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Originally Posted by ateamstupid
What drives me nuts is that everyone automatically assumes "Dirt = bad, Polytrack = good" when it comes to horses' health. And while, yes, it's proven that artificial surfaces are easier on the horses, I don't see a ton of breakdowns in NY racing, and I think it's because the dirt tracks are much deeper than they are anywhere else. I just feel that any track that has a lot of injuries or breakdowns goes "Oh, that's it, we've gotta get polytrack" and takes the easy way out rather than actually using some brainpower and figuring out how to improve the dirt surface.
The bottom line is that, like it or not, the betting public's needs and wants come before the horses' safety. I'm sorry, you might not like hearing it, but it's the cold reality of a gambling-driven sport. If everyone suddenly stopped betting polytrack races, the tracks would have to either figure out a way to make it play more like dirt, or rip it up all together. Do I think it should be that way? Ideally, no. Am I advocating ripping up all polytrack? No. But if you think the wave of tracks moving to artificial surfaces isn't partly or wholly influenced by the fact that people still bet Turfway and Keeneland when they switched, I think you're delusional.
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Why does , Because its always been done this way =Thats the way it should stay and Change = everyone is going to stop betting ?
How do you know what the stats for breakdowns are at any given racetrack? How do you know how many horses are turned out that dont break down on the track but come back bad at the barn ? You dont , you dont run your hand down horses legs every morning , you dont see the diffirence in the horses legs that train on traditional dirt surface compared to the horses that train on cushion track.
You say betters dont care about horse safety , but I bet they care when fields are reduced to 5 horses and there is only a small margin between odds.
To be honest I dont care if you ever bet another race in your life , because there will always be one more person standing in line at the window or betting from home. Dont fool yourself into believing that me making a living depends on your dollar , because it doesnt , I get paid a wage and my boss gets paid by the head and the people he trains for have more money to blow on horses than they will ever be able to spend before they die. They are not soley in this game for winning purses , they are also in it for the sport and the bragging rights, they all have breeding farms and sell horses and stand them at stud.
So dont bet any artificial surfaces , do what you think is best for you, but when the Hollywood meet starts I want you to prove to me that Cushion track doesnt play fair.