California Synthetic
 

Now the man who forced installation of synthetics in California wants to keep an open mind towards dirt. What an absolute joke this entire situation is from top to bottom

Shapiro backed away from that mandate in an interview of the weekend, but remained hopeful that Santa Anita would install a different synthetic surface later this year.

“If, at the end of the day, Santa Anita comes forward and said, We’ve looked at the options and we believe for the safety of the horse and rider that we’ve got a plan to put in a dirt track on top of a good solid base, and they would put in a track that was safe, personally, I’m not totally opposed to that,” he said.

“I think we have to have an open mind. I think what you’ve seen, the synthetic tracks are successful but clearly there are bumps in the road. I’m not favoring one or the other. I’m hoping that synthetic tracks are the answers. If there is a better option, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t listen to everything.”

I can't help but wonder if the BC has something to do with Santa Anita's recent announcement of considering a return to a dirt surface. The prospect of a new surface being tested just weeks before this year's big event has to be very scary to them. I know it's horrifying to a lot of others.

Frankly, the BC should do the right thing and announce they've made a deal to run it this year at Belmont. To risk running on a completely new and unproven surface is a major disservice to horse racing whether you are pro-synthetics or not.

And now they are running over a plowed field. Well actually that's probably good for horses in the long run, just hard on the betters who have no idea how the track is going to play day to day. Ive never trained over the synthetic surfaces so i have no idea what the contant changes do to the horses.
But you're right about Shapiro dancing around the problem that exist out there in Cali. Im sure he is facing scrutiny from all aspects of the industry. Hate to see those comments when indeed he was the force behind the synthetic is the "future".

The sad thing is it should have been scary to them all along. Breeders Cup shouldnt be the only reason these guys are rethinking their poor decisions.

and then there's the five horse field i watched race earlier today. thought all that was a thing of the past in cali?

and the announcement about next year being there as well.

this year on dirt, next year on synthetic?



i have said since word of issues with the track first came out that they should have the bc elsewhere this year. let santa anita do what they have to do..go there next year. hopefully by then all problems will have been solved.

When I read the article I thought the same thing about the B Cup.
First it was an iron-fist ruling of everyone must have Synthetic, now it's everyone should have an "open mind".:confused:

Not recently, the bias is pretty noticeable there right now, the last couple of days if you were within 2 lengths of the lead you were toast down the lane, like they slammed into a wall on the turn. If you were in the back half, you could go 7 wide and win, like the horse did today in the 8th race. Be 7 lengths back and go 5w is the key to victory on that track right now.

I think it was the 6th race today where Bejarano rode a great race, and got to go 25/50 in a 8f race, and STILL couldn't get to the wire in front. Horse came from the clouds to win.....25/50 for a mile race is unheard of almost everywhere on any surface. Look how Rosario rode the 6 in the last race, now that is a horse that is confused now. First race he is taken back and comes running, 2nd race is gunned from the gate and sticks in there, and now today he breaks real clean and get out there, and then Rosario tries to put a hammerlock on him because he knows that he is screwed if he goes to the lead

So in handicapping the SA races now you're kind of taking a Del Mar approach to your race shape analysis? I have not played so cal in awhile so i have not been on top of things, just noticing the slow final times the past few days, and remembering the wicked times of last month or so..

I don't know about an approach, just that any horse that is near the lead just aint finishing. Alot of people talk about 'speed' biases and don't really consider a closer's bias, but there is with 100% certainity a closers bias right now at Santa Anita.

now all that will probably change tomorrow because of the rain, and from what I have noticed, is that once any of these synethics get liquid in them, they speed up and speed holds alot better. Arlington is a good example of this. When it is dry, it is a fair to closers track, but when it rains and the poly gets some moisture, speed does real well.

A properly installed all weather would give SA more dates. How they screwed the current track up is beyond understanding. They can turn back the clock to dirt or correctly install an appropriate all weather surface.

By "they" you mean the Cushion Track Company that screwed up the installation in the first place?

When rain is in the forecast count on the track being slower , it drains great but it will be slower everytime.

Racing 6 days a week and carding 10 races in most days is what has made the races smaller and with the days Santa Anita couldn't race alot of horses have gone to other tracks.

Some things shouldn't be changed in the first place.

Would be wonderful, if this thing can stay that way at least until about 4:30pm PST. Could be some big money with in the 7th Monday if this holds up. All I really took advantage of yesterday was Tiz Elemental in the Honest Lady (3.80 shw), and she would have been an auto-toss the way the track was running early in the meet.

two completely different ideas posted above of what this track does when it rains....gets faster/gets a lot slower. it can't be both.

i figured this was the main reason why fields have gotten smaller.

Well i can only speak about Santa Anita, I worked horses yesterday morning in the rain and the track was about 2 seconds slower than when its not raining , so that is how I have come to the conclusion that rain =slower here.

Honu, I've missed your posts and am gald to hear from you. If the track is draining great now, why will it be replaced ? I do understand that it will not hold up as is. I certainly support another, porperly installed aw surface. As Joe Harper of Del Mar said in bloodhorse, "I'll take a 70% reduction in fatalities."