bone. So yeah it isnt perfect or maybe not even close but it is better than what we had , its better than horses dying every week and that is just in the mornings.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Honu

Whatever dude , if it was dirt we still wouldnt be training on it , but we would have that sealed racetrack to look forward to running on . Everyone seems to forget why they put the the surface in in the first place , its because horses were dying at an alarming rate. Were you here when the freaking horse ambulance was hauling horses off more than once a week to be put down? No you werent and you didnt see horses legs just hanging on by skin and you didnt see riders going down and being lucky to just break a bone. So yeah it isnt perfect or maybe not even close but it is better than what we had , its better than horses dying every week and that is just in the mornings.

How come so many California trainers want a return to dirt if there was such carnage in the past?

[Honu]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

How come so many California trainers want a return to dirt if there was such carnage in the past?

Hell if I know ......uhm they dont care would be my first guess, but its just a guess.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Honu

Hell if I know ......uhm they dont care would be my first guess, but its just a guess.

That's quite a condemnation of the California training community.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

How come so many California trainers want a return to dirt if there was such carnage in the past?

I think trainers are hopeful that a quality, brand new dirt track would be safe.

[2Hot4TV]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I think trainers are hopeful that a quality, brand new dirt track would be safe.

Hope is not a very good business plan.

[2Hot4TV]

My guess is that Frank is positioning himself to cash in on the land that the track sits on.

Looks like Frank sells in 5 years and retires to his breeding and racing stable on a small scale.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

My guess is that Frank is positioning himself to cash in on the land that the track sits on.

Looks like Frank sells in 5 years and retires to his breeding and racing stable on a small scale.

You actually think Stronach needs the potential revenue from the sale of Santa Anita to 'retire'?

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

Originally Posted by Kasept

You actually think Stronach needs the potential revenue from the sale of Santa Anita to 'retire'?

not unless bernie m got ahold of him..

steve why would he not..change it ....in hopes of future bc,s

[tector]

Originally Posted by Kasept

You actually think Stronach needs the potential revenue from the sale of Santa Anita to 'retire'?

Rich people never "need" more money.

That fact fact rarely deters them from seeking it, however.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Kasept

You actually think Stronach needs the potential revenue from the sale of Santa Anita to 'retire'?

Is Frank a Canuck if so there Social Security scale pales in comparsion to the States. I figure frank would be entitled to max benefit of like 1900 a month if he was a US citizen. Poor guy

[2Hot4TV]

Originally Posted by Kasept

You actually think Stronach needs the potential revenue from the sale of Santa Anita to 'retire'?

Doesnt really matter what I think, but maybe.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

Hope is not a very good business plan.

why not, it's such a success in politics!!

[tector]

There's that old saying:

If it's not broke, then don't fix it.

But the corollary is also true:

IF IT'S BROKE, FIX THE F**KING THING!

It's broke, Frank.

(Yeah, I know...so is he).

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by 2Hot4TV

Hope is not a very good business plan.

Any type of new track is a better business plan than a track that closes every time it rains.

I personally would prefer a dirt track. I agree with Honu that the old dirt tracks here were terrible but I think a brand new dirt track would be just as safe as a brand new synthetic track.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

How come so many California trainers want a return to dirt if there was such carnage in the past?

they ran out of excuses why the horses they train dont run fast.they need dirt.

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by Honu

Whatever dude , if it was dirt we still wouldnt be training on it , but we would have that sealed racetrack to look forward to running on . Everyone seems to forget why they put the the surface in in the first place , its because horses were dying at an alarming rate. Were you here when the freaking horse ambulance was hauling horses off more than once a week to be put down? No you werent and you didnt see horses legs just hanging on by skin and you didnt see riders going down and being lucky to just break a bone. So yeah it isnt perfect or maybe not even close but it is better than what we had , its better than horses dying every week and that is just in the mornings.

I was there!! And it was a freakish period for about 6 months back in '05-'06 Does that mean there should have been sweeping legislation across the state? Which was really BS because they left Fairplex, Los Al, and the other fairs alone. They never addressed the base at SA. It needs to be totally ripped out. That place is a ticking time bomb. The better trainers are scared schit everytime they put a decent horse on it. It's not that easy to pick up and move a whole operation to another part of the country, especially if you've been there for years. There's employees, uprooting of family, mortgages, etc. And it's not like there's anywhere to go that's geographically close. Say what you want about Hollywood....That surface has been pretty darn good. Problem there is that the future is on a "meet by meet" basis. Del Mar might as well be Turfway (no offense to those in Florence). But what once was, and now is......

Look, I'm pretty sure that you're an excercise rider. I appreciate your work because it's an integral part of the entire product. You guys keep the animals fit and I'm certain at times it goes unrecognized. But there is a level of frustration that is approaching a point of no return. Frank might have put the final nail in today.

State of racing in CA. is very sad.

[Honu]

Originally Posted by asudevil

I was there!! And it was a freakish period for about 6 months back in '05-'06 Does that mean there should have been sweeping legislation across the state? Which was really BS because they left Fairplex, Los Al, and the other fairs alone. They never addressed the base at SA. It needs to be totally ripped out. That place is a ticking time bomb. The better trainers are scared schit everytime they put a decent horse on it. It's not that easy to pick up and move a whole operation to another part of the country, especially if you've been there for years. There's employees, uprooting of family, mortgages, etc. And it's not like there's anywhere to go that's geographically close. Say what you want about Hollywood....That surface has been pretty darn good. Problem there is that the future is on meet by meet basis. Del Mar might as well be Turfway (no offense to those in Florence).

State of racing in CA. is very sad.

Freakish ??? Are you kidding me ? I came here in 1998 from very cheap racetracks with very cheap horses , truly never saw the amount of horses breaking their legs off as I did here except at Waterford Park back before it was Mountaineer . It wasnt just Santa Anita , it was all the major southern Cali tracks , Del Mar was the worst for whatever reason but still I never heard any compliments about the racing surfaces here. No one ever said "dang those tracks in Cali are kind to horses" " boy they have a nice soft surface out there" , no what you heard was "those tracks are hard and fast " those tracks are like the 405 freeway"
Trainers want to blame the sythetics on owners leaving the game , but they have a hard time admitting to the fact that owners are leaving the game because it costs to much money and that they have no interest in the infighting among the horseman . For most owners horse racing was something to be enjoyed , hard to enjoy it when you have everyone bitching and complaining and believe me they can and do find cheaper ways to enjoy themselves.

[richard]

Thanks for your perspective Honu and your grasp of history out there in Cali.