Entry Blank wrote:I guess nobody remembers why Cali went to synthetics in the first place. Horses were dying at an alarming rate and the horsemen were livid and screamed that something be done. So now all of a sudden " new " dirt is the answer?
Id like someone, anyone to show me an article from pre synthetic saying how great the tracks in So Cali were, as I recall Stronach wouldnt even race his own super horse at Santa Anita because of the track.
If you want to be a historian, what did California do the 75 years before the synthetics? Dirt just went bad the 5 years before Pro Ride and became unusable west of the Rockies? Was it sunspots or solar flares?
The truth is Del Mar was what people pointed to and its still got problems. Santa Anita was good before the base deteriorated and the dirt became like a science experiment with weird things like wood chips and shavings added in the mix for heavens know what reason. A cheer went up from the horsemen --at least the vast majority of them--when the announcement was made and no doubt they have a reason to cheer. Of course, this all assumes that the dirt track is put in correctly and we get a quality product to run on.
And lets not forget the gamblers. I know a couple of professionals who just hate the synthetics because they feel it is not formful. Whether they are right or wrong, the handles of the synthetic tracks have reflected that feeling among many.
Hope my filly can make a start down there.