What do people really think about the new polly track?

Question

and has the new track brought more luck or better schoolling to your old style of doing betting? thanks

Answer 1

i don't like the times.....but if it saves a race horse...then i will have

to adjust.....the good things is it takes longer to lose my bet.

Answer 2

Well, if it is safer for the horses I am all for it. I am hearing that times are slower on Poly than dirt, though. This has me wondering how new records will be handled. If someone breaks a world, country, or track record on Poly how comparable is that to the previous records set on dirt? Are there going to be asterisks next to horse names that set records on Poly similar to other sports where rules have been altered after previous records were set such as in baseball?

Answer 3

strictly speed handicappers hate it, it is a more 'fair' surface meaning closers and stalkers stand a better chance on the tiring surfaces, for many many years speed was king at Keenland, stats bore this out also, at all distances on the dirt surface posts 1-4 speed horses were winning at a disproportional rate...when the surface was changed last year horses coming from turf, and routes were winning at all distances on the poly, especially shortening up...there is a certain combination of moisture that keeps it firmer but as is the case with the Del Mar surface, those that installed it recommended that it not be watered, in the mornings it is firm and fairly fast, and by the afternoon it loosens up, and is tiring for front runners, causing a number of tote board bombs (huge price winners, exactas, trifectas,etc.) to land...one prominent owner with 30 head there (Del Mar) under Bob Baffert was disgusted with this and took his horses east, most to Saratoga where he already had 90 head or so...Baffert himself said he was not going to train well speed bred horses to sit off the pace just for one meet, that he would not run a lot of horses back this meet...that is just one good example of how the surfaces play, Andy Beyer, the speed guru is on record as saying (and posting a few pretty pointed articles )the new surfaces, if they arent speed favoring are ruining american racing (I never cared for Beyers number system it rarely if ever gives accurate gauges for closers against speed in races at all classes) but he is correct in saying that american tbs are bred for speed and stamina, rather than strictly for staying (distance) ... so the nice closers like Invasor was were rare but suited to the way the new surfaces play...the keenland surface has been made less closer favoring this past season, the Hollywood surface is still fast (cushion track) but gives stalkers some chance, deep closers a better chance but not necessarily 'fair', the Arlington poly surface is now pretty fair also giving more than speed horses a chance...the Del Mar track when dry and hot will give closers a chance, the Santa Anita surface will be like Hollywood I believe and Golden Gate fields will be getting 'tapeta' another synthetic surface compound, poly is in use at Woodbine, and Turfway and those surfaces when wet get more fair when wet so the characteristics are different than those of the cushion track surfaces, the above poster is correct in that horses with more stamina that can sit a trip, stalk or come off the pace will have some success so the racing does indeed look like european racing (where they go slow early and fast late, even on the lead) and jockeys with good timing and hands who can bring them late will get more play than just the 'gate' guys...one reason Garett Gomez is as successful now as he ever was, his Eddie D like timing... personally  I like it, because in the bay area during last fall's 3 month Bay Meadows meet 46 horses had to be put down, there were many at all the calif tracks...famous for fast times and hard surfaces...now with the new surfaces the horses are coming back healthy, that and with more 'fairness' to the track biases guys playing closers and stalkers like myself, are cashing nice tickets of not all favorites at all distances and class levels (imagine keenland going from speed to closers, we would box 4-5 closers in trifectas and superfecta tickets and cash like crazy, but realized that many of those horses that thrived on that surface would not be close on traditional dirt surfaces, and indeed many werent)...all that said, no, I havent changed the way I play races or handicap, I just like that speed only is not winning races and that the totes are more even, and the exotics pay better just like they should, I mean, who wants to sit at a track where 5 and 6 dollar horses win 80 percent of the races and exotic tickets dont return what you paid for them?

Answer 4

After reading many articles on the new Poly surfaces, most trainers seems to like the new surface. The jockeys seems to like how their mounts handle it also. And watching the horses on it sometimes they seems a bit curious to it. bouncing and hopping around on it.

As for me, the bettor, I like the Keeneland track, Of course I did manage to cash a few big tickets there.

SA seemed easy enough, and the new Delmar track.. egads!

Those races seem to  fall apart quiet easily.

Answer 5

Polytrack is just one brand of synthetic surface that is being installed at various tracks across the world.  We have used Polytrack at racecourses and gallops for years over here and it is far safer than regular "dirt".  The fact that fewer horses seem to be getting injured on this surface than on dirt in the States goes to show some of the benefits.

I know there are a few issues in places that experience quite extreme temperature fluctuations, but the safety of h**e and rider must be put first.

I could not comment whether the artificial surfaces have altered peoples riding style, but certainly over here it is very similar to riding on turf - so maybe your jocks will have to adapt to a more European style of riding.