some thoughts on poly after running over it
 

i am all for making it safer for the animals and i have defended poly on here in the past but i dont like the way the surface is now at turfway as opposed to last year. way too fast this year as evident by the times. 5000 claimers goin 111 over it. last year my trainer ran a horse there for 13.5 and he won and was given a very nice fig for the race, final time for 3 quarters.....114. we ran a filly over it this past saturday and she didnt like it whatsoever and was breathin funny afterwards when cooling out. one thing everybody does there is spray their horses feet with pam(cooking spray) or wd-40 to prevent it from balling up in their feet. i dont understand the fascination with tracks being lightining fast, lol i suppose faster times are gonna draw more fans to the game. the jock who we brought down to ride from here likes the surface

I have to agree that the track is too fast. I am very unhappy with the surface this winter meet at Turfway vs last year. The track is so fast that you cannot get a good gage on your horse. Another downfall to Poly is that the track maintenance people cannot "fix" the track as easily as they could when it was dirt.

I'm pretty sure they have to add more moisture to keep the kickback down, which in turn is leading to the faster times.

Went to Polyway twice last week (Wednesday and Friday). The kickback is terrible. It's not quite as dusty as last year but it clots like hell. I saw horses 5-6 lenghts back just getting pounded by the clots/clumps of poly. The clots hit the horse and explode like smoke grenades. If you have TVG watch the top of the safety rail -- you can see the clumps of poly landing all over it.

I thought they had made some progress with the new mix (addition of spandex) but in cooler weather the track is a mess.

I routinely see horses come back that are agitated by the track -- snorting excessively. This has been going on since they installed the track. I brought up questions to Turfway management before the first race was ever run on that garbage. A blind man could see that there was going to be kickback issues. They won't address the issues and the racing press is no help either.

I just hope for a wicked winter here. The drainage system won't hold up. Water will pool under the track and freeze. So far they have lucked out and the track hasn't had a true winter test.

And by the way they canceled on Sunday. A mere 2 inches of snow and they canceled. Used the excuse that the "roads were bad". The roads couldn't have been too bad because they kept the simulcast open. And when the track was dirt they never canceled due to "bad roads". It's just a big cover up because the track has serious issues with winter weather. Real winter weather.

I have no problem with the track from a training/racing point of view.
The "old" track was disgraceful.

The old track used to freeze and thaw causing the track to be closed for training half the time during the winter and losing 2 weeks of races every winter.

I know -- and they have trumpeted poly as the reason they didn't close last year (except for 1 day when they mysteriously blamed the roads for that closure also). They didn't have the honesty to admit that last year was an unseasonably mild winter that would have allowed the track to stay open even if they kept the dirt surface. The warm weather was not mentioned at all. Same as this year.

Give it a harsh winter -- and then tell me it handles winter weather. So far on even mild snow days they close and then blame the roads. They can't really plow the snow off the poly as easily as they did with the dirt. Again, if that drainage system freezes and fails they are going to have serious issues with horses hitting a frozen bottom. They won't know it until they run.

Playa,you hang around with almost all mules.I would think it would be pretty tough to make an assessment of a surface when you don't have any good horses to try on it.Seems to me,when they had dirt, they used to be closed like an average of every other day there(in the Winter.)We will see whether they have to do anywhere near that with this stuff.I think it is silly to say dirt was better.This stuff may not be what they want (in the end,)but it is better than dirt.You can talk all you want about this topic,but it comes down to whether horses are being entered.When they consistently get 11,12,14,14 horses entered,then you look kind of silly complaining about a surface.

That would be like the Bears saying " you know we really did not play very well yesterday but the saints were awful so we won but we really dont know if we are good but we are lucky"
Maybe all those things that you said will happen if there is a really harsh winter but then again regular dirt would not be any better would it? As a matter of fact the other 10 months out of the year polytrack will be better than Turfways old surface which was awful regardless of the weather.

The track was open to training and gallops. Turfway wanted to race. They closed racing because several horses that were racing that day and shipping that day couldnt make it to the races. They cancelled because the horseman wanted to, not because of the track.

Something similar happened a few years back when i was working in Ky. The vans that were travelling from Louisville to Turfway couldnt make it to the races because of bad road conditions. So they cancelled that evenings program..

They have done that a couple of times the past few years. They also go by what the predicted weather might be as well. I guess they had some snow and there were suppose to be some ice too. Who knows....but I know the track was fine.

Euro, when the track was dirt I was there and they were racing when the damn sidewalks at the track were sheets of ice. They didn't cancel due to road conditions. They would use a tractor and bulldoze the snow and dirt under the inner rail and race. The only time they canceled was when they couldn't scrape enough dirt off to eliminate the freeze.

Like I said, they've just been lucky -- wait until they see about 1-2 feet of snow on the poly. Tough to scrape the poly without pulling up all the carpet fibers and shards of spandex underwear along with the snow.

I have been there as well when the weather around turfway was horrible. But you have to remember that they have horses that ship in from Louisville, Columbus, Anderson etc etc. The weather up north from Turfway was rather bad (from what I heard). Both of my horses worked on Sunday and the track was absolutely perfect. I am like you in the sense that I want to see what happens when there is a couple of inches of snow covering the track.

LOL nice AHOLE remark there scuds, but nice of you to make it without even knowing what horses we have in the barn. i guess these 2 are"mules" too huh

GAMBLERS PRIZE (USA) dkb/br. G, 2002 DP = 3-3-4-0-0 (10) DI = 4.00 CD = 0.90 - 16 Starts, 6 Wins, 1 Places, 3 Shows Career Earnings: 92,546
Breeder: R. Otto Stables Inc.
State Bred: IL
Winnings: 16 Starts: 6 - 1 - 3, 92,546

DANCEFORTYNINER (USA) b. C, 2001 DP = 9-1-8-1-1 (20) DI = 2.33 CD = 0.80 - 18 Starts, 4 Wins, 3 Places, 1 Shows Career Earnings: $98,100

Breeder: Thomas L. Nicholas
State Bred: KY
Winnings: 18 Starts: 4 - 3 - 1, $98,100

I would like to purchase one of your mules.

Poly will only get better over time.

Turfway doesn't have near the kickback that Woodbine does. It probably has everything to do with the temps. I can remember seeing climps the size of small children being kicked up at Woodbne. The cloud that was kicked up was ridiculous. No one knows how poly in the lungs will effect the horses or the people. 20 - 30 years from now is everyone going to have some form of asbestosis. I know the track isn't made out of asbestos.

The old surface was terrible but you could pick up on some crazy bias action. There were races where everything on the outside would win. 10-1 or 99-1 didn't matter. I think you are still dead meat if you stay on the rail but it isn't as pronounced.

I know the guy from Mounaineer absolutely hates poly track. I think he loves that dirt tracks can be massaged to give someone an edge. There are days at Mountaineer that the #1 horse wins 75% of the races. (I know the BC but I thought those were the best horses too)

all in all if it is safer then I am for it. No reason to risk life and limb for a dinky Turfway purse

Why you giving me names of horses that last raced in JAN 2006,and Sept 2005? This mule you ran Saturday night is pretty typical.She won at Arlington for somebody.Then lays up 4 months n' runs 7th by 17 lengths.Then you guys get her(who wouldn't want her then right? duh),and she loses by almost 9 lengths.You run her for the same tag (with Nick Meza,)and she can't compete,Big surprise.Drop to 5k.Then complain about a track surface.All I am saying is how can you tell anything about a track surface when you test it with a pet mule.Doesn't make sense.

Woodbines track is a joke, and TWP has been lucky to have a mild winter.

Euro,

Only two horses show works on the 21st at TP. Compare that to any other Sunday morning and tell me again how perfect the track was.

Most people know that the clockers at turfway don't always catch all the works. I know my horse worked but it wasnt captured by the clocker. There were about 15 horses on the track at 6am when my horse worked.

Just more evidence that away from Southern California, where they actually monitor these things, workouts and their alleged times are 99% meaningless.

They may not catch many, but they catch more than 2.

The clockers were all stuck out on those icy roads.;)

HAHA!!!

Well there was only one clocker there and he was talking to us the entire time. Turfway is prob one of the worse when it comes to catching works. But my wife was on the backside and she reported back to me.

again my trainer ran 1 over the poly and won last year, im not complaining about the surface becuase the horse lost the race. i guess you automatically assumed so since everytime you lose a bet you find somebody or something to blame other than yourself. i just think the surface is too fast right now. i extensively complained 2 years ago on the espn board about the arlington surface being way too fast, and unfortunately the following year meaning this year look at all the breakdowns we had here.


as far as the filly goes we didnt claim her or ask for the horse. the owners gave her to us and we ran her for straight 3yo's for 16k first time out here at hawthorne which is tougher than 15 non 3l@turfway, she ran 3rd in that race behind a very nice winner, miss queenie is ultra quick. she was in the right race just didnt handle the surface and maybe the shipping also didnt help since she is kinda nervous. she is so much better tho as opposed to when we first got her. if the owners let us run her in the spot we want to next out i think shell be really tough and no its not for 5k


you act like i have no reason to voice an opinion about a surface or anything i want to, well if thats the case please dont tell me what horses are good and which ones arent till you actually plunk down some of your own money or get involved in the sport in a aspect other than strictly gambling on it

Amen, playa...

There are gamblers and then there are those who actually take part in the business.

I don't get that from what he posted at all.

And, furthermore, calling horseplayers " gamblers " shows a complete lack of understanding of what " horseplayers " actually are. Plus, we ( horseplayers that is ) do " take part in the business ".

LOL

Here goes this retarded debate again. We're all pieces to the puzzle. Get over yourselves.

Who is he to talk down to Playa about his horses? Call yourself a "horseplayer" if you want, Andy, if you'd like to sugarcoat the word "gambler." Of course you take part in the business. Without "horseplayers", there wouldn't be horse racing, but in the same token, without the horse racing, there would be no "horseplayers." Guys that take their part by owning horses (even claimers) are a big part of the business IMO and to talk down to them like that shows a lack of respect.

I should add that when I said the above, I meant those that own horses. I wasn't very clear... I apologize.

howbout you get over yourself

I never said he had any right to talk down to that poster, or any poster, and I had no problem with Dan's response. It was your's I disagreed with...and I see you have amended your thoughts. Thanks.

How about you cry some more about your horse losing Saturday? You forgot to blame the jet stream.

LMFAO put down the crackpipe and slowly walk away, maybe get your eyes checked as well. im done wasting my time with you in this thread

The last time you had a winner at TP was last year right? Yeah...it's the way the surface is playing. No fault in your camp.

Whaaaaaa!!

Well,if they could race more often,then I might invest,but until then, it is just a money blender.You already know all about this.That's why I favor the synthetic surfaces.It is the only real hope for owners to realistically be able to invest smartly in the game.Training on dirt will not allow Thoroughbreds to stay sound enough to run enough times a year for owners to make money consistently.Until synthetics are used consistently,standardbreds are a better investment.You want to fill proud about blowin' all the money you have? Great.