Santa Anita: hell in a handbasket

[bdw0617]

My gut told me, you know...."I know you love the winter santa anita meet, but just hold off for a ocuple of days at least to see how the track was playing"

let's backtrack a little. about a year and a half ago was it, everyone was complaining about how many breakdowns there were and how DIRT was the probem. yes DIRT. so CHRB mandates all tracks be synthetic tracks.

let's see... I actually kinda like hollywood. I would be lying otherwise... it's about as close to a real dirt race as you are gonna get. although ti's not better than the dirt hollywood park.


Del mar is a cluster@@@@. no other word to describe it.


but if the first 4 races at Santa Anita are any indication, it might end up being the worst F up of all.


Either over the last I dont' know wha.t. 48 hours, every trainer learned how to cut 3 seconds off his horses time, or the track is playing deally fast.


aren't fast times. these are times that make Santa Anita Dirt track look SLOW.

Race 1, 5 and a half furlongs maiden SW..

ho hum....TRACK RECORD... 1:02 and 1.


IN race 2, either i just saw the reincarnation of Ghostzapper in the vosbrough, or the track is playing stupid fast.. 7 furlongs in 1:20 and 1.

IN persecptive, DReam Rush won a grade 1 at belmont, and did it well, in 1:22 and 2. that's a grade 1 race. this is a non graded stakes.


we move on to a slow time, 6F MSW in 1:09


and in the 5th race we all know mid level claimers can run 6F in 1:08 and 3


Just stop. santa anita you can't mess with the track anymore. it went from fast, to faster to deathly fast every time you "tinker" with the track. unless you are uninstalling it, leave it alone. I'm frighted to see what else might become of your tinkering.

[NorthStar]

That about says it. Would only add: So much for messing with the warranty.

[Tiz]

Oh, geez, synthetics are NOT the answer! What a waste of money, and it sounds like, potentially, horses.

[bdw0617]

malibu was ran in 1:20 flat. makesno sense


why I love santa anita so much?


payout for malibu....

$1 Superfecta (5-8-10-7) Paid $120,856.50


No one in america comes close to what socal does in exotic wagering.

best..dolllar..spent..ever

[Georgerz]

What did exactly made today's card at Santa Anita "hell in a hand basket"?
Were there any catastrophic breakdowns? Were there any horses that did not finish the race? Did the jockeys complain that the track was awful?
Was the attendance too bad? Did the track show a marked bias?

[magic code]

1 winner was vanned off. No picture for those owners.

[bdw0617]

1 winner was vanned off. No picture for those owners.

which horse?

[Rokeby Forever]

1 winner was vanned off. No picture for those owners.

At least he won. The one that broke down today at Golden Gate didn't finish or earn anything.

[ageecee]

Buck the winner of the 6th race was vanned off. Right tendon injury he probably bowed..

[NorthStar]

The one that broke down today at Golden Gate didn't finish or earn anything.

What was the horse's name? Which race please?

Thank you.

[Hold Your Peace]

1 winner was vanned off. No picture for those owners.

That was in a grass race though and not on their new synthetic track,

[Rokeby Forever]

See Ageecee's comment, North Star.

Johnny Eves has never run in a stake - when did Grade 1 racing become a test of whether or not a horse could handle a surface? This is NOT what racing at the highest levels is meant to be.

[bdw0617]

See Ageecee's comment, North Star.

Johnny Eves has never run in a stake - when did Grade 1 racing become a test of whether or not a horse could handle a surface? This is NOT what racing at the highest levels is meant to be.

roke is 200% right.

Horse saftey is the most important issue ovbiusly. but a close second is the handicapability of the races. People seem to forget how horse racing actually makes it's bread and butter...BETTORS!!

I don't think it's any considence that hollywood park had the best revenue numbers of the last 3 meets, they have the most consistant playing track.

I have options as a bettor. dozens. from a handicapping perspective, the In summations and jhonny eves of hte world don't belong in grade 1 races, and winning a grade 1 race shouldn't be "okay, who is going ot take to the track"

del mar turned races into a race of onw who was actually the best horse, but of who had the most endurance. not the same

Santa Anita is doing the opposite. races are over at the half mile pole.

[NorthStar]

See Ageecee's comment, North Star.

Was inquiring as to the GG horse that you mentioned Rokeby.

Thanks again.

[Rokeby Forever]

This one today, North Star:
http://equibase.com/static/chart/pdf/GG122607USA7.pdf