Santa Anita not racing Saturday?

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I have no idea. I don't even know if field size has increased at Turfway. I would assume it has increased. Do you know whether field size has increased at Turfway?

I honestly have no idea. It wasn't in any way a pointed question. I'm actually curious.

Didn't Turfway always seem to have a strong fieldsize?

[Riot]

Turfways field size has increased. I agree with BTW that it wouldn't surprise me, either, if the vets were doing better prerace inspections, but who knows.

That being said, do you begrudge those who think that racetracks and state boards rushed into installing synthetic surfaces?

No, not at all, I do not like that CA mandated a change. But I don't adhere to "we know nothing at all about them".

At least I'll say this: first of all, that was an amazing catch by Hines Ward, though it was negated by penalty;

Yes!

Look - the only racehorse I own a part of is Sumwon, and I think I only own some tail hairs, maybe a bit of an ear, not any of her feet or legs.

Given that Santa Anita is indeed a disaster (and the manufacturer has totally screwed that up, and should be held fully responsible at no cost to SA), this is what I think of the other synthetic surfaces that are in use in England, at private training farms, in Australia, and in the US:

Nobody ever said a good synthetic track was "total" safe or "totally" maintenance free. Not even the manufacturers.

Synthetics don't freeze as readily as dirt tracks. They don't turn to mud in the rain, have to be sealed, and thus turn more dangerous. They don't have to be harrowed after morning training, dragged or harrowed after every race, or watered constantly throughout the day like dirt. When muddy and sloppy, horses don't drop down through a synthetic into the base like they can with dirt.

I think they are obviously less maintenance, are obviously more consistent than dirt through changes in weather conditions (rain, freezing).

Because they have a higher shock absorption rate than dirt, a lower elasticity repulsion rate than dirt, an engineered consistent base unaffected by weather and freezing and horses over the years gradually eroding the stability of the base like dirt - a horse is far less likely to blow it's cannon bone apart in a race, or get bone chips, or fractured sesamoids. Two of those things kill horses, right then and there.

At the end of the day, I sure as heck would prefer to own a horse that had received a serious muscle pull in it's butt, versus the euthanasia shot behind the tarp for it's fractured cannon bone or sesamoids.

Are synthetic surfaces perfect? Nope. Are good dirt tracks generally safe? Yes, with an excellent track super. Are synthetics better than dirt? In many ways, yes - especially in the reduction of horses having catastrophic, life-ending injury.

Your actual mileage may vary.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I honestly have no idea. It wasn't in any way a pointed question. I'm actually curious.

Didn't Turfway always seem to have a strong fieldsize?

I'm not sure but I think they have said that field size increased after they put in polytrack at Turfway.

[blackthroatedwind]

I heard if you hover over the Turfway surface in a helicopter or hot air balloon, around the far turn I believe, you can actually see the Virgin Mary in the polytrack.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I heard if you hover over the Turfway surface in a helicopter or hot air balloon, around the far turn I believe, you can actually see the Virgin Mary in the polytrack.

You heard wrong. What actually happens is that you hear a little voice, giving you cold trifectas.

I heard it's actually a likeness of Battaglia's dupa.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

I heard it's actually a likeness of Battaglia's dupa.

Well, if a likeness of Battaglia's dupa is hovering in the air over the far turn, it's 2-1 it will be hit by a landing jet.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I heard if you hover over the Turfway surface in a helicopter or hot air balloon, around the far turn I believe, you can actually see the Virgin Mary in the polytrack.

as much as people call on god and jesus christ at the track, you'd think they'd be there too.

[TitanSooner]

uh oh.. it's starting to pour here in SoCal again...

[SCUDSBROTHER]

My God you people got short memories.Don't you remember the Friday Nights at Hollywood Park ? It was incredibly speed favoring in the Spring-Summer Meet in 2006.You really want to go back to that ****? Anything is better than that.I'm not talking a lil speed-favoring.

[2Hot4TV]

Originally Posted by TitanSooner

uh oh.. it's starting to pour here in SoCal again...

I bet if it rains much more the surface will float away and that will get them started on the re installation project.