Del Mar surface question cancels a.m. training
 

Surface issue prompts Del Mar to cancel training
By Steve Andersen

http://www.drf.com/news/article/114995.html

DEL MAR, Calif. - Del Mar cancelled training on its Polytrack synthetic surface on Thursday morning after overnight maintenance created inconsistencies in the surface through the stretch, according to racing secretary Tom Robbins. Robbins described the problem as a "separation" of the sand and fiber that is part of the Polytrack material. "There were uneven spots, especially in the stretch," Robbins said.

The main track was closed Thursday shortly after training began before dawn. By mid-morning, track maintenance crews, directed by track superintendent Richard Tedesco, were remixing the surface in advance of racing on Thursday. "It's a thorough mixing of the material," Robbins said.

Training was reduced to horses being jogged in a one-furlong area in a backstretch chute and limited activity on a small training track adjacent to the main track. Robbins said Thursday morning that the track was expected to be fine for racing that afternoon.

What the polytrack bunch did to DMTC is no different than what carpetbaggers did to rubes.

what a surprise!!!


And to think, back in 2005 I actually liked the stuff.

I was thinking.. wow! This stuff will save tracks hundreds of thousands in maintenance fee's, reduce breakdowns, reduce kickback, increase field size & prevent wet racing surfaces!! I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread (way too good to be true).

I even wrote my hypothetical business proposal in my technical writing class as Martin Collins LLC, trying to sell Polytrack to Santa Anita because of their high breakdown rates. In fact, I used Polytrack as a basis in a few different projects.

What a shame... and a sham.

This never stopped CNL, for example, from running. No complaints from the board about the conditions there last Saturday? I wonder why.

I liked Brad Free's comment on this situation:

"By the way, the Del Mar main track was closed for training Thursday morning for repair. Real swell stuff, this Polytrack. California someday might return to conventional dirt. One can only hope."

And then all the whining POLY bashing LOSERS would suddenly become WINNERS again. :rolleyes:

Does anyone else here hear a high pitched buzzing noise?

He's not in fourth gear until the awkward gay jokes come out.

This is the first year since 1999 that I have been coming to Del Mar that not ONE horse has been hauled off in the morning or afternoon. We were here the first day the main track opened and the track has been very safe everyday. Whatever caused the glitch this morning Im sure will be figured out as Mr Tedesco seems to be doing a pretty good job so far keeping the horses and riders safe.

Polytrack and synthetic tracks as they are made now are not designed to stand up to the amount of traffic that American racing demands of them. In the future I think they could be made that way but there are so many people who arent directly involved with racing and training of horses that get to be very vocal and very loud about their dissapproval that it is most likely that they will never get a fair try.

We do know that if they are proplerly installed they are the best in rain of any surface . I believe the surface was really developed for a wet climate, initially .

How very True everyone seems to forget how bad the surface was there.

Is John Shirreffs any closer to being in or out of love with the surface for Zenyatta?

Won't be the only time they have to cancel something.

Whats Baffert saying?

Friend him on Fagbook. He posts there.

whats your point?....it still is.....instead of fixing the problem . they went out and got sold a worthless bunch of garbage for millions of dollars. have you heard of these problems being even close to this concerning a real dirt track? because i have not. i still remember the debacle at the other track (SA). the damn thing was screwed up for most of a meet....yet you still have morons that support these surfaces.....forget about..."where turf meets the surf"....its more like....."where the fake dirt sinks into the surf"......lol. then they sit there and wonder why no one wants to race there. i heard rail trip is leaving now....whats their older handicap division look like now?....a bunch of 50 claimers.....lol.

Wow, get it all out ??????? It is not moronic to not see horses dying in the morning or the afternoon. I worked horses over the track today, they traveled fine and as far as I have seen the races have been without incident and morning workouts for that matter. This is the first time in over 10 years(including the dirt and synthetic track) that not one horse has died in training or racing.

Obviously He was not around when Delmar was still a dirt track, without Question it was one of the worst dirt tracks anywhere, Honu I feel certain You know this too, but when It was a dirt track it was a daily thing when a horse would break down in the AM or during the Races. I swear I think I can Remember 1 Year when it seemed like Someone was being Put down Everyday for a couple of weeks in a row.