Santa Anita at Hollywood

[Silver Charm]

A few years ago they ran the \"Hialeah at Gulfstream\" meet. Looks like we may be running a \"Santa Anita at Hollywood\" meet here soon.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/91081.html

Even the biggest advocates of the Synthetic Surface would have to admit the California Officials who mandated in their vote this immediately be put in and the Track Officials who are installing must have been directors in the movie \"Dumb and Dumber\". And since there is an Entertainment Industry strike going on maybe some Hollywood Directors are filing in for part-time help as track maintenance crews. Or maybe they are using the same crew who re-designed Gulfstream Park. Who knows??

The meet will open in 7 days. Opening Day (Dec 26th) at Santa Anita each year features some of the best horses in the world. Track Officials I am sure will be running to jockey\'s after every race in a scene similar to the movie Marathon Man when Dustin Hoffman was sitting in the Dentist chair and kept hearing the words,

\"Is it Safe\"?

You, me and every other handicapper and horse owner is essentially Hoffman in this case. Bet your money and run your horses at your own risk.

Santa Anita Track Officials will be shining the bright lamp and holding the drill when you answer...............

[fkach]

If it wasn\'t so obvious that rushing to do this at some of the most important tracks in America was brain dead, it wouldn\'t be so bad. If this was some obscure desperate track, the industry would have learned something and the risk would have made some sense.

[bobphilo]

I can\'t imagine a worse source of data than some obscure desperate track. If that\'s were where all the synthetic data were coming from, the poly-haters would be screaming. There is just no pleasing those set in not changing their ways.
 
While far from obscure, actually most of the tracks that have gone synthetic were desperate - desperate to reduce catastrophic injuries, and in this they have largely succeeded.

Fortunately we have a large and differing cross-sample of data from tracks that needed to change. Here is a large comprehensive and objective report from the Bloodhorse showing all views. A report that would have been impossible with data from some obscure track. I find the comments from the people who actually ride the surface - the jockeys - particularly enlightening.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/pdf/synthetic_surfaces_special_report_120807.pdf

Bob

[Silver Charm]

Bob,

Once again the point is being completely missed from the \"Don\'t criticize Polytrack cult\". The quote below is taken from page 10 of the report you linked, the one with the nice picture.

\"All synthetic surface tracks have extensive drainage systems\"

OK but in the case of Santa Anita it doesn\'t work.

The report boasts there are 800 horses in training out west. Training where, not at Santa Anita. The meet opens in five days and they still do not know if they have a safe race track or a race track at all.

You do not do a new product roll out without a proper testing and implementation program.

Unless of course you run a Race Track in California..................

[fkach]

>I can\'t imagine a worse source of data than some obscure desperate track. If that\'s were where all the synthetic data were coming from, the poly-haters would be screaming. There is just no pleasing those set in not changing their ways.<

This is simply not true.

There was nothing wrong with testing it out at Woodbine, Turfway and other tracks like that for a few years. I never heard a single complaint about using second tier tracks as the testing ground. That includes people that are against it in general. It was borderline insane to test it out SA, HOL, DMR and KEE because there was no more upside from testing it there than elsewhere but much larger downside of a variety of types if it failed.    

>While far from obscure, actually most of the tracks that have gone synthetic were desperate - desperate to reduce catastrophic injuries, and in this they have largely succeeded.<

Catastrophic break down rates need to be improved upon, but you don\'t have to start with and risk the preeminent tracks and meets in America to work towards that goal. That\'s what made it so obviously stupid.

In addition, aside from the problem of actually having a meet and being able to train out in CA now, the evidence on long term safety is still accumulating.

[Frank]

How dare you refer to Woodbine as a second tier track.

Frank

[Silver Charm]

The entries are drawn for Opening Day and the Card looks outstanding. Hopefully they have worked all the kinks out and can have a successful meet.

Clearly there were very few trainers shying away from the entry box. With 14 horses entered in the last three races two of them Stakes and one a Grade One, should make for some interesting Late Pick Three Tickets.

Good Luck to everybody. Hope your Holidays so far have been enjoyable and Merry Christmas to those share that faith.

[Silver Charm]

This was a fairly prescient call if I do say so myself.

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=42998

CHRB Chairman Richard Shapiros last comments remind me of the guys who built the Titanic.

Tickets on that ship were marketed as \"Unsinkable\"...............

[Michael D.]

Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This was a fairly prescient call if I do say so
> myself.
>
> http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=42998
>
> CHRB Chairman Richard Shapiros last comments
> remind me of the guys who built the Titanic.
>
> Tickets on that ship were marketed as
> \"Unsinkable\"...............


Silver,

this wasn\'t hard to predict (even for us guys who enjoy SOME synth racing). I wrote the following back in August:


Michael D. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> the \'08 BC will be run on synth at SA, then all
> dirt races will have to be taken with a grain of
> salt.
>
> this synth experiment, which has been an
> unqualified success so far, is going to run into
> major problems in the not so distant future. they
> have taken it way too far.

[TGJB]

By the way, Michael, the way Thompson looked last night, the boys in the back room  may have found their candidate. Which complicates things a bit.

[fkach]

If Thompson had any passion at all, he might make a pretty good candidate. He acts like a guy that\'s frustrated with the direction of the country, but only partially interested in having any power. It\'s almost as if he was talked into running and contributing to the discussion, but he would rather be doing something else. Other than the passion thing, he\'s the only major player I don\'t dislike a lot for some reason. (I love Paul because I\'m a huge fan of sound money and banking, the Austrian school of economics, Ludwig von Mises etc... and he\'s the only one with a clue on those subjects, but he\'s not viable)

I thought McCain did a good job on Meet the Press this morning defending his positions on the war. He has to win NH though.

After looking at the Iowa data, I think it\'s likely Huckabee is going nowhere fast. I read that In Iowa he got only 14% of the non-evangelical vote and has now gotten no bounce in NH. There aren\'t enough evangelicals to give him the nomination, just enough to hurt anyone that can\'t get many of them.

IMO, anything that throws the nomination further in chaos helps Rudy because he is geared up for the later states and needs for no one to break out from the pack between now and then to still be in a position to win. If Romney, Huckabee, and McCain split NH and SC, that would help Rudy. If one of them wins both, it might put him away for good.

The one thing I am certain of is that none of the others like Romney and it\'s personal, not just politics.

This is really a great race. Too bad it isn\'t a great race between great candidates. It\'s a non winner of 2 lifetime among equally matched bums)

[richiebee]

fkach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 
> This is really a great race. Too bad it isn\'t a
> great race between great candidates. It\'s a non
> winner of 2 lifetime among equally matched bums.

And too bad that like most Presidential elections of recent years, it
will not be a contest of divergent ideologies. Yes Michael D, the issues
are of course trade, taxes, Iraq,energy, health care, etc but sadly all candidates
who want to have any chance of holding a national office find themselves
centrifugally thrown towards a middle ground which the American
electorate finds palatable, resulting in, ultimately, the preservation of the
status quo.

Since the ideological differences among candidates will be barely perceptible,
the election to me comes to the character of the candidate. That explains my
character assassination of Rudy, which as Michael pointed out, was partially
ripped from the tabloids, although I prefer the New York Post (25 cents) and the
Village Voice (free) to the Daily News (50 cents).

(...and I forgot to mention RuGu\'s poorly concealed and utterly unprofessional
dalliance with his press secretary, Christine Lategano).

Bottom line on Rudy for me: He\'s done a miserable job with his own personal
life and his own family, why should I trust him with the future of my family and
our country?

Observation: Going back to the first year of George W. Bush\'s second term,2005,
you had the administration\'s mishandling of Katrina, you had the administrative
embarrassment over Bush\'s Weapons of Mass Deception, you had VP Cheney\'s
Halliburton continuing to profit from the ever increasing spillage of blood and
loss of life in the middle east. You had some of our traditional world allies
distancing themselves from the United States. You had a President
who seemed intellectually poorly prepared for some of the problems facing him.
You had an administration headed for record lows in terms of approval ratings.

Almost unbelievable that after all that, the Republicans have a decent chance
to return to the White House in January 09. Unbelievable that as the election
draws closer the Democratic Party will be increasingly fractionalized as
Hillary and Obama crank up the rhetoric.

I do not know what the alleged benefits of the primary system are, but my
opinion is that the Democratic Party, seeing how badly the Bush
misAdministration was tanking, would have selected a candidate then and there,
late in 05 early in 06,and began to rally around that candidate, to begin to
develop an agenda, to build some momentum for 2008...

[Michael D.]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fkach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>  
> > This is really a great race. Too bad it isn\'t a
> > great race between great candidates. It\'s a non
> > winner of 2 lifetime among equally matched
> bums.
>
> And too bad that like most Presidential elections
> of recent years, it
> will not be a contest of divergent ideologies. Yes
> Michael D, the issues
> are of course trade, taxes, Iraq,energy, health
> care, etc but sadly all candidates
> who want to have any chance of holding a national
> office find themselves
> centrifugally thrown towards a middle ground which
> the American
> electorate finds palatable, resulting in,
> ultimately, the preservation of the
> status quo.
>
> Since the ideological differences among candidates
> will be barely perceptible,
> the election to me comes to the character of the
> candidate. That explains my
> character assassination of Rudy, which as Michael
> pointed out, was partially
> ripped from the tabloids, although I prefer the
> New York Post (25 cents) and the
> Village Voice (free) to the Daily News (50
> cents).
>
> (...and I forgot to mention RuGu\'s poorly
> concealed and utterly unprofessional
> dalliance with his press secretary, Christine
> Lategano).
>
> Bottom line on Rudy for me: He\'s done a miserable
> job with his own personal
> life and his own family, why should I trust him
> with the future of my family and
> our country?
>
> Observation: Going back to the first year of
> George W. Bush\'s second term,2005,
> you had the administration\'s mishandling of
> Katrina, you had the administrative
> embarrassment over Bush\'s Weapons of Mass
> Deception, you had VP Cheney\'s
> Halliburton continuing to profit from the ever
> increasing spillage of blood and
> loss of life in the middle east. You had some of
> our traditional world allies
> distancing themselves from the United States. You
> had a President
> who seemed intellectually poorly prepared for some
> of the problems facing him.
> You had an administration headed for record lows
> in terms of approval ratings.
>
> Almost unbelievable that after all that, the
> Republicans have a decent chance
> to return to the White House in January 09.
> Unbelievable that as the election
> draws closer the Democratic Party will be
> increasingly fractionalized as
> Hillary and Obama crank up the rhetoric.
>
> I do not know what the alleged benefits of the
> primary system are, but my
> opinion is that the Democratic Party, seeing how
> badly the Bush
> misAdministration was tanking, would have selected
> a candidate then and there,
> late in 05 early in 06,and began to rally around
> that candidate, to begin to
> develop an agenda, to build some momentum for
> 2008...


fair enough Richie. you make some good points.

I like the sports section of the News. truth is, that rag, in today\'s society, might be a better political baromoter than CSPAN.

[Michael D.]

TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> By the way, Michael, the way Thompson looked last
> night, the boys in the back room  may have found
> their candidate. Which complicates things a bit.


he was very uninspiring tonight.

it\'s wide open.

can\'t fault the 10-1 grab on McCain though. he\'s still 3-1.

[TGJB]

Richie-- one more point, and the one that matters the most to me. Under Guliani, the city was in court (by memory) 22 times for freedom of speech cases. They lost 21 and tied one. That ain\'t the guy I want having insanely expanded Presidential powers.