Casse removing horses from Delmar

[Grits]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/93678/casse-decides-not-to-finish-out-del-mar-meet

While some are quite pleased Delmar's gone back to dirt. Casse prefers synthetic, particularly Woodbine where he leads the trainer standings.

Obviously, trainers are difficult to please, all of the time. ;)

[cj]

He better win at Woodbine because synthetic tracks are going the way of the dinosaur. (as many here predicted long ago)

[Grits]

Preferring synthetic or not? He's had some bad bad luck with breakdowns this Spring, in his barn. Maybe that's buggin' him, too. ;)

[SuperPickle]

He better win at Woodbine because synthetic tracks are going the way of the dinosaur. (as many here predicted long ago)

I think you're exaggerating sightly. I think they've kind of stabilized. Woodbine is buying a new surface. Turfway isn't changing. Either is PID.

In terms of Golden Gate and Arlington I think both are more likely to go away given the price of real estate prices in Chicago and San Fran than change their surface.

So while they ain't growing I don't think they're shrinking near term.

[ebcorde]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/93678/casse-decides-not-to-finish-out-del-mar-meet

While some are quite pleased Delmar's gone back to dirt. Casse prefers synthetic, particularly Woodbine where he leads the trainer standings.

Obviously, trainers are difficult to please, all of the time. ;)

I'm not keeping track but I'd bet the closers are not doing well this meet. I have not played delmar in 2 weeks, back then I noticed the front half
were winning most of the races. I expect Zayat to bring some Horses back now.

[cj]

I think you're exaggerating sightly. I think they've kind of stabilized. Woodbine is buying a new surface. Turfway isn't changing. Either is PID.

In terms of Golden Gate and Arlington I think both are more likely to go away given the price of real estate prices in Chicago and San Fran than change their surface.

So while they ain't growing I don't think they're shrinking near term.

I should have been clearer...top level racing it is going the way of the dinosaur. Outside of Woodbine, those other tracks...meh. And even Woodbine's biggest races are turf contests.

Are there any G1 races left on synthetics? I guess the Masters at PID is a G1. It wasn't long ago we had Santa Anita, Hollywood, Del Mar, and Keeneland all running top graded races on synthetics.

[cj]

I'm not keeping track but I'd bet the closers are not doing well this meet. I have not played delmar in 2 weeks, back then I noticed the front half
were winning most of the races. I expect Zayat to bring some Horses back now.

Dmr has had one card the entire meet where TimeformUS has the track coded as speed favoring. Five have been coded as favoring off pace types, but four of those were early in the meet. It has been as fair a racetrack as you will find since August rolled around.

[SuperPickle]

Dmr has had one card the entire meet where TimeformUS has the track coded as speed favoring. Five have been coded as favoring off pace types, but four of those were early in the meet. It has been as fair a racetrack as you will find since August rolled around.

It's been the definition of a fair track.

The "hidden" bias is shippers seem to struggle on it. Horses that train at Santa Anita or other places seem at a disadvantage over Del Mar based horses.

[classhandicapper]

I think there should be at least one synthetic track that runs some stakes. There are some horses that are clearly better on synth than they are on either dirt or turf. As long as the surface is safe, can be maintained for a similar cost, and people bet on the races, I don't see much downside in giving those horses a home on it.

[dilanesp]

The history of synthetic surfaces in every other sport, as well as fatality statistics, suggests that synthetics will have another boom.

[Fager Fan]

Synthetics are dead. Michael Dickonson is even returning to training because he can't make a living selling the stuff anymore.

[dasch]

Dmr has had one card the entire meet where TimeformUS has the track coded as speed favoring. Five have been coded as favoring off pace types, but four of those were early in the meet. It has been as fair a racetrack as you will find since August rolled around.


Maybe there have only been a few strong obvious biases which would make you color code the day but the surface most of the time has been anything but fair. The biases pop up all over and there was even an article last Monday in the San Diego Tribune where the track maintenance super said the track is holding moisture in some places and not in others and he doesnt know why.