Santa Anita cushion track

[Sysonby]

Has anyone noticed the times of the works for Arcadia Cushion as opposed to Inglewood cushion?

Here are the bullets at Santa Anita last Wednesday

3F Black Wolf :33.40
4F Double Action :45.20
5F Gray Black N White :57.00
6F Breakfastatbully's 1:10.60
7F Arson Squad 1:21.40

If that's how fast they work, how fast are they gonna run?

Same day across town at Hollywood

3F Earle's First Girl :35.60
4F Cousin Joe :46.80
5F Canteen :59.80
6F Why You Ask 1:12.60

Are we sure this is the same track?

[louis finochio]

I was told the uk crew used a different method to install the sa track, as they made a mistake at hp and corrected it at sa, all the tb are wrrking rapids.

when the tb go by cc you cant hear their feet rattle, its like graveyard quiet, shh.

[zinn21]

I am not concerned about the fast times as long as the track is safe and my contacts are telling me it is. They are, additionally not swimming on it like they do on PolyTrack.

IMO, the early polls are in-the cushion track is the winner of the Synthetic Derby.

[Tucumcari]

I agree Zinn. There have been a few injuries, but they are coming back pretty darn good from fast works, so as long as that continues....
The problem is that there are so many trainers not used training fast are getting rapid times, and I think that causes them some angst. it is sort of like 46 is the new 48... There ought to be a ton of "breezing" going on as exercise riders and jocks don't need to ask for much run to get alot of run. Again we have to reprogram people... at Del Mar we had to get used to slow times and how to translate that and now we have the opposite scenario.

[Rokeby Forever]

If these tracks aren't conducive to speed, why do guys train horses in :33 and :45? Why is there such tunnelvision with trainers out there?

[Tucumcari]

The cushion at Santa Anita might be... Honestly, You have to strangle one down to a high gallop to go in 48 or slower... It's really quite odd. They just skip, bounce, roll over the thing and are happy to do so!

[zinn21]

I believe the track returns energy to the horse with a spring like effect when the horse gallops.

[Tucumcari]

You are right. BUT if they keep screwing with it, there will be trouble!!! It already has some inconsistancies.... though it seems safe but rapid.

[Bunty Lawless]

A California Vet makes a statement over a year ago which is so true today.

AAEP Convention 2005: Lameness in Racehorses
by: Chad Mendell,
TheHorse.com Managing Editor
February 17 2006, Article # 6550

Inconsistencies in racetrack surfaces account for a large number of lamenesses in racehorses, said Jeff Blea, DVM, of the Southern California Equine Foundation in Arcadia, Calif., during the Lameness in Racehorses Forum held at the 51st Annual AAEP Convention, in Seattle, Wash., Dec. 3-7, 2005. "Even though they are at the same track, the consistency of the surface can change every day."

Blea said footing inconsistencies can strain and injure the horse's tendons. "If you go out jogging, you don't have any trouble jogging on grass or on asphalt," Blea explained. "But if you run along the curb, where grass and asphalt alternate, you'll have problems. Now add a layer of dirt on top of that so you can't see it and imagine what that does to your legs. That's what it feels like for these horses to run on an inconsistent track. Inconsistencies in track footing are what get horses hurt."

A member of the audience suggested the use of Polytrack surface (polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber, and silica sand covered in a wax coating) such as that recently installed at Turfway Park in Kentucky would solve the problem with less maintenance.

"The Polytrack is probably a good thing, but we just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of years," Blea said. "Remington (in Oklahoma City) used another type of Polytrack that consisted of silicon coated sand. At first, trainers loved it. But after the third year, they hated it. The silicon binders that coated the sand had begun to break down. It was like running on pure sand."

Blea said Turfway Park will provide a good test for the Polytrack surface this winter. He said it passed the initial test this fall because fewer horses were euthanatized due to injuries during the fall meet. The Polytrack was designed to allow optimal drainage to reduce track freezing, which can halt racing. Tracks such as Turfway can justify the footing's hefty price tag because it reduces the number of days lost to poor track conditions caused by the weather.

The downside to the Polytrack is that the manure and other organic materials must be removed after each race or it will become just as inconsistent as previous surfaces. At some tracks, ground-penetrating radar is being used to identify inconsistent densities in the footing to help provide a uniform racing surface. Blea said after watching the radar in action, he was surprised at the vast differences the radar showed in the track footing within a few feet. More... http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=6550

[Tucumcari]

Nice article Bunty.
There are some "shadows" on the track in certain spots where it just isn't the same level or mix as the rest.. from the 1/16th pole to about the 7/8 it is much deeper than anywhere else on the surface. It is interesting.
It is supposed to rain tonite I think, and I have always said water is a defining factor for a surface. Shows the good the bad and the ugly, so let it rain on our all weather surface and let's see how it holds up or what it shows.