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Originally Posted by Danzig
you have to understand, over here we generally want a quick fix to all solutions. to have to WORK at a problem constantly is not in the best interest.
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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You have hit the nail on the head. Most of these tracks saw polytrack as an easy fix and next to no maintenance. Truth is, polytrack is neither of those things, but when managed correctly, it is the safest surface for horses to gallop on and out of all of the synthetic surfaces that i have seen i would go as far as saying it is the safest synthetic surface around.
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.