SA: Run 1/31-2/3; Binder install 2/4-2/7

[Kasept]

SANTA ANITA TO RESUME RACING THURSDAY; SUNDAY’S PROGRAM CANCELED

Santa Anita canceled racing Sunday for the third time in four days and the sixth time this meet after all-night rains rendered the maligned Cushion Track unusable, but measures were underway to resume racing on Thursday.

“There was just too much water on the track and the forecast calls for heavy rain later today and tonight,” said Santa Anita President Ron Charles. “We will be working on the track Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, regulating the track in preparation of putting in the Pro-Ride polymer binders. We will resume racing Thursday, January 31st and expect to continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“After Sunday’s races, Ian Pearse (managing director of Pro-Ride) will begin working on it and his best estimate is it will take four days to install, and as soon as he’s done, we believe we will know whether we will be racing Friday, February 8th or Saturday, February 9th.”

Thanks to a non-stop effort by track superintendent Richard Tedesco and his dedicated crew, Santa Anita took a welcome break in the weather late Friday to present its portion of the Sunshine Millions yesterday under sunshine and blue skies.

“Tedesco and his team did a great job,” Charles said. “They literally worked around the clock to have the main track in race shape. They began at six o’clock Friday evening and worked until seven o’clock Saturday morning and were totally responsible for Sunshine Millions day taking place.”

Charles emphasized the significance of having the polymer binder applied so that the Cushion Track will drain properly and allow racing to be conducted as normal through the end of the meet on April 20.

“All the material is here,” Charles said, “and we just can’t take a chance of putting it down and the track not being consistent. It is such an important process. Everyone who has seen it—the trainers, the jockeys—are so optimistic that this will absolutely not only fix our drainage problem, but give us a kinder, safer race track without the hardness we had before. It’s worth waiting one more week.”


SANTA MONICA NEXT SATURDAY

Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle said the Grade I Santa Monica Handicap, cancelled today, would be run next Saturday and redrawn.

[docicu3]

Since they are going to wait a week why wouldn't they try to lessen the impact of days lost and race on Wednesday. Seems like 3 days to draw and post might help out the folks who have been devastated by losing such a large portion of their income. This is probably far too a simplistic view but why wouldn't this work?

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by docicu3

Since they are going to wait a week why wouldn't they try to lessen the impact of days lost and race on Wednesday. Seems like 3 days to draw and post might help out the folks who have been devastated by losing such a large portion of their income. This is probably far too a simplistic view but why wouldn't this work?

I'd imagine they probably want to get it done right and play it safe, instead of rush things and risk the chance of making things worse.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by docicu3

Since they are going to wait a week why wouldn't they try to lessen the impact of days lost and race on Wednesday. Seems like 3 days to draw and post might help out the folks who have been devastated by losing such a large portion of their income. This is probably far too a simplistic view but why wouldn't this work?

They need to let the surface alone and dry out; a vital part of the process of adding the Pro-Ride polymer binder.. Hammer will make the races up over the following 6 weeks with 9, 10 and 11 race cards.

[jpops757]

Originally Posted by Kasept

SANTA ANITA TO RESUME RACING THURSDAY; SUNDAY’S PROGRAM CANCELED

Santa Anita canceled racing Sunday for the third time in four days and the sixth time this meet after all-night rains rendered the maligned Cushion Track unusable, but measures were underway to resume racing on Thursday.

“There was just too much water on the track and the forecast calls for heavy rain later today and tonight,” said Santa Anita President Ron Charles. “We will be working on the track Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, regulating the track in preparation of putting in the Pro-Ride polymer binders. We will resume racing Thursday, January 31st and expect to continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“After Sunday’s races, Ian Pearse (managing director of Pro-Ride) will begin working on it and his best estimate is it will take four days to install, and as soon as he’s done, we believe we will know whether we will be racing Friday, February 8th or Saturday, February 9th.”

Thanks to a non-stop effort by track superintendent Richard Tedesco and his dedicated crew, Santa Anita took a welcome break in the weather late Friday to present its portion of the Sunshine Millions yesterday under sunshine and blue skies.

“Tedesco and his team did a great job,” Charles said. “They literally worked around the clock to have the main track in race shape. They began at six o’clock Friday evening and worked until seven o’clock Saturday morning and were totally responsible for Sunshine Millions day taking place.”

Charles emphasized the significance of having the polymer binder applied so that the Cushion Track will drain properly and allow racing to be conducted as normal through the end of the meet on April 20.

“All the material is here,” Charles said, “and we just can’t take a chance of putting it down and the track not being consistent. It is such an important process. Everyone who has seen it—the trainers, the jockeys—are so optimistic that this will absolutely not only fix our drainage problem, but give us a kinder, safer race track without the hardness we had before. It’s worth waiting one more week.”


SANTA MONICA NEXT SATURDAY

Racing Secretary Rick Hammerle said the Grade I Santa Monica Handicap, cancelled today, would be run next Saturday and redrawn.

Will this be a cushion or a pro ride track. For furure conversions, will this move pro ride to the head of the class?

[docicu3]

What I was asking was "If they were going to run on it Thursday anyway as they have committed to racing this week before the renovation why not use the extra day to recoup some of the extrordinary loses"

Obviously I am the only idiot who thinks like this...

[docicu3]

Hoss, I was bringing this up as soon as they made the decision to push the track work back a week so they would have had three days to card races recently canceled.

What can I say I am jonesing for some SoCal opportunities .......Thursday it is...

[Kasept]

From Privman piece in DRF:

Entries for Thursday and Friday of this week were taken Monday. This Saturday's card, which already included the Grade 2, $300,000 Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds and the Grade 2, $200,000 Robert Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds, will also now include the Grade 1, $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap for female sprinters, which was postponed when Sunday's card was canceled.

Charles said Santa Anita will petition the California Horse Racing Board to add make-up dates on previously scheduled dark days in coming weeks.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by jpops757

Will this be a cushion or a pro ride track. For furure conversions, will this move pro ride to the head of the class?

If everything works as Pro-Ride's Ian Pearse has suggested, one would think the Aussie outfit would emerge as the synthetic surface leader. Apparently the surface is already big hit at Skylight Training Center near Louisville where Ian Wilkes, Carl Nafzger and Niall O'Callaghan train according to a DRF piece about 2 weeks ago.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/91675.html

[2Hot4TV]

Originally Posted by jpops757

Will this be a cushion or a pro ride track. For furure conversions, will this move pro ride to the head of the class?

Looks like Cush-Ride.