Woodbine decided to go with tapeta in switch

[cutchemist42]

Thoughts?

[Zaf]

Seems to have held up very well at PID and GG. Probably the artificial surface with the best track record.

Z

[v j stauffer]

I'm a big fan of Tapeta. Works very well at GGF.

[Some_One]

I don't think there is anything really wrong with poly other then for some reason it's no good in warm weather climates.

[outofthebox]

This makes Michael Dickonson a very happy man...

[Tom]

I thought there current track was great.
Not going to be my #1 track with a surface switch.

[RacingFan1992]

And what's wrong with dirt?

[satrabyk]

Originally Posted by RacingFan1992

And what's wrong with dirt?

That would make too much sense or should I say cents. They refuse to acknowledge the fact that many large bettors have no interest betting races on artificial surfaces........ WHAT IDIOTS !!!!!!

[letswastemoney]

There's nothing wrong with Tapeta, but the same kind of horses run on turf and synthetic. It starts to get repetitive seeing turf style races throughout the entire card.

[Some_One]

Originally Posted by satrabyk

That would make too much sense or should I say cents. They refuse to acknowledge the fact that many large bettors have no interest betting races on artificial surfaces........ WHAT IDIOTS !!!!!!

How much did handle rise at the Keeneland fall meet last year? Their first with dirt.

[Frost king]

The handle declined at Keeneland by 12%, since installing the dirt. The only advantage about poly, is that field size is not decimated, when they are off the turf or when the main comes up sloppy. It is all about field size, and Woodbine has run all the studies for everybody else in the industry to copy.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by satrabyk

That would make too much sense or should I say cents. They refuse to acknowledge the fact that many large bettors have no interest betting races on artificial surfaces........ WHAT IDIOTS !!!!!!

They already have an artificial surface, so why would switching to a different one make a difference? Woodbine has been quite successful with polytrack and it certainly hasn't hurt their handle or their field size. They're 15th in field size, but keep in mind that some of those tracks ahead of them run all-turf meets or are in temperate climates. For that matter, Turfway is 5th in field size and they have an artificial surface too. Woodbine runs a very long meet in Canada, not a summer meet in balmy temperatures. If there's anyplace that an artificial surface makes sense, it's there.

[Tom]

I prefer WOs current poly surface to any dirt track, bar none.

[dilanesp]

Originally Posted by RacingFan1992

And what's wrong with dirt?

Not as safe. Not as consistent. Harder to maintain Gets muddy when it rains. Less attractive for turf horses and Euro shippers.

I mean, it isn't as though the reasons why tracks shifted from dirt to Poly in the first place have gone away. Long term, you can look at what has happened in track and field and football, and one has to think that eventually the surfaces are going to get better and better and slowly replace dirt at a lot of tracks.

[SandyW]

Originally Posted by dilanesp

Not as safe. Not as consistent. Harder to maintain Gets muddy when it rains. Less attractive for turf horses and Euro shippers.

I mean, it isn't as though the reasons why tracks shifted from dirt to Poly in the first place have gone away. Long term, you can look at what has happened in track and field and football, and one has to think that eventually the surfaces are going to get better and better and slowly replace dirt at a lot of tracks.

We have gone down that road before and it was a big failure. I don't see the tracks that switched back to dirt ever thinking about going the artifical route again.