POLYTRACK-THE FUTURE IS HERE

[high roller]

polytrack is going to be at a majority of tracks within 10 years.

especially at the small regional tracks.

# 1 its safer for the horses and jockeys, trainers are reporting that it is so much easier on the horses legs. less chance of an ugly breakdown and spill for the jock.

# 2 the NAME OF THE GAME IS KEEPING COSTS LOW \'(WALMART STYLE!). LESS WATER USED, LESS GAS FOR THE TRACKORS, LESS PERSONNEL TO UPKEEP THE TRACK, LESS MEDICAL BENEFITS ETC.  POLYTRACK ACCOMPLISHES ALL THIS.

DUTROWFAN, YOU BETTER BECOME AN EXPERT ON POLYTRACK OR YOU WILL BE A DINOSAUR.

p.s. tracks like belmont and saratoga will stay like they are. California will eventually go to it as too many horses are getting hurt out there.

[P.Eckhart]

These are the stats for \"made all\" winners at Lingfield since they went to polytrack in 2001...

Month | Winning front-runners | Total races | Percentage
 Oct  7  109  6.4%
 Nov  7  187  3.7%
 Dec  9  234  3.8%
 Jan  9  239  3.8%
 Feb  20  251  8.0%  
 Mar  17  171  10.0%
 Apr  8   81  9.9%


If you look at Nov-Jan, winning front runners plummet. This is thought to be due due to deeper harrowing. Grass front runners win at about 14%, so overall the Lingfield polytrack has been shown not to be favourable to front runners. This is almost entirely the opposite of what Lingfield was like under equitrack when it was a front runner\'s paradise.

Another stat which ties in is that compared to fibresand which was at Wolverhampton and still is at Southwell, the mean distance between first and last placed horses has nearly halfed on polytrack, ie horses are finishing much closer to each other and there are consequently tighter finishes.

[dutrowfan]

I disagree with the notion that Santa Anita will change its surface.  Stronach is a traditionalist when it comes to surfaces and has installed some pretty nice courses and tracks at Laurel and Gulfstream.  As long as he owns Santa Anita you can kiss that notion goodbye.  
I agree that at cheaper tracks where money needs to be saved that some will install it.  Its going to devalue the horses who run there though.  Agents used to comb Turfway for good buys.  Its now impossible in my opinion to buy a horse privately who has run there.  How the hell can you go to a client and ask him to pay money for a horse who you have no idea as to whether or not will run on traditional dirt tracks?  I think that the surface will always carry a stigma.  I highly doubt that the Breeders Cup commitee would ever be too keen in the next ten years to award the Cup to a track with this surface.  I also think that since CD will never switch to it that trainers who want to get to the triple crown races with horses will always want to run on a dirt surface rather than polytrack.  Then there is the problem of lack of off track experience for horses who race on these tracks exclusively.

[davidrex]

Dutrofan,
Last I heard that other cheap track in Kentucky was serious about putting in a fake track...of course I\'ve stopped patronizing the joint since they added a track announcer.

[bobphilo]

That stat about the mean distance between the winner and last place finisher being cut in half is highly significant. Sounds to me like the polytrack is a lot kinder to the horses legs so you have a lot less horses straggering home dozens of lengths behind in pain.

Bob

\"Another stat which ties in is that compared to fibresand which was at Wolverhampton and still is at Southwell, the mean distance between first and last placed horses has nearly halfed on polytrack, ie horses are finishing much closer to each other and there are consequently tighter finishes. \"

This could be race development issue like we see on turf.

Given that front runners are doing so terribly, the jocks would tend to get less aggressive early to improve their chances of winning. When everything is slowed down like that, the last part of the race is quicker and all the horses are relatively fresh. The margins would tend to be smaller because the better horses can only outrun the weaker ones by so much within that shorter period of time they are working harder. Also, with a less aggressive race, the weaker horses wouldn\'t be used up chasing the better horses early.  

[escovedo]

dutrowfan,

Worked a horse a few days ago at Turfway.  There was 55 horses that day that worked a half mile.  I don\'t think I\'ve seen that since we started racing there (called Latonia then) in 1985.

es

[NoCarolinaTony]

Hey Escovedo,

Tell us what is the kickback like from the polytrack? I know the Sept meet had some issues. Maybe its resolved now or the winter weather makes it different.

Tell us how its different from regular dirt in your opinion. Would be very interested.

NC Tony