all decide to go back to dirt surfaces. The latest step taken by another of the synthetic users to ensure a safe racing surface.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/104708.html

New tool slows times on Polytrack
By Marcus Hersh
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Well into its third season, Arlington Park's Polytrack era has unfolded with far fewer problems than at many racetracks converted from dirt to synthetic surfaces. But, bowing to the reality of a surface that had become firmer and faster than many horsemen preferred, Arlington has purchased and implemented a new piece of maintenance equipment. The device, called a cultivator, arrived at Arlington on June 3, and appears to have slowed the Polytrack, especially during morning workouts.

Arlington learned of the cultivator through former trackman Javier Barajas's ties to Irwin Driedger, the track superintendent at Woodbine Race Course, which also has a Polytrack main track and began utilizing a cultivator this year. The instrument is pulled behind a tractor like typical harrows, but the tines that dig into the surface are S-shaped rather than straight.

"With the regular straight tines, the surface sometimes sticks and gets dragged along," said Arlington vice president of facilities and operations Tony Petrillo, the track's administrative-side point-man on the new equipment. "With this, if it sticks, it gives and lets go. The tines move the surface in a wave direction and turn it over. There's more air underneath it, and more fluff."

Ricky Malagon, Arlington's synthetic-track superintendent, traveled to Woodbine and worked the track there with the cultivator for two days before the device arrived at Arlington. Malagon grooms the track with the cultivator every evening, the teeth going four inches into the surface. Once this task is completed, Malagon and the Arlington crew pass over the surface with the gallop-master, the device Arlington personnel have used to groom the Polytrack since its installation. Power harrows, a third piece of equipment that more thoroughly turns over the surface, still are being used on the main track each Wednesday.

"Horsemen say they've seen an improvement," Petrillo said. "The workout times are more realistic."

Tuesday, for instance, only three of 25 horses working a half-mile were timed in faster than 48 seconds, and none of the 16 five-furlong workers broke 1:00. Throughout much of May, horses were routinely working sub-47-second half-miles, and going five-eighths in less than a minute.

"All I know is my assistant Rob [Dobbs] told me the other day it was fluffed up more and it was softer, and the horses weren't jarring as much," said trainer Christine Janks, who has been critical of the Polytrack here in the past.

Trainer Chris Block, who trains horses for Arlington chairman Dick Duchossois, had been very concerned with how fast the surface had become during morning work in May, and said he had immediately seen improvement with the arrival of the cultivator. Block said he believes there's a strong correlation between cool, damp mornings (of which Arlington has seen many this year) and fast Polytrack times, and said Arlington will have to be judicious in its use of the cultivator as morning temperatures increase through the summer.

"I think they have to be careful when it starts staying warmer overnight," Block said. "But they're trying 110 percent to try and do what's right. It was too fast, and Arlington knew it."

Giant Oak goes nice and slow

The Block-trained Giant Oak posted some sizzling Polytrack works earlier this meet. Saturday, he was timed in a pedestrian 1:03.80 for five furlongs. Part of that was the slower surface, but mainly, it was Block telling jockey Eddie Razo "to go as easy as he possibly could without walking around there."

Giant Oak now has breezed twice since he impressively won the Arlington Classic last month, his first turf start as a 3-year-old. Giant Oak, who worked by himself on Saturday, remains on target for the American Derby here July 11.

Can you imagine of this much time, money, and effort was spent on their dirt surface?

If they did all that, they'd probably have a much improved dirt surface. That's the key Andy, is just maintain natural dirt. One wonders why the horseplayers are mostly dissatisified with these garbage synthetics. I can't imagine the horsemen themselves are any happier.

"I LIKE DIRT", Call me old fashioned, whatever. Horses were not meant to run on Playground surfaces.

You Know what Another Case of Have Your Cake and eat It Too

The Whole Polytrack deal was to SAVe Horses LIVES , A subject that Regularly Discussed in Here as Being Important

Did Anyone think it was Going to Be exactly Like Dirt ?

Thats Like Saying Playing Footbal on Astroturf willl Be the Same

Here is the Deal and Honestly More time to Evaluate is Needed

If it Shows , long Term at Percentages of Horses Euthanized on Poly is Dramitically Lower The We Learn To live With It . So it Slows Down The Race so what if It Saves Injury or Life.

If It Don't Then Shitcan It .

Lets Face it None of us Purist Liked AstroTurf , Designated Hitters , Camera Review of Plays , 3 Point Shooting in the Beginning . We have Learned to Live with It and Often Its added a Nice Touch

Give it a Chance to Do what they Say it Does and To Me APPLUAD the Folks who Risk It because they want to Protect Horses . These Gutsy Folks Should Get our respect instead of Slapped

just One Mans Opinion.

horse racing itself is a venture that is risky to the horses and humans involved. Unfortunately, there will always be situations that arise regardless of the surfaces they run on. But they pitched synthetics as the miracle panacea and marketed it as the cure all to breakdowns.

WE applaud the effort to minimize the injuries/fatalities that occur during a race meet. But the rush to change surfaces clearly appears foolhardy at this point with the issues that have come up since then. Out in California, they've had problems with the surface(s) during hot weather and not handling water during various points. Turfway has experienced issues at times during the winter and handling extreme cold. Now Arlington is reporting these problems.

If the industry is really sincere to make racing as safe as possible, in addition to providing safe surfaces they need to roll back the clock to the time of no race day medications and deemphasize speed during the breeding process. As to your point of slowing down the races, I also agree with that as it seems during every event day of racing, times become ridculously fast as the practice seems to "speed up" the surfaces. I would even criticize NYRA for doing so on Belmont Day but the track had taken on so much water, (rain), leading up to the days races that the surface when finally cut open had become so tight that it appears it may have just been the function of the environmental circumstances rather than manipulation by track personnel. Besides, no one has complained of the surface either then or now. (Remember how Todd pitched a fit after the Fla. Derby with that surface).