DEL MAR TO INSTALL POLYTRACK

[louis finochio]

I have heard through the grapevine that Del Mar will install Polytrack in 07.
Why they cant install polytrack in 06 is anybodys guess.

[Sam]

I have heard through the grapevine that Del Mar will install Polytrack in 07.
Why they cant install polytrack in 06 is anybodys guess.

Why they would install it at all is my question. How often do they have to deal with rain?

If any track would have done it first, I would have thought GGF or Santa Anita since they get the most rain during their meets (actually, BM would have been my first guess, but they don't even know if they're going to be around from one season to the next) ... though, that would mean Stronach would have to be PRO-active for once.

[Tairaterces]

I have heard through the grapevine that Del Mar will install Polytrack in 07.
Why they cant install polytrack in 06 is anybodys guess.

Why they would install it at all is my question. How often do they have to deal with rain?

If any track would have done it first, I would have thought GGF or Santa Anita since they get the most rain during their meets (actually, BM would have been my first guess, but they don't even know if they're going to be around from one season to the next) ... though, that would mean Stronach would have to be PRO-active for once.

Actually Sam, BM is 10 times better as an off-track than GGF . . . . . I always fear watching GGF because of the breakdowns on their off-track.
GGF would be a good choice for polytrack but I am still not convinced that it a safe substance to breathe in . . . . . . . . . are you??

T

[Sam]

I am still not convinced that it a safe substance to breathe in . . . . . . . . . are you??

I've not had the chance to handle the stuff myself. I have my questions about it and it does make me nervous the way it flies up like it does. We're talking about a fiber here that I would assume could not be expelled from the lungs if inhaled (kind of like asbestos). I know this stuff has been around awhile ... but then so was asbestos ... and how long did it take for us to find out how bad that crap is.

[Heidilady]

I don't suppose there's a way to protect a horse's breathing pathway like you'd put over their eyes for fly protection is there? Would that obstruct the speed with which they'd get air to go in? Also could they wet polytrack down just a bit so it doesn't get too dusty?

[Sam]

Also could they wet polytrack down just a bit so it doesn't get too dusty?

The dust isn't the problem, from what I hear this stuff isn't that dusty. It's the physcical composition of the polytrack itself that I worry about.

[louis finochio]

The trainers are all angry that these TB of today are too fragile and when you have rain the track is sealed with a heavy steam roller so when the rain arrives the rain will roll off the track into the drains.

The problem is the TB that race on those cement hard tracks will sustain injuries and breakdowns, even if the are given bute before they race.

I talked to a gallop boy from the UK, and he has been galloping on the polytrack for 5 years and hasnt had a TB breakdown or sustain an injury.

The farriers Ive talked to have all endorsed the polytrack. The tracks management thinks the toe grabs are causing all the injuries and breakdowns. All the farriers have told me its not the toe grabs, its the cement hard tracks.

In any business you go with what works, and the polytrack has stood the test, as more racetracks will follow suit and install the polytrack. If the TB could talk to us they would vote in favor of the polytrack.

[Sam]

The trainers are all angry that these TB of today are too fragile and when you have rain the track is sealed with a heavy steam roller so when the rain arrives the rain will roll off the track into the drains.

Again .. when was the last time it rained so much at Del Mar, they sealed the track? Not saying it doesn't happen, just that I can't remember the last time it did.

As for the trainers whining about the fragility of the modern Thoroughbred, they'd do better to look at their own assembly line training practices and drug pusher vets before they start looking at the track.

[petersd]

Hi Sam,

The problem at Del Mar isn't the rain - it's the ocean.
As you know, the ocean is only a few blocks away, and the track itself sits on a fairly high water table. When the tide goes in and out, it dramatically effects the composition of the racing surface. When the tide is out, the track becomes like concrete.
For years Del Mar has had the reputation as the worst racing surface in the state. Many trainers have told me that if it weren't for the prestige (and the money) they wouldn't race there at all. One trainer friend of mine said he took 20 horses to Del Mar this summer, and by the end of the meet 15 of them had to be turned out to get over their body soreness.
Polytrack, which would not be subject to the tide, should hold it's moisture content better.

[louis finochio]

When you walk through the barns in the backstretch, the first thing that you notice is the prolific amount of TB that are standing in tubs of ice and are wearing ice boots.

These hard race tracks are causing many injuries and breakdowns. Its time for a change so our TB have a chance to perform without those injuries.

All the feed back I have heard on the polytrack have been positive. Lets go with the trend and install this savior of injuries and causes short fields.

[Sam]

The problem at Del Mar isn't the rain - it's the ocean.
As you know, the ocean is only a few blocks away, and the track itself sits on a fairly high water table. When the tide goes in and out, it dramatically effects the composition of the racing surface. When the tide is out, the track becomes like concrete.

Del Mar is the only major track in CA I've never been to (my time in SD has always been at other pursuits) and I'd never heard that before. I knew it was close to the ocean, but I didn't know it was close enough to have that kind of effect. Thanks.

When you take that into consideration, now it makes sense to spend that kind of money for a track that is only open 2 months out of the year.

[louis finochio]

Del Mar has the best dates and has the best handle and attendance, because of its location for vacation.

If you have never been to Del Mar you are cheating yourself out of the best time, hit the beach in the AM and play the races in the afternoon.

Del Mar will always have the top handle and attendance as the fans can get away from the fast pace of LA and catch some rays and relax.

Maybe DM is only open for 2 months, but our TB deserve the best and safest racetrack for their underpining. I hope this polytrack will save our TB from many injuries and breakdowns.

[patrick]

Polytrack is an excellent choice for any tracks that have conditions which can lead to horses breaking down and jockeys dying. I have seen polytrack at Keeneland and I haven't seen any dust at all. I'm sure it is possible that 25 years from now we will find out that exposure to the product may cause some problems.

(Frankly I can't imagine that the health risk is any where near what hurling 10 times a day inflicts but thats another post.)

That's a maybe 25 years from now.

What is not a maybe is that Mike Rowland died on a bad Turfway surface 2 years ago. Gary Birzer got a life sentence to a wheel chair last year at Mountaineer. A young 16 year old boy named Radosavich (sp) died riding at Buelah 2 or 3 months ago.

On tracks that have problems (California too hard - Turfway uneven exposure to the sun- Buelah a sink hole in the turn that they haven't been able to fix for 15 years - Mountaineer poor drainage - CharlesTown a clueless track super) Polytrack is a great solution.

Turfway Park's bottom purses during the winter meet are about $7,000.
Accordingly many tired and sick horses run there. While it was common to see multiple breakdowns every week, the horse ambulance was never started since polytrack has been put in.

If a track wants to install polytrack it takes a huge effort and almost 9 months from the planning to final stage of install. Given that, the Mountaineers of the world will have an excuse (year round racing) to hide behind.

I have an absolute love for the thrill and excitement of watching a race. However, the sickening site of watching a horse snap off a leg, throw the jock, and watch the horses behind trample the jockey damn near ruins it for me. While there is nothing more exciting than the feeling of your horse taking the lead at the 1/16th pole, there is no other emotion in sports as horrible as watching the immobile body of a jockey and hoping that he "only" broke a bone, not that he has joined the jocks room in heaven.

[Elusive City]

Actually Sam, BM is 10 times better as an off-track than GGF . . . . . I always fear watching GGF because of the breakdowns on their off-track.
GGF would be a good choice for polytrack but I am still not convinced that it a safe substance to breathe in . . . . . . . . . are you??

T

no ill effects in the UK.