Quote:
Originally Posted by davesnew
Ted,
What do you think polytracks pacelines do to Sartin Downs? Because poly isn't going away and limited at this point, would it be better to adjust pacelines to today's races? Whichever you choose it won't be easy.
Dave
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Polytrack may not be going away, but at this point it has shown no consistancy at all from track to track. Places like Woodbine have shown little effect, while tracks like Keeneland have had an extremely dramatic effect.
At no place do they seem to feel they've gotten it right, so I don't see how we can start making major adjustments to Sartin Downs or anywhere else.
My general feeling is that it is hard to get a start on, but if you don't use all your energy early, you can run forever. The main complaint I've heard from people who've followed it closely is a lack of consistency on each individual track.
I came up with equitrack at Remington Park in the late 80's and early 90's. It never did develop a consistent profile in the four or so years they raced on it. It didn't freeze in the winner, but formed ice crystals between the polyester chunks and got very skittish, so they had to cancel anyway. In the summer, it was lightning fast until it got too hot and turned into goo that stuck to the horses hooves. It turned out that it did not hold up that well over the increased use in this country and the temprature extremes and required considerably more expensive maintenance than a normal dirt surface and more frequent replacement.
Maybe they can make it work this time. I wish them luck. It also may still go away after awhile if it becomes more expensive and doesn't show consistent safety benefits. More people will look stupid this time, but bottom line is bottom line, and executives can be replaced.
Dick