My theory and feelings on Polytrack

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by oracle80

I think that Hollywood is a short meet and the effects of Poly out west won't truly be felt until the Hoolywood summer meet opens which leads into Del Mar which will have poly by then.
I also see owners out there with well bred or expensive horses who don't run a lick on it not having a hell of a lot of patience.
This will lead to owners shipping horses of said horses back East for dirt racing.
I think the biggest impact it will have out there will be that several big name trainers may open stables or increase their presence in the East so that if and when this happens, that they won't lose horses completely to other trainers in the East. They will simply tell the owner that they are gonna ship the horse to their East Coast division.
I make this a very short price to happen Jackofhearts.

at the same time though we MAY see the owneres of horses that are successful on synthetic tracks start shipping IN to california...something that does not currently happen very often. Not saying that the two will balance each other out equally at first but over time they probably will.

Originally Posted by oracle80

I also see owners out there with well bred or expensive horses who don't run a lick on it not having a hell of a lot of patience.
This will lead to owners shipping horses of said horses back East for dirt racing.
I think the biggest impact it will have out there will be that several big name trainers may open stables or increase their presence in the East so that if and when this happens, that they won't lose horses completely to other trainers in the East. They will simply tell the owner that they are gonna ship the horse to their East Coast division.
I make this a very short price to happen Jackofhearts.

Ya know--those west coast pinheads might not be smart enough to be sharp on the new surface. That might be S.Cal's biggest problem.

Someone has to run for that big graded west coast $$$ oracle. I'm not so sure these L.A. people will ship out quickly.

Might as well adapt to what is easily available.

[Crown@club]

Where's the hand over my eyes, elbows on the table and shaking my head icon?

Originally Posted by TitanSooner

God didn't create me to walk on concrete and asphalt either.. but I do.

We can also vote, can horses? Comon with that crap....you also don't have to hunt your pray in the widl either. You know humans don't apply to the rest....thats why we run the planet.....please don't compare humans in the same categories as other mammals, etc....

[TitanSooner]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

We can also vote, can horses? Comon with that crap....you also don't have to hunt your pray in the widl either. You know humans don't apply to the rest....thats why we run the planet.....please don't compare humans in the same categories as other mammals, etc....

Then don't tell me God created thoroughbreds to run on dirt and grass when God created no such thing. WE created thoroughbreds to run the way they do and things change so get a grip with YOUR CRAP.

[pba1817]

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

God created horses and evolved their physiques and bio-mechanics over centuries of time to be tailored to perform in their natural environs in the wild – which are almost exclusively DIRT ranges and GRASS pastures and fields. They were NOT born to run over chopped-up rubber tires and synthetic fibers with wax-coated sand mixed in…….Oh how our sport will change because of this…oh how our sport will change……..

And sadly, I think it will change for the worse because it will change the way we breed horses…..Storm Cats and A.P. Indys – two of the top DIRT performing sires of modern day, both hailing from great families of longstanding dirt-producing superiority – could both now be replaced by commons like Lemon Drop Kid and Smart Strike (no knock on these studs, just making a point)…..our sport is at risk of failing to preserve the legacy of our most cherished and storied families…. oh, what a shame….oh, what a shame….

Everybody who doesn’t understand our game (most track execs) looks at the Polytrack as the saving force of our industry. Those people don’t have the capacity, intimate knowledge or care of the sport to look under the 'surface' and grasp an understanding of the long-term effects it will have on our game – because if they did, I think they would be rather concerned at the integrity risks we stand to lose.

What the implementation of Polytrack really is to these figures is a knee-jerk, quick-fix REACTION (not pro-action) to what they feel will solve problems in the areas of field sizes and horse health – which shouldn’t be hard to preserve on dirt with the right grounds crew. Maybe not at Turfway in the winter, but the California tracks should definitely have a way to provide a better racing surface than the ones they did. SO SHOULD KEENELAND. All they had to do is rip a page out of Churchill Downs' book – where the surface is as good as any is in the country – and they would see that in the same region of the country it IS possible to provide a good dirt track. I mean, what’s so different between Lexington and Louisville???

Ironically, the funny thing is that if Polytrack threatens the way we breed horses in the future (which I believe that it will), I think it will have a NEGATIVE affect on the sales market – the very thing that Keeneland makes all of its money on. Now, how funny would that be considering the fact Keeneland will be known as one of the leading, initial advocates of Polytrack?…….

With a City, Frankie Brothers filly that won the 2-year-old stake two weeks ago (who I bet on might I ad) and Asi Siempre in the Spinster (bet on her too although she couldn’t stand up next to Happy Ticket on the dirt)…..its all garbage…..the wrong horses are going down in history and we have just now started a trend that could seriously threaten what all of us know now as HORSE RACING.

Can you tell I love this stuff?

I cant believe I just wasted 2 minutes reading this post....

Get over it, Polytrack is here to stay, its coming to all North American tracks eventually. Embrace it, or become extinct.

Originally Posted by pba1817

I cant believe I just wasted 2 minutes reading this post....

Get over it, Polytrack is here to stay, its coming to all North American tracks eventually. Embrace it, or become extinct.

Do you work in management at a racetrack?

[pba1817]

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

Do you work in management at a racetrack?

Of course not, but I am able to see the future of racing, and its all about Poly!!

Originally Posted by pba1817

Of course not, but I am able to see the future of racing, and its all about Poly!!

Well then i'm seeing the future you see and i'm seeing for sale signs at the smaller tracks.

[pba1817]

Originally Posted by Pillow Pants

Well then i'm seeing the future you see and i'm seeing for sale signs at the smaller tracks.

Thats a possibility, but I think things will be OK in the long run.

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

God created horses and evolved their physiques and bio-mechanics over centuries of time to be tailored to perform in their natural environs in the wild – which are almost exclusively DIRT ranges and GRASS pastures and fields. They were NOT born to run over chopped-up rubber tires and synthetic fibers with wax-coated sand mixed in…….Oh how our sport will change because of this…oh how our sport will change……..

And sadly, I think it will change for the worse because it will change the way we breed horses…..Storm Cats and A.P. Indys – two of the top DIRT performing sires of modern day, both hailing from great families of longstanding dirt-producing superiority – could both now be replaced by commons like Lemon Drop Kid and Smart Strike (no knock on these studs, just making a point)…..our sport is at risk of failing to preserve the legacy of our most cherished and storied families…. oh, what a shame….oh, what a shame….

Everybody who doesn’t understand our game (most track execs) looks at the Polytrack as the saving force of our industry. Those people don’t have the capacity, intimate knowledge or care of the sport to look under the 'surface' and grasp an understanding of the long-term effects it will have on our game – because if they did, I think they would be rather concerned at the integrity risks we stand to lose.

What the implementation of Polytrack really is to these figures is a knee-jerk, quick-fix REACTION (not pro-action) to what they feel will solve problems in the areas of field sizes and horse health – which shouldn’t be hard to preserve on dirt with the right grounds crew. Maybe not at Turfway in the winter, but the California tracks should definitely have a way to provide a better racing surface than the ones they did. SO SHOULD KEENELAND. All they had to do is rip a page out of Churchill Downs' book – where the surface is as good as any is in the country – and they would see that in the same region of the country it IS possible to provide a good dirt track. I mean, what’s so different between Lexington and Louisville???

Ironically, the funny thing is that if Polytrack threatens the way we breed horses in the future (which I believe that it will), I think it will have a NEGATIVE affect on the sales market – the very thing that Keeneland makes all of its money on. Now, how funny would that be considering the fact Keeneland will be known as one of the leading, initial advocates of Polytrack?…….

With a City, Frankie Brothers filly that won the 2-year-old stake two weeks ago (who I bet on might I ad) and Asi Siempre in the Spinster (bet on her too although she couldn’t stand up next to Happy Ticket on the dirt)…..its all garbage…..the wrong horses are going down in history and we have just now started a trend that could seriously threaten what all of us know now as HORSE RACING.

Can you tell I love this stuff?

I am only going to comment on part of your post because everyone knows how I feel on this subject. The thoroughbred was created by humans and not by God. Humans experimented with breeding different types of horses before they came up with the thoroughbred.

Originally Posted by eurobounce

I am only going to comment on part of your post because everyone knows how I feel on this subject. The thoroughbred was created by humans and not by God. Humans experimented with breeding different types of horses before they came up with the thoroughbred.

The bottomline is that horses were created as athletes, and when they were tailored to be athletes God made them equipped to be athletic on a natural surface.....look at the horses Billy the Kid used to ride out on 30 mph as his get-away vehicle in the old, Wild West days, and look at the Thoroughbred we have now.....they all have 4 legs and weigh about 1000 pounds and they all work or run over natural surfaces....

[TitanSooner]

we should just put ice around the track. Can't get more natural than that.

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

The bottomline is that horses were created as athletes, and when they were tailored to be athletes God made them equipped to be athletic on a natural surface.....look at the horses Billy the Kid used to ride out on 30 mph as his get-away vehicle in the old, Wild West days, and look at the Thoroughbred we have now.....they all have 4 legs and weigh about 1000 pounds and they all work or run over natural surfaces....

Horses werent created to be athletes--lol. The term athleteswasnt even used when they developed the thoroughbred. God didnt even create the thorughbred--humans did.

Originally Posted by eurobounce

Horses werent created to be athletes--lol. The term athleteswasnt even used when they developed the thoroughbred. God didnt even create the thorughbred--humans did.

GOD CREATED HORSES TO BE WORK ANIMALS, NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BUT THEY HAVE WORKED FOR HUMANSD SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME....A THOROUGHBRED IS A HORSE.....PERIOD....

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

GOD CREATED HORSES TO BE WORK ANIMALS, NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BUT THEY HAVE WORKED FOR HUMANSD SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME....A THOROUGHBRED IS A HORSE.....PERIOD....

I agree, but the thoroughbred was created by humans. Human experimented until they discovered the thoroughbred. They wanted a horse that could go long distances with very little water. And I dont think God ever created horses to be work animals. I dont think God said hey let me create this animal so humans can stick a 5 foot person on him and whip him so people can gamble and make money. I also dont think that God said hey let me create this horses so people can find it easier to plow their fields, or to get to point A to point B faster. That is crazy.

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

GOD CREATED HORSES TO BE WORK ANIMALS, NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BUT THEY HAVE WORKED FOR HUMANSD SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME....A THOROUGHBRED IS A HORSE.....PERIOD....

I think I can change his mind... NOT.

[todko]

Poly is here to stay. The main sales pitch by TP/KEE (they are the same company) to other tracks has been reduced maintenance cost. Del-Mar bought into it long before a horse first raced on it in America. The pitch is that it saves tracks $500,000 or so in maintenance costs per year.

It's only recently, and after the Barbaro incident, that they came out with the "it's better for horses" pitch. And that's the hoopla they are telling the public. Face it, tracks never gave a crap about horses' health. In a lot of cases they did the utmost minimum to keep the surface safe.

The same ultra-rich who ran horse racing into the ground to begin with are behind poly. They really are oblivious to the bettor's wishes. They look at the bettor as a hopeless addict. They feel they can do as they please and the bettor will still bet. And maybe they're right.

Originally Posted by Cunningham Racing

The bottomline is that horses were created as athletes, and when they were tailored to be athletes God made them equipped to be athletic on a natural surface.....look at the horses Billy the Kid used to ride out on 30 mph as his get-away vehicle in the old, Wild West days, and look at the Thoroughbred we have now.....they all have 4 legs and weigh about 1000 pounds and they all work or run over natural surfaces....

Billy the Kid? He lived long enough back to ride Eohippus...

It is not fruitful to try to reason a man out of something he did not reason himself into.

- Jonathan Swift

I think this about sums up the history of horses by Cunningham. Pray to God that those genes align the right way, the gestation and environment of all your runners is perfect, and lets pray most races set up correctly to give you get a winner. I will. Seriously, I will.

[Honu]

And sadly, I think it will change for the worse because it will change the way we breed horses…..Storm Cats and A.P. Indys – two of the top DIRT performing sires of modern day, both hailing from great families of longstanding dirt-producing superiority – could both now be replaced by commons like Lemon Drop Kid and Smart Strike (no knock on these studs, just making a point)…..our sport is at risk of failing to preserve the legacy of our most cherished and storied families…. oh, what a shame….oh, what a shame….



To be honest it wouldnt hurt my feelings if I never saw a horse by Storm Cat again in my life. Of the ones I have been around or sat on I have found about 90% cant breath and or have bad feet and knees with the temperment of a pissed off badger or woman how ever you see it.