Maybe PETA has a point ...

[MutuelClerk]

Walstib cost me last weekend. I blame Jerry.

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Yeah. But you know what that grass grows in? That's right. DIRT!

(I kid, I kid....)

actually a funny post

[Sheffwed]

shocker...

data!

doesn't Saratoga want Tapeta for rainy days alone? feels like half of summer meetings are rained off the turf, ending up with 4 horse fields on the slop

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.co...etic-surfaces/

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Sheffwed

shocker...

data!

doesn't Saratoga want Tapeta for rainy days alone? feels like half of summer meetings are rained off the turf, ending up with 4 horse fields on the slop

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.co...etic-surfaces/

PETA does not want Tapeta.

[cj]

Originally Posted by Sheffwed

shocker...

data!

doesn't Saratoga want Tapeta for rainy days alone? feels like half of summer meetings are rained off the turf, ending up with 4 horse fields on the slop

https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.co...etic-surfaces/

So the Woodbine CEO and the Woodbine leading trainer are promoting Tapeta. I'm shocked I tell you!

[Andy Asaro]

Del Mar is safest the last 3 years. Why? Because they repaired their base BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY there is intense pre race screening and Pet Scans and other diagnostic equipment is available in Southern California.

Tapeta Schmapeta

[The_Turf_Monster]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

Del Mar is safest the last 3 years. Why? Because they repaired their base BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY there is intense pre race screening and Pet Scans and other diagnostic equipment is available in Southern California.

Tapeta Schmapeta

I never thought I’d see the day when Andy and I would agree on something

Horses don’t just take bad steps, and unsound horses don’t breakdown. Identify the unsound horses prior to entering the starting gate and this problem largely disappears. California had its back against the wall and did this

[ubercapper]

Dr. Parkin recently stated that "IF" all regulatory vets had access to complete training and medication records, as is available in Hong Kong, the ability to use algorithms to scratch horses with a probability of suffering a fatal injury is estimated to be 80% (currently estimated to be 50%).


Make the trainers and private vets enter EVERYTHING into a database so the regulatory vets can make better decisions.

[Tom]

So if Del Mar does all this, why doesb't it work at Sar and CD?

THIS is why federal regulation of racing is needed.
If this technology is available and effective, no tracks should be allowed to operate without it. If they can't afford it, then close.

[azeri98]

Originally Posted by Andy Asaro

Del Mar is safest the last 3 years. Why? Because they repaired their base BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY there is intense pre race screening and Pet Scans and other diagnostic equipment is available in Southern California.

Tapeta Schmapeta

Agreed but they run less on dirt than other tracks do. Half their card is turf races, on firm turf. I don't think they have had much rain other than the hurricane that passed through and they didn't race that day. Also in California I don't believe they will even run on wet tracks anymore. I remember Santa Anita cancelling a few cards because of rain in the forecast, so there is that

[classhandicapper]

I want to be clear here I’m not arguing against better data collection, screening, vet care and long term track maintenance. But I will point out that the economics of the industry are terrible. It’s already in the ICU. It’s being kept alive with casino money.

The things we are discussing to save the sport cost a lot of money.

Where is it going to come from?

IMO that’s been the problem all along.

There are things that can be done to make the sport better, safer, and even try to make it grow. But most owners are losing their shirts, good trainers are dropping out, horseplayers are screaming about the track take, and many more in the industry would spontaneously combust without casino money. You need free cash to invest, we don’t have it, and it’s likely to get worse with costs rising and handle declining in inflation adjusted terms. I may be wrong and I may be the most repetitive guy here, but IMO huge costs have to be taken out of the system. There’s only one way to do that and it’s going to be painful for a lot of people.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by cj

So the Woodbine CEO and the Woodbine leading trainer are promoting Tapeta. I'm shocked I tell you!

and then one of the leading trainers at one of the synthetic tracks (i don't wish to name names), has a relative or son relatively new to training, that uses EPO and other PEDs so heavily that he overshadows a meet like Oaklawn where a dozen other trainers use EPO heavily. In those relatively limited meets his son wins more than Jason Servis or Bob Baffert has in most of their top all-time meets.

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by cj

So the Woodbine CEO and the Woodbine leading trainer are promoting Tapeta. I'm shocked I tell you!

Like you clearly infer with some well timed sarcasm, it makes sense that a leading Woodbine synth trainer would love a turn to synth (tradition be damned, varying satisfaction of customers be damned).

But if we look at Gulfstream Park; not only did they lie about using Synth strictly or even mainly as a weather solution, -they also clearly reflect performance enhancing trainers domination their synth performance.

Even Turfway is dominated by performance enhancing trainers, you just have to be able to understand things like pace and field size to see that.

[Robert Fischer]

who says i'm too old and slow to hit a triple (post)

well i do, and i probably should never post three in a row

but anyway; PETA does NOT WANT us to reduce breakdowns. They want to cancel the sport of horse racing, and euthanize most of the horses.

They don't care that we've reduced breakdowns and made racing safer.

They don't want us to introduce bone scans or whatever imaging technology to identify underlying issues. They don't want us to stop using steroids between races that clear in about 30 days. They don't want us to stop using undetectable EPO or for us to use the common sense and just start banning/suspending horses with ultra high red blood counts regardless of whether the quick metabolizing EPO is no longer in their system. They don't want us to stop the nerve blocks, or the frog venom. They don't want us to stop training with a buzzer or few the few magician/jockeys to stop racing with a buzzer.

PETA doesn't want Tapeta surfaces for when the dirt or turf is off.

They want to extort horse racing, ban horse racing, and euthanize most of the horses.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

I want to be clear here I’m not arguing against better data collection, screening, vet care and long term track maintenance. But I will point out that the economics of the industry are terrible. It’s already in the ICU. It’s being kept alive with casino money.

The things we are discussing to save the sport cost a lot of money.

Where is it going to come from?

IMO that’s been the problem all along.

There are things that can be done to make the sport better, safer, and even try to make it grow. But most owners are losing their shirts, good trainers are dropping out, horseplayers are screaming about the track take, and many more in the industry would spontaneously combust without casino money. You need free cash to invest, we don’t have it, and it’s likely to get worse with costs rising and handle declining in inflation adjusted terms. I may be wrong and I may be the most repetitive guy here, but IMO huge costs have to be taken out of the system. There’s only one way to do that and it’s going to be painful for a lot of people.

Then let them close.
Do we need more than a few tracks?
How about we pay for it out of the tidiculous putdr money some reacks pay out?
Put the onus for the horse's safety where it bellongs,
on the owners.