Presque Isle opening day
 

It was probably the ultimate nightmare scenerio for Tapeta inventor Dickinson, in the first race of the inaugural PID meet, post time favorite Cantrel broke down and had to be euthanized.

She's a 3-year-old stakes winner who had won 5 of her first 8 career starts.

Final times were slow and horses set very slow paces and quit....but that's trademark synthetic racing. The track played faster than poly but slower than cushion track.

However, the night went a lot smoother after that from a racing standpoint. Minus a few VERY curious inquiry's in the last two races - though both were short lived and no change was made.

There was a massive crowd there...and only twelve pair-mutual tellers to take care of over a reported 12K people, other than very long betting lines and few tellers, things seemed to go smoothly from that regard.

Some of the many people who got shut out got agitated...but nothing other than a few people shouting at the overworked tellers occured.

Fabulous Strike worked earlier this morning - his time was quite slow - but his connections liked the work. His next start is still up in the air.

Thanks for the report :) Sorry for the incident in the opener.

RIP Cantrel.

12 Tellers and nothing else?!? I'm far from a high roller, but that would piss me off. (I though still wouldn't yell at a teller who has no control over the situation)

Did you hear the race calls? The son of an Arlington "legend" is calling the races there...curious how he did

Phil Georgeffs son? (just guessing)

"HERE they come, spinning out of the TUR-N"

Geesh, I loved his race calls. He made it exciting from the start, calling out middle moves, and rarely missed something happening from the back.

No..It's the "Patriarch's" son..the voice of...um...Beauluh..Bill Downs Jr...

Ahhhh, that legend ;)

and I use the word..umm...lightly

I can't believe the first race breakdown...man..

The racecaller did a pretty good job.......

The camera guy on the other hand......

Have you been able to feel the surface and if so, how is the texture?

They showed the first race on TVG. The thing that stuck with me was the shadow of the light standard right at the finish line. It was like on of those shadows that you see at Wrigley field. I wonder if it will affect any of the horses at the wire.

I have.

It's sticky and colorful - hard to describe beyond that.

I highly doubt a trend of breakdowns will occur....the 3yo filly who broke down in the stake yesterday was a horse Scott Lake claimed, who made a GIGANTIC move-up from a speed figure standpoint under Lake.

the surface is slighly nutty with just a hint of cinammon, oh crap i thought you said how does it taste------------sorry