santa anita's sunday card: 56 horses in 9 races

[dilanesp]

Yes some of it was the weather, but there actually weren't THAT many scratches.

A new low. If I had gone to the track yesterday, I would have just gone early and bet an eastern track.

[Andy Asaro]

They should have made a deal with Pomona Years ago instead of going to Los Alamitos which was always a temporary solution.

2000 Stalls, a mile extra wide turf course, with a dirt course inside the turf course, a state of the art Vet Clinic, and Equestrian Center which is a good idea and great public relations during the L.A. County Fair.

They could run 4 meets per year.

Unfortunately the those in charge seem to be preparing to go out of business instead of guaranteeing the future of California Racing.

It's only gonna get worse. IMO off a cliff in 2018

[dilanesp]

I honestly don't think that would have worked either.

The fundamental problem is that there isn't a market for year-round racing in Southern California, which results in low purses outside the Del Mar summer meet, which then results in fewer entries, and produces a vicious cycle.

Hollywood Park was dying the last few years. Whatever track took over the Hollywood Park dates, especially the worst ones in December, was going to do terrible with them.

The only plausible solution is one the late Tim Osterman proposed in the Racing Digest a number of years back-- one circuit, just like there was in California until the 1960's. Run Golden Gate when Santa Anita and Del Mar don't run. That will increase attendance at all three tracks (because racing will no longer be oversaturated in Southern California, and Golden Gate will have a better product in Northern California), and it will increase field sizes and purses which will result in better product and, hopefully, better handle.

The horsemen hate this, but then, the horsemen are horse racing's equivalent of the City officials in "Jaws" who just want to keep the beaches open no matter how many people get eaten by sharks.

My fear is that the Santa Anita product gets so bad that Santa Anita becomes unprofitable. In the nightmare scenario Stronach decides to close the track, and since Los Al is always going to be a joke, that's going to leave us with no major league racing at all in Los Angeles.

At any rate, for all the shade I throw on NYRA on this board, compared to my local track, NYRA is paragon of success and forward thinking right now.

[SuperPickle]

So I know Los Al isn't till July but my obvious question is if Santa Anita is THIS bad what will Los Al look like? Will it essentially be a slightly better version of their night card?

[dilanesp]

So I know Los Al isn't till July but my obvious question is if Santa Anita is THIS bad what will Los Al look like? Will it essentially be a slightly better version of their night card?

Match races?

See two $20,000 maiden claimers duke it out, mano a mano!

[dasch]

There were 72 running until scratches or an average of 8 per race.

22% scratched after 2 races coming off the turf and the track being off.

Where is this any different from ANYWHERE else?

[WalkingL]

There were 72 running until scratches or an average of 8 per race.

22% scratched after 2 races coming off the turf and the track being off.

Where is this any different from ANYWHERE else?

Facts - they always get in the way of a good rant using scary characterizations

[dilanesp]

There were 72 running until scratches or an average of 8 per race.

22% scratched after 2 races coming off the turf and the track being off.

Where is this any different from ANYWHERE else?

For one thing it was a Sunday, when SA usually has more entries, not a Thursday.

[dasch]

Yes it was a SUNDAY and ALSO the day after they carded 11 races for Kentucky Derby day with a well known horse shortage problem in California.

There are many problems in horse racing but having an average of 8 horses in 9 races entered and then 16 scratches after inclement weather isn't even close to one of them.

[forced89]

I know the powers to be in California won't let it happen but I sure like the Oaklawn Park setup. Race meet of about 90 days; great Stakes schedule; great crowds; great purses; and full fields (most are 12 horses). California could probably do it with 120 days in Southern California and 120 days in Northern California.

[biggestal99]

There were 72 running until scratches or an average of 8 per race.

22% scratched after 2 races coming off the turf and the track being off.

Where is this any different from ANYWHERE else?

when they had Synthetics at SA, there were not as many scratches.

so to answer your question

Woodbine.

Allan

[dilanesp]

when they had Synthetics at SA, there were not as many scratches.

so to answer your question

Woodbine.

Allan

I'm a defender of synthetics, and think they will come back, but I will say this-- they never worked in bad weather at Santa Anita. Nobody knows the reason why, but every time it rained the synthetic track didn't absorb the moisture and it left the track as a bog that was impossible to run on. Santa Anita was literally the only track that had this problem, and it continued to have it even after they installed Cushion Track, which had been excellent over at Hollywood Park.

This is probably, actually, the biggest thing that caused the retrenchment of synthetics in the US. It wasn't because horseplayers didn't like them-- California still got plenty of betting handle and since when do tracks care what horseplayers think? It wasn't because of horsemen either-- in fact, a lot of horsemen liked synthetics, they just weren't as vocal as the dissenters.

Had Santa Anita had a synthetic track that worked, the track would have continued getting Breeders' Cups on synthetic surfaces (the BC brass is not anti-synthetic and in fact may hold another one at Woodbine in the future), and that would have kept the whole project viable. The failure of synthetics at Santa Anita was a huge blow to the whole project.

[Andy Asaro]

I'm a defender of synthetics, and think they will come back, but I will say this-- they never worked in bad weather at Santa Anita. Nobody knows the reason why, but every time it rained the synthetic track didn't absorb the moisture and it left the track as a bog that was impossible to run on. Santa Anita was literally the only track that had this problem, and it continued to have it even after they installed Cushion Track, which had been excellent over at Hollywood Park.

This is probably, actually, the biggest thing that caused the retrenchment of synthetics in the US. It wasn't because horseplayers didn't like them-- California still got plenty of betting handle and since when do tracks care what horseplayers think? It wasn't because of horsemen either-- in fact, a lot of horsemen liked synthetics, they just weren't as vocal as the dissenters.

Had Santa Anita had a synthetic track that worked, the track would have continued getting Breeders' Cups on synthetic surfaces (the BC brass is not anti-synthetic and in fact may hold another one at Woodbine in the future), and that would have kept the whole project viable. The failure of synthetics at Santa Anita was a huge blow to the whole project.
They had different synthetic surfaces put in at H.P. , S.A., and Del Mar. The mandate was a fiasco from the start. Nobody knew how to maintain them and the base at Santa Anita didn't drain. It comes down to cost. They cost more to build and maintain and they wear out, especially with a lot of traffic. Word is that some serious commissions were paid out on each surface. I have no proof but I believe it.

[dilanesp]

They had different synthetic surfaces put in at H.P. , S.A., and Del Mar. The mandate was a fiasco from the start. Nobody knew how to maintain them and the base at Santa Anita didn't drain. It comes down to cost. They cost more to build and maintain and they wear out, especially with a lot of traffic. Word is that some serious commissions were paid out on each surface. I have no proof but I believe it.

Hollywood's and GGF's worked fine, and Del Mar needed one fix- and a ton of horses have died at DMR because they took it out.

[anotherCAfan]

Cushion track at Hollywood Park worked very well. They may have been adding more dirt towards the end?

[Andy Asaro]

Cushion track at Hollywood Park worked very well. They may have been adding more dirt towards the end?

They used to take samples every month and have them analyzed. As they get older all sorts of organic material and other material ends up in it. It was the best of them all by far.