The hard tracks at Saratoga last summer were not well received by many trainers due to the track super's policy of sealing the tracks each night and from what I understand were the return of some questionable maintenance practices. If you recall, there were meetings among trainers and NYRA officials about the condition of both the main and Oklahoma training tracks. I know that I spoke to our vet over Labor Day weekend last year (as he was x-raying one of our horses), and he said that he had x-rayed more ankles last summer where there was nothing "wrong" with the horse. That there was not a rash of breakdowns during the afternoon does not mean that the tracks were in good shape.
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