Synthetics Are Out

Santa Anita announced that the track will no longer be synthetic as of the first week of December. After encountering problems with rocks from the base making their way to the surface of the rack, as well as facing endless drainage problems, the dirt surface will be making a comeback.

I'm sure many people are going to be happy about this switch, and hopefully "PolyZen" as some people call the mighty mare, will be just as formidable on her home track after the change.

If the maintenance of these synthetic surfaces is as hard as they seem to be, perhaps this change is for the better. I know the jockeys have had issues with these new surfaces, saying they don't provide the "bounce" that a dirt track does, meaning, if the jockey falls off it's like hitting cement. So, for track maintenance workers as well as the jockeys, this is a good change. Hopefully, the horses will continue to run well on dirt and the number of breakdowns will stay down.
For more details on the track change, check out: Santa Anita Track to go to Dirt