PAULICK REPORT FORUM brought to you by Breeders’ Cup: A SYNTHETIC WORLD CUP
By Ray Paulick
Michael Dickinson’s interest in racing surfaces first took root in the mid-1970s when he spent two summers at Ballydoyle in Ireland, working with his mentor, the late Vincent O’Brien, the legendary Irish trainer. “He started the all-weather gallops,” Dickinson said of O’Brien. “Before that, everyone (in Europe) trained on grass or sand. He invented the modern all-weather gallops and ignited my passion for surfaces.”
Dickinson came to the United States in 1987 and opened a public stable, but his interest in track surfaces was only heightened. He began researching new surfaces in 1992, and four years later installed the first Tapeta track at his farm and training center located on the north end of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. “We had eight Grade 1 winners come off that farm in the first eight years,” Dickinson reminded me.
As an increasing number of racetracks and training centers began exploring the possibility of installing synthetic surfaces, Dickinson formed Tapeta Footings and eventually gave up training in 2007 to focus on this new business. Golden Gate Fields in Northern California and Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania installed a Tapeta main track, but the crown jewel for Tapeta was the recently completed Meydan in the United Arab Emirates. Meydan opened earlier this year and last weekend hosted the world’s richest race, the $10-million Dubai World Cup, won by Gloria de Campeao.
Upon his return from the World Cup, Dickinson spoke with the Paulick Report about Tapeta’s performance in Dubai and on the subject of synthetic surfaces in general.
Are you satisfied with the performance of Tapeta Footings during the inaugural Meydan race meeting, and in particular for the Dubai World Cup program?
Yes, but I don’t get a vote. The international jockey colony at Meydan including Ramon Dominguez, Kent Desormeaux, Frankie Dettori, and Garrett Gomez loved the surface. I was at the track almost every morning and no trainers complained and in fact several have asked about installing a Tapeta track in their own country. With world-class horsemen, they expect and deserve the best surface.
It’s my understanding there was one horse, Timely Jazz, who was pulled up during the UAE Derby. What type of injury did he suffer, and did his jockey or trainer point to the racetrack as a factor?
Timely Jazz suffered a fracture of his near foreleg. I spoke to the trainer after the race and he did not blame the track in any way. In fact, he has asked me to look into the viability of installing a Tapeta track in his homeland of Scandinavia.
Was the heat on Dubai World Cup night worse than during the rest of the meeting, and did that affect the surface’s performance or maintenance requirements?
Dubai is a great climate for horses in winter, though I believe this was the hottest World Cup on record, and the Tapeta surface performed well. By 3 p.m., the ambient temperature had reached 106 degrees and was still 87 degrees by 9 p.m. By comparison, the normal high for that time of year is 88 degrees. However, the heat did not affect the racetrack. The jockeys and the times of the races confirm that the track performed exactly as it had done throughout February and March. I promised the trainers and jockeys they would have the same track every morning and the very same track every night. We did have to adjust our maintenance slightly on World Cup night to allow for the heat but this was no big deal.
Are the ingredients of the surface at Meydan essentially the same as the Tapeta Footings tracks at Golden Gate Fields and Presque Isle Downs?
Not exactly. Tapeta Footings has continued to improve our ingredients and refine our production process. I head our R & D division at Tapeta and we have three professors as consultants. We feel that the Tapeta tracks have improved every year and we know that the tracks for 2010-‘11 will be even better. Joan Wakefield and her crew do all the mixing and they felt when they mixed the track for Meydan, it was the best we have done so far.
How do you respond to critics, such as Daily Racing Form publisher Steven Crist, who said the Dubai World Cup was a “$10-million advertisement for how synthetic surfaces can make a complete mess of so-called world-class championship racing”?
The Dubai World Cup was no surprise to me. The results on World Cup night showed most races were quite formful. During the Carnival 37% of the favorites won, but, bear in mind, most of the races had 14 runners. A couple of the well-fancied horses in the World Cup had issues before the race that were unrelated to the track surface.
Handicappers from other parts of the world have made adjustments, and with much success. I have been corresponding with several big-time gamblers in the UK who have been very successful betting and making money during the Carnival and on World Cup night.
Some of the American handicappers have been reluctant to change. If they are losing, maybe they should look at their own method of handicapping rather than blaming the surface.
In the UAE Derby, the favorites ran 1-2-3, while in the Golden Shaheen, the second and third choices ran 1-2. As for the World Cup, the highly touted Gio Ponti had run Beyer Figures of 99, 110 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and 99 in his previous three starts. There are some people who feel that since the Quality Road episode at the start of the Breeders’ Cup, Gio Ponti has been very nervous in the gate. He was well trained by my good friend, Christophe Clement, but, given the travel involved, a horse with such a figure pattern might not approach his "top" is hardly surprising.
In the prep race three weeks earlier at Meydan, a length separated three horses. The same three horses ran 1-2-3 in the World Cup and were a head and nose apart. Gitano Hernando and Richard’s Kid ran almost identical to the Goodwood at Santa Anita last October. Given that there were 14 starters in each of the races and horses do not run in lanes, these horses ran to the near accuracy of a Swiss clock.
The UAE Derby was very formful.
The Golden Shaheen was formful.
The Godolphin Mile was quite formful.
You are obviously a proponent of these surfaces, particularly Tapeta. Why should the rest of the racing industry embrace them as you have?
The number one concern for people involved in the sport should be the safety of the precious horses and brave jockeys. An important aspect is the welfare of the horse and I passionately believe that a good Tapeta surface enhances horse welfare. In three years of morning training at Presque Isle Downs, we have not had the ambulance out once. The fatality rate of 0.7 per 1,000 is over 300% better than dirt.
Haven’t synthetic or engineered surfaces such as Tapeta changed how races are run and made them less formful?
After safety, the goal at Meydan was to produce a level playing field. If someone had a front runner and someone had a deep closer, we would like to think they had an equal chance. We have had all the races analyzed by several experienced handicappers who have all confirmed that there has been no bias. There has been no rail bias: horses have been winning from all draws.
Surely the most hardened bettors can’t object to a level playing field. We want the best horse to win. What’s wrong with handicapping the horses and not handicapping the track?
Walter Glynn, the senior Raceform chart maker, has noted that the Tapeta at Meydan had no bias, was very fair and was as good if not fairer than any turf track.
For the entire Carnival:
-21 winners were forwardly placed
-12 came from mid pack
-19 were closers.
There seems to be strong momentum in California, at least among trainers, to replace Santa Anita’s hybrid Pro-Ride/Cushion Track with conventional dirt. Are we looking at the end of synthetic tracks in the United States?
I hope not. I accept that some of the synthetics in the U.S.A. are less than perfect but the synthetics in a year or two will be much improved and vastly better than dirt.
Why was there a move to synthetics in the first place? People have short memories. Was it because two horses were dying every day on American racetracks? Or was it that the modern American dirt horse cannot perform without a shed load of drugs? Thirty years ago, there was little medication. Twenty-five years ago marked the introduction of permitted medication, but 10 years later the horses were requiring more medication, and today they need even more drugs to keep them racing. Surely, you have seen other sports tainted by drugs which have lost their public appeal. The rest of the world can conduct racing with zero medication and they cannot understand why Americans use so many drugs.
I don’t expect any new synthetic tracks in the U.S.A. this year, but once people have seen the new generation of synthetic tracks, I would hope they would reconsider. Not everybody in the United States loves synthetics, but the rest of the world does.
Why do you think the issue has become so polarizing in the U.S., especially among many horseplayers, who are almost militant in their opposition to these tracks?
If all the tracks were as fair, reliable and as unbiased as Meydan the handicappers would not have a problem.
Will Tapeta remain the main track surface at Meydan, and will we see additional international venues include synthetic tracks as one of the surfaces offered for racing?
I cannot answer this question; you will have to ask Sheikh Mohammed, Saeed al Tayer and Frank Gabriel.
During the last several weeks there were many racetrack executives from all around the world visiting Meydan. They spent time watching the racing and talking to jockeys and trainers. As a result, we have had several inquiries to install a Tapeta surface in their country.
The U.S.A. is the only major racing nation that races on dirt, and their horses are brilliant. In the 2008 Golden Shaheen, raced on dirt, Americans ran first through fifth, and have dominated in the Dubai World Cup on dirt. In the past, Americans shipped with confidence because they only had themselves to beat, but now it is not so easy.
In the Gulf News of Dubai, sports editor Daniel Hicks wrote, “Dubai is not here to replicate perfect conditions for America to scoop all the prizes. It is about bringing the best from all over the world to compete–on a surface fair to all.”
The eight races on World Cup night were won by seven different nations.
In the UAE there are two dirt tracks, Jebel Ali and Sharjah, and the dirt horses from these two tracks that ran on Tapeta during the Carnival reproduced their best figures.
I would love to see some American dirt horses come over next year. If your horses are good enough, they have nothing to fear.
Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report
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Tags: Breeders' Cup, Chesapeake Bay, dubai world cup, frankie dettori, garrett gomez, Gloria de Campeao, golden gate fields, kent desormeaux, Meydan, michael dickinson, Paulick Report, Paulick Report Forum, presque isle downs, ramon dominguez, Ray Paulick, tapeta, Vincent O'Brien
April 2nd, 2010 at 3:14 am
Well said!
A minor point is that Arthur Thomas training near Warwick had the first All Weather gallop. It was made from the oiled sand from the foundrys in the “Black Country”. Irish trainer Paddy Sleator’s horses often stayed with Arthur Thomas in the depths of winter if they were aimed at big races in England.
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:22 am
I am a great fan of Michael’s and of Tapeta. The recent study which showed we had twice or three times the number of break-downs in this country than in other major racing nations underscores the need for great synthetic tracks and Michael, having excelled in all aspects of training and preparation, knows well the horse and its tolerances.
Change is painful to this ‘industry’ and it is especially so when you have the mish mash of regulation, warring alphabets and at least one irrational major track owner thrown into the mix.
Santa Anita has become the poster child for stupidity in synthetics and that is coloring many fans’ attitude toward synthetics generally - and that is unfortunate. Santa Anita’s synthetic track was, the evidence suggests, improperly installed, possibly because someone inadvisedly scrimped on the under-cushion. Now the naysayers led by a couple of prominent scribes of questionable handicapping ability are trumpeting Santa Anita as proof that synthetics have failed in this country. For the future of our sport and the safety of the animal and rider, I hope they are proven wrong in damning what is increasingly becoming the surface of choice round the world.
Michael is correct on medication, as well. It is absolute bunkum to suggest that the frequent use of drugs in this country has not weakened the breed and is not masking injuries which have contributed to the number of break-downs which, in turn, have endangered riders, exposed the industry to ridicule and contempt and endangered its future. My personal opinion is that we are leaving ourselves open to enormous peril in failing to act humanely in regard to medication and the safety of the animal. At some point we have to bring this country’s medication regime into line with international standards if we are to boast that we have the best of breed.
Hope is a word often used in this sport to little effect, but I hope change is persevered with in this country and I hope people like Michael lead the charge.
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:41 am
Richard Hannon also had what amounted to an all-weather, uphill gallop that may have been the first one to incorporate rubber casings used to cover electrical wire. He told me that he got them from a plant that manufactured wire. That was 30 years ago.
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:49 am
I have heard that there were 3 breakdowns at Meydan during their carnival. That equals a breakdown percentage at minimum no better than dirt, and perhaps worse .
Would Dickinson care to verify how many breakdowns occurred?
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:52 am
Couple of points:
Michael Dickinson would be better served to stop acting like so much of a salesman. If his product is useful and embraced, it will find its place. But over selling it most likely diminishes its profile. Michael, my boy, calm down for awhile!
Synthetics are not the racing surface of choice world wide and never will be until they have been tested and tested and tested and the results analyzed by professionals with no axe to grind (if that is even possible in an industry that is loaded with one conflict of interest after another).
Detractors of synthetic surfaces are not limited to a couple of newspaper handicappers, but by horsemen everywhere. Anybody that does not recognize this has not spent any time with horsemen.
I think that one day a synthetic surface will be developed that has the potential to help keep horses sound, satisfy horseplayers and be embraced by the entire racing community. But unwil these surfaces are stopped from being rammed down our throats by bureaucrats and manufacturers, and racing association can install one with confidence based on years of testing, the likelihood of this occuring is getting slimmer and not greater.
The sheer chutzpah of these manufacturers and political hacks to force horsemen and owners to use expensive horses as guinea pigs and put them in harm’s way is beyond anything I’ve witnessed in this game or in sport in general.
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:55 am
Could you imagine a USA sport of horse racing with much less racing and 14-horse fields where major gamblers have no advantage because there are no raceday performance altering drugs being provided by Doctors and their Trainers? Drugs create consistency of performance with a damaged horse. A drug-free horse is less predictable and more damaging to the big gambler because he loses control of the game that he so greatly controls now. The death rate on Tapeta is amazing and to be championed! Thank you Michael Dickinson for your relentless pursuit of excellence. You have always been inspiring, despite your opposition to all things conventional. Thank you for that! The industry will be restored only by people with this spirit!
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:07 am
A very, very important point gets lost in this surface debate every time: THE DIMENSIONS OF THE TRACK AND THE TIGHTNESS OF THE TURNS ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SURFACE. Dickinson is spot-on about the medication, of course, and anyone outside the United States knows this, but the pharmaceutical lobby is far stronger than reason in the U.S.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:19 am
I hate the horses inhaling, getting goop in the eyes and plugging up with synthetics…plastic, rubber, various waxes etc…it’s bad enough to get dirt, grass and mud in your eyes, nose, lungs…at least those are organic materials, not toxins…
Also, when it rains what kinds of toxins are released into the air or surrounding ground…does it affect nearby water environments with run off? Are birds that habit track lakes, ponds affected by toxic run-off?
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:23 am
The horseracing drug culture is a culture of death in all aspects of the industry and the statistics prove it out. From interest and attendance at the track to number of horses running in races and their number of starts per career, to the way tracks so poorly negotiate with simulcasting because they have no interest in serving the sport and growing the appeal of the actual sport itself. This effect is just as evident on the farm with high sales potential yearlings in Kentucky where these individuals are receiving injections as regular routine in order to enhance sales value. These drug routines do not show up on the vet exam at Keeneland. This is another area where the “Big Gambler” has control of the game that will only be healed with freedom from these drugs. Doctors are meant to be ministers of life and not providers of a band aids and quicker death. There is a giant elephant in the USA Thoroughbred Racing Room and it is the use of drugs prescribed by veterinarians who have no stake or any consequences in altering the future of this wonderful sport and industry. Time is more important to healing than drugs will ever be and the sport is learning this by the default of lost value. The economic judgement on every aspect of the sport is so refreshing because even the big boys are being humbled.
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:26 am
Dirt is horrible stuff, haha, another load of Bollocks
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 am
I might also add that in my experience of racing horses for 30+ years, ambient heat makes speed on the track. The biologic system of the horse is just more efficient in hot weather. It may be tough on the horse, but they do tend to go faster with every thing else equal. So the track could have little to do with the Dubai fast times is my point.
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:34 am
Drugs,Turns,maintenence,weather,number of horses and how often they use the surface,factors used in compiling statistics,consistency of a yo-yo, quality of installation are some of the differences between surfaces in other countries and jurisdictions in the U.S.A.
Horseplayers,Owners ,Trainers do not like what is being shoved down our throat by people with unproven “facts” that have created new problems and not solved the old problems.
Everytime the proponents of synthetics are reminded of the promises on the basis that they were sold in the first place,they move the goal post,and tell us how bad dirt is, and give us some new re-tooled statistic that seemed to work somewhere else and a request for more learning time to adapt to the new conditions that they did not think about..
Someday,there may be a place for synthetics here when we know more about them,but face the facts, they are a failure here and I have not even mentioned the toxic problem possibility of man and horse,the smells and the stinging temperature of the surface.
If the horses could talk they would vote with the Horseplayers, Owners and Trainers because they were born to be racehorses and not subject to the inconsistency of the random number results generator called synthetic surfaces.
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:49 am
Point of contention!
First: 30 years ago there was more medication than today. People think that just because med’s were not tracked, that they were not used. All your greats of the past raced on some form of medication — they were not tested for these med’s. Exactly, what is meant that U.S. horses need “more” med’s today to keep racing. I am not aware of any new med’s that have been approved for use in the last 15 years, also, the amounts of permitted med’s have been reduced, not increased. As for weakening the breed — if that were scientifically true where would that put human’s, who consume 100 times the med’s/drugs than horse’s do. Further, I never heard of any findings that indicated that Eight Bells, Barbaro, or any other horse that had to be put down had illegal or increased amounts of permitted medications. The public thinks that permitted med’s mean that horses can run on these med’s. Not so!! Again, NOT SO!! Horses are permitted to race with “trace” amounts of permitted medication. Lasix, a diuretic, is the only med allowed without being subject to trace amounts. The trace amounts allowed could, in no way, effect the performance of a horse, or, contribute to breakdowns. Trace amounts are allowed because different horses are given certain med’s to train on. Even though discontinuing administration of these med’s at the appropriate time, with today’s testing, there could be trace amounts, and these amounts are regulated. When you talk about nanograms, please look up the definition of nanogram — and then tell me it makes a difference!! The main reason that the breakdown rate is higher in this country is that on any given day more horses run in the U.S. than probably all European countries combined. Also, in the U.S. many, many, owners are NOT horse people, and running to make expenses is paramount to the condition of the horse. Who is to blame — trainers — no one, AND, nothing else!
Also, if the players of football, baseball, basketball, were subjected to the same testing that race horses are, those sports would have to be discontinued!!
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:21 am
I like Michael Dickenson, as eccentric as he is, but still not sure Tapeta is better than the other synthetics…it’s still plastic and plastic isn’t natural like dirt and turf. A well maintained dirt track, in my opinion, is as safe or safer than the synthetics. Also, as others pointed out above, what’s healthy about horses inhaling this synthetic junk?? I find that quite hypocritical….to fault all dirt tracks as being unsafe yet overlooking the unhealthy, unnatural junk being sucked into the nostils, throats and lungs of our equine atheletes?? Something is very wrong w/that picture. I agree that drugs should be done away with, but why then are the Euro invaders and runners from other countries who don’t condone the drugs use them when they race here in the USA?? Is there a little hypocrisy in that as well?? We have had much success in Dubai in past years when the surfaces were dirt and turf…..lots of runners and lots of winners. So obviously our runners had no problem w/o drugs, including Lassix. Let’s get rid of the drugs, but let’s keep our well maintained dirt tracks!
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:48 am
Wanting an answer to the question I asked earlier regarding the stats from the carnival, I have looked over all the charts and steward notes from carnival races and find the following:
755 starts on tapeta
fractured (Timely Jazz, Rc 4, Mar 27, left front)
fractured (Tawaasol, Rc 4, Feb 19, right front)
lame (Imvula, Rc 3, Feb 11, left hind)
lame (Jalil, Rc 7, Feb 18, left front)
lame (Nil Blanc, Rc 1, Feb 18, right front)
Fate not noted in steward notes, though Timely Jazz is known to have been put down. Fate not known on the other noted as fractured or the 3 noted as returning lame.
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:51 am
#5 Barry, he’s entitled to be proud of things so far. I’m not too sure about your “horsemen everywhere” remark. Anybody tried to discuss this subject with people capable of riding good work and feeling a horses’s legs too? Probably not, because they’re not very easy to find. Most trainers experience both a horse’s action and the ongoing state of his legs vicariously rather than first hand - hence all the medication!!
#6 You’re right of course Charlie. Horses can run perfectly happily without medication on a decent surface. If they can’t then they shouldn’t be running for all sorts of reasons - including rider safety, aesthetics, and integrity.
As they seem unable to do so then it follows that either [a] an American dirt surface is very hard on them, making medication essential to fill cards for gamblers, or, [b] American trainers just like medication. Perhaps your opponents here would like to tell us which it is!
#11 Are you sure?!
#13 “thirty years ago” there was nothing like the theraputic medication that there is now, so it’s probably naive to doubt that performance enhancing substances will have expanded to the same degree. The problem is drugs which have NOT “been approved for use in the last 15 years” and so are often unrecognised by the testers and are also - at least anecdotally, which is what trainers largely go on - masked by Lasix.
If the owner and the horses served a suspension along with the trainer the problem would almost certainly go away.
One minor difference with basketball is that most players are unlikely to fall on top of or in front of someone at 37.5 m.p.h., and even if they did, they don’t weigh 1000 lbs.
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Are we all that ignorant to think that the “dirt” in Kentucky is the same as it is in Florida; in NY; on the fair circuit in California or at the “Big Sandy”? Please define dirt. Give a uniform, consistent definition of what it is. What comprehensive testing of “dirt” has ever been performed? If there has been, (I don’t know, maybe there has been) how valid is that study if the material is not the same from “dirt” track to “dirt” track? If it all came from one place, (and it doesn’t) you’d have a valid argument for “dirt’s” alleged superiority. But dirt proponents don’t want to face the facts anymore than someone hawking synthetic and saying that it solves every problem. So at least be honest about what you are talking about. Nobody in horse racing wants change. That’s the real issue. Most people want time to stop, history to end, and no one tells us what to do.
Demand an end to the use of drugs in this country as loud as you piss and moan about synthetic and you dirt guys would have credibility. Until then, it’s the same old men saying the same stupid things they did 25 years ago. Maybe PETA can finally come in and put us out of our collective misery.
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Zoltar here’s the definition of dirt track from Twin Spires Club: “a track made up of four layers: the racing surface, the base, the drainage layer, and the native soil. The depth of the top three layers is usually around 24 inches. The racing surface is normally a mix of sand, clay, silt, and organic materials that runs from three to six inches deep. ”
http://www.twinspiresclub.com/playing_to_win/301/TrackConditions/Dirt.html
Sand is usually the main ingredient in a dirt track. Here’s the composition of two different tracks:
Churchill: 75% sand, 2% clay, 23% silt, 0% organic material
Laurel: 85% sand, 0% clay, 10% silt, 5% organic material
If you need more info then google “track composition” or “soil composition” with the name of the specific track. I think the Dummies book “Betting on Horse Racing” also has a section on the composition of various US dirt tracks. And some race tracks have the info on their web site. Try searching specific track sites for “composition”.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I know handles have been done at most tracks due to the economy, but has there been any studies on how the switch from real dirt to fake stuff has affected handles? I, for one, don`t play any poly races with the exception of some of the larger stakes races and even in those don`t wager as much. I`ll play turf races at Keeneland and SA, but I wouldn`t go to an OTB and play a weekday card on either track. Same for AP and Turfway. I`m sure there are quite a few who like it, but I just take a pass.
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:38 pm
For the nine days of the Carnival, North American handle in the international pool was up 17% on a daily basis. Last year, there were ten days of the Carnival and handle was still up 5% over last year with one less raceday. Because of the installation of the new turf course, there was only 14 turf races in the nine days of the Carnival and 52 races run on Tapeta.
For the Dubai World Cup card, handle was up 22%.
Overall, favorites won 20 of the 56 total races run on Tapeta (35.7%). Only 3 favorites won in the 17 turf races (17.6%)
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:44 pm
If I am at Santa Anita and I fall down and sprain my ankle because I’m drunk Do I get to blame it on the Synthetic surface?? If I have a hangnail and it falls off and bleeds do I get to blame it on the synthetics?
I cannot believe that people think that no horse will ever be injured ever at any point at any time on a synthetic track.
Seriously……come on
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:52 pm
So, what you’re saying, Dick, is that now there is a new category of racehorse: the “Tapeta Specialist”. Can’t wait for them to run at PID this year in it’s inaugural “International Racing Carnival”. I’m gonna bet out!
April 2nd, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Steph, if I fall down at Belmont because I’m drunk, do I get to blame the dirt surface? Have you heard of any studies which actually pinpoint which breakdowns were caused by the surface and which ones were caused by another factor? Those studies don’t exist, do they? Nor is there really any way to do such a study.
If you expect dirt surfaces to take all the blame for all the breakdowns on dirt, then synthetics get to take all the blame for the breakdowns on synthetics. It’s as simple as that. You don’t get to give excuses for synthetics that you don’t equally give to dirt.
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:03 pm
If we want to stop the steady downward spiral that our sport is experiencing, we need to address four basic objectives simultaneously:
(1) We need to establish drug policies that are in line with the rest of the world;
(2) We need to recognize that gamblers (i.e., handicapers who bet) make our business possible … and we need to value them, cater to them, and reward them and, with regard to the present discussion, provide a relatively consistent and formful surface and level playing field from track to track;
(3) We need to make our tracks safer for horses and jockeys and reduce the frequency of training and racing injuries, especially catastrophic injuries in front of fans and prospective fans (i.e., we need to improve the reality as well as the perception of our efforts to protect horses and jockeys);
(4) We need to provide surfaces that are compatible with the rest of the racing world if we want to hold international events and not be left behind in the current trend toward globalization.
Thus, it seems clear to me that we need to give very serious consideration to Michael’s Tapeta surface. It has held up brilliantly on both coasts at Golden Gate and Presque Isle, in two disparate climatic regions. And the surface appears from trainer and jockey reactions to be well received in Dubai at this point..
As Graeme Beaton mentions above, “Santa Anita has become the poster child for stupidity in synthetics and that is coloring many fans’ attitude toward synthetics generally.” It is also coloring many frustrated trainers’ and handicappers’ attitudes. But we should not toss ’synthetics’ under the bus because of Santa Anita’s failure, especially when we may have a superior surface in Tapeta.
If Tapeta continues to produce the results that it has shown so far, it can help us with objectives #2, #3, and #4 above. Tapeta has the potential to provide a safer surface for horses and jockeys that is also consistent and formful for the bettors.
In addition, now that Tapeta has been successfully installed in Meydan as they attract the top horses in the world, our own racing jurisdictions and Breeders’ Cup should do the same (as well as establish uniform drug policies in keeping with international standards) if we want to remain an important part of the international community and avoid becoming a parochial and secondary venue .
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:40 am
We need to provide surfaces that are compatible with the rest of the racing world if we want to hold international events and not be left behind in the current trend toward globalization
——–
Ok, then let’s start racing only on turf. Or have Europe tear out their turf courses and run this year’s Arc on synthetics.
It is a ridiculous notion that we should even care what they do in Europe or elsewhere. What other sport cares? Does the NFL or NASCAR care? Or the NBA? Our sport is struggling in this country, and some people want to cater to grass horses racing in other countries? There is nothing at all wrong with our racing being different than the racing in other countries. I’d argue that dirt racing in America is far superior, as evidenced by the great horses that it’s produced, which cannot be matched if you add up all the greats from every other country combined. Just look at the race records if you need proof.
The best horses in the world weren’t racing at Meydan. Being from different countries doesn’t make it a great field any more than having 20 different states represented in this year’s Kentucky Derby would make that field great. The best older male in the world was sitting in his stall in Florida because there’s no G1 routes on dirt until June, thanks to the powers that be. And the best older female in the world have connections who thankfully realized that $10 million isn’t worth the toll that travel takes — a simple little fact that so many of you ignore when you talk of being part of the “international community.”
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 am
#22 I think you’re missing the point Auntie B; Dick #20 just confirmed that whatever they run on 1 in 3 favourites wins overall, next meeting the tapeta may be lower and the grass higher but the total result will remain around 1/3. Even though[most] people seem to believe in some sort of set-in-stone [even genetic?] difference between dirt and grass horses at the moment, a proper synthetic will eventually eliminate that superstition.
#24 more common sense Rob, except that I would drop#2 down to #4, given that there is absolutely no logical reason to think that the change of surface should effect gamblers any more than would writing more races for, say, only grey horses or only horses whose owners’ names began with A!
April 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 am
#25 - You’re right, FunnyCideOver - you just go right ahead killing your overmedicated horses at three times the rate of any other country and wondering why the public is abandoning the sport. Who CARES?
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:06 am
Gina, have you ever trained a day on the dirt? Or in America at all?
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:10 am
G Rarick,
First, there’s no data which proves synthetics are safer. The horsemen and owners who actually have a dog in this fight overwhelmingly say it doesn’t, else they’d love the surface.
Second, let’s not pretend that Europeans care more than Americans about the welfare of the horses. Steeplechase racing is big in Europe and it has a far higher death rate than flat racing. That horrible beast the Grand National kills enough horses to up any average to alarming rates. And you eat horses in parts of Europe, including the new place which just opened in Edinburgh.
Third, the only difference medication wise between Europe and America is the raceday use of Lasix and Bute. You all put just as much meds in your horses during training as we do. But I’m all for allowing no raceday medications, if for no other reason than the disallowance is the only reason why Europe enjoys the good rep re drugs while we have the bad rep re drugs.
And last, none of the above has anything at all to do with putting in a racing surface to be “part of the international community.”
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Curious that those, Barry Irwin and one or two others excepted, who fight for the status quo are not brave enough to attach their real names to their post. Why is that?
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:48 am
Aunt Bea - I train on dirt seven days a week, but not in America. We train on dirt tracks and race on turf and synthetics. The big difference is the drugs (and sorry, FunnyCideOver, daily drug use is very much NOT part of the routine here) and the track dimensions (see my comment No. 7). All of my speed work is done on an 1,800-meter straight dirt or sand track.
FunnyCideOver, Lasix and bute are killing American racing (and horses). And as for the old “they eat horses, don’t they” argument, get over it. Demand is falling sharply. Horse slaughter is supply-driven, not demand-driven. If it disappeared from the market tomorrow (and there is a movement afoot in France to do just that), no one would care.
April 3rd, 2010 at 9:54 am
FunnyCideOver said:
“I’d argue that dirt racing in America is far superior, as evidenced by the great horses that it’s produced, which cannot be matched if you add up all the greats from every other country combined. Just look at the race records if you need proof”
- would you care to elaborate?
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:58 am
Sure, Malcer. Can you name 20 Europeans in the last century whose race records, including starts, track records, stakes records, world records, win percentage, in the money percentage, weight carried, and excellence on multiple surfaces (turf and dirt) and distances (sprints and routes) as these 20 Americans?
Secretariat
Man o’ War
Dr. Fager
Citation
Kelso
Native Dancer
Forego
Spectacular Bid
Affirmed
Round Table
Damascus
Seattle Slew
Tom Fool
War Admiral
Buckpasser
Cigar
Swaps
Colin
Bold Ruler
Count Fleet
I could add more, like Ruffian, Exterminator, John Henry, etc., but I think 20 is more than enough to prove the point.
April 3rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
Graeme, let me tell you a thing or two: I’ve put my entire adult life into this game and have some pretty passionate views about it. I realized before the first synthetic track went in way too many trainers were taking a real nonchalant attitude towards their horses breaking down and were turning a blind eye to the fact that the way they were doing things was causing it. They were also using overusing medication as a crutch to support their methods which had become habitual.
As a result, I made a concious effort to call them out on it, knowing that was basically an act of professional suicide, and I was correct. I got my F_ing head ripped off. I lost about 80% of my business, either by being fired or from avoiding those that I could no longer work with.
What I really can’t stand, though, is some armchair observer from afar making criticisms, accusations, promoting change for changes sake even though it is dividing and destroying the sport unneccessarily.
In other words I have put my money where my mouth is on a daily basis for years and really don’t see the point in identifying myself on a blog site, satisfied?
I am saying that dirt can be as safe as any other surface, if people will try to be thoughtful about it. I haven’t seen the numbers but I would say Saratoga has been as safe a surface the past three years as any on the planet
April 3rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I’d add that injury aware trainers train for the surface. One of our injury causes this side of Atlantic is switching surfaces without appropriate prep. Note Pioneer Of The Nile.
I’d like to know from Bill O’Gorman what we do with the bleeding horse? Or, do we take the anti-therapeutic meds stance, and watch the winner of the Japan Cup cross the wire profusely bleeding from the nose.
To G. Rarick, respectfully, please reconsider this one also–smaller round tracks are safer for the sole reason that horses stay on one lead for much shorter distances. By my guess 5f track stats controlled for injury causing variables would show significantly less catastrophic injury than bigger ovals.
Why don’t they need meds in Europe. Well, we know they do, but why do they take this stance. A few guesses–
1. they race on grass–get on a horse on an american dirt track feel the concussion and jarring with every stride.
2. their races are slower by 2-4 seconds.
3. their racing style of galloping along and really racing all out only 2 or 3 furlongs.
4. their training styles–far superior in terms of injury prevention in Europe, I’d think–reason–I’d suspect European racing is more the rich man’s game requiring a more educated training establishment.
I hope we continue to experiment with surfaces without prejudice. let the science and stats do the talking.
April 3rd, 2010 at 1:52 pm
FunnyCideOver:
Yes I could, but we’d end up in a pointless debate questioning the merits of each others choices. I’d rather respond to your methodology:
- track records and world records have more to do with how a race is run rather than who competes. Most track and even world records are held by horses who never amounted to a regular stakes/pattern race contender. North America is the only major racing jurisdiction where most horses are bred primarily for speed.
Question: what do you remember about G Malleah or Kostroma (who hold the world records over 6 and 9 furlongs).
- win and ITM percentages too have at least as much to do with competition as with talent, and even in North America this was not seen as an important stat until a few decades ago, when it became one of many questionable ways to make a stallion ad more flashy. For the record: most of those that come to mind for a Top 20 list are in fact above 70/90% in these categories.
- weight carried? Every useful European or Australian handicap horse carries more on a regular basis than every NA champ of the last 30 years or so has. Besides, all European top races are scale-weight or WFA.
- multiple surfaces? Come on! No major racehorse in Europe has had any reason to run over anything other than turf until 15 years ago and most top NA horses were almost purely dirt horses until only a few years ago. Plus, we see time and time again that for a great horse, surface is secondary.
April 3rd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
#33 “The past is a different country - they do things differently there”.
Personally I liked Citation’s record best, he came back as an old, sore horse and was still almost as good as ever.
Over here I think Brigadier Gerard was probably the best I’ve seen - he ran 18 times and only got beaten once.
As far as carrying weight is concerned they do it routinely here - most of your Graded handicaps are farcical; if the good horse is set to give more than 10 lbs to horses that should be getting two stone he won’t run so his trainer effectively sets the weights.
To put more recent crops into perspective Mineshaft and In Excess were Listed winners here and multiple grade 1 winners over there. I think that the difference in class [obviously not every horse, I mean the standard with a shot at success] at the top between Europe and America was probably 7 or 10 lbs throughout the 80s and 90s. But that might be reducing as our system is now so bad that we only produce 1 horse with a rating of 120 per thousand individuals whereas before we started writing races for low rateds it was 7 per 1000.
Forget about the Breeder’s Cup as a benchmark - most of those horses have had a long year and shipped when they are breaking their coats - not a recipe for success in my opinion.
April 3rd, 2010 at 2:46 pm
#34 Aunt Bea
Thank you for your passionate and honest views. May the wind forever more be at your back.
April 3rd, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Thanks, Bub. A love of American dirt racing should be included in the Psychiatric Physicians Manual Haha! Things are getting better, slowly but surely.
April 3rd, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Malcer, since you won’t give it a go, I will. Let’s look at the just the top 5 from Europe & America. Despite Europeans racing on kinder turf, America’s greats prove to have superior longevity on the track. None of the European top 5 had more than 20 starts, and two had 10 or less. In contrast, America’s top 5 all had more than 20 starts, with 2 recording more than 40, and 1 recording more than 60.
Let’s compare:
Top 5 Europeans
Sea-Bird (8-7-1-0, 6 major wins)
Brigadier Gerard (18-17-1-0, 13 major wins, 2 course records)
Tudor Minstrel (10-8-1-0, 5 major wins)
Ribot (16-16-0-0, 6 major wins?)
Mill Reef (14-12-2-0, 10 major wins, American bred & owned)
Top 5 Americans
Man o’ War (21-20-1-0, 18 major wins, 3 world records, 2 American records, 2 track records)
Secretariat (21-16-3-1, 14 major wins, 2 world records, 3 track records, 1 track record tied)
Dr Fager (22-18-2-1, 16 major wins, 1 world record, set or equaled 2 track records)
Citation (45-32-10-1, 22 major wins, 1 world record, tied track record, tied stakes record)
Kelso (63-39-12-2, 35 major wins, 1 American record, 5-time HOY)
We may have problems in American racing, but racing on dirt isn’t at the root of any of them. Our racing has created greats that are incomparable anywhere in the world.
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:09 pm
you’re Funnywhenyoudrinktoomuchcider.
I’m with you, who wants top world class horses showing up and racing in America? We know that the euros aren’t going to rip up their turf courses and put in dirt as you stated, so why don’t American tracks rip up their turf courses and just have dirt? That’ll show em, rite funnycider?
And no more breeding to euros or south american horses, mite end up with turfy types, or horses that can run all day……boring. Just breed for speed, you know, so that the 6 furlong world record remains in the hands of American racing, cause that is the sign of the best in the world, rite Funnycider? The future of racing in America, brought to you by Turf Paradise and Funnycider.
Now go back to picking the lint out of your bellybutton Funnycider.
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:30 pm
The last I looked, Rip, Europeans showed up for the BC every year as well as scattered other times during the year, and our turf courses will continue to allow Europeans to do just as they’ve been doing for decades.
But that’s not good enough for you? You want us to take up our dirt courses and put down a surface that favors Europeans so that you can finally compete with us on our main track? How about we do that when you all take up your turf so we can compete against you all in the Arc and Epsom Derby?
You want it all, and you want it handed to you instead of earning it by breeding or buying horses who handle dirt. We, on the other hand, won’t demand that you change your surface to give us an advantage. When we beat Europeans on the turf, we earn it.
April 3rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm
You misunderstood me, where did you ever come up with the idea that i’m a euro? Your vision of horse racing for america is awe inspiring, and I’m with you. Tear up our turf, speed, speed, speed, who cares about the rest of the world….funnycider you inspire me.
Pass the cider, cheers.
April 4th, 2010 at 1:17 am
I’m surprised that no-one even seems to consider my proposition that there is very little in the dirt horse versus grass horse argument. It’s a good thing Vincent O’Brien didn’t buy it or he wouldn’t have gone with ND. If your own breeders had accepted it they might have stuck to Man O’War and passed up on the European imports in the 1920s onwards.
Pace makes the race. Dirt makes the pace. No kickback alters things enormously and so turf [and good synthetics] might disadvantage one dimensional horses that either go aggressively to the lead [and often hold on if the others become discouraged] or, alternatively, close down leaders which are themselves walking after a contesting a speed duel.
Dirt might make a horse’s reputation without his having to respond to the challenge of varying pace and a strongly contested - in the sense of several viable challengers - final section. If that’s the case then, unless he is capable of adapting, he will do worse on synthetic. Don’t shoot the messenger without deciphering the message!
#35 The difference in grass surfaces here can be enormous, because we always race as long as the water comes no further than half way up the ducks. In the summer- not so much nowadays - we used to have cracks in the ground. When I started training[!! swing the lightsghade please!!] we had no artificials at Newmarket apart from some unwatered sands with the chalk base showing through in places and a “tan” which had been oak bark from the tanneries at one time but which had degenerated to a fine dust. The grass was like a road in summer apart from the strips which were dressed with peat moss -which were “firm but fair”.
I can honestly say that the number of “my” horses which were compromised by bleeding was in single figures [out of, say, 600]. Because of the evidence that about 70% of all starts involve some degree of bleeding, we never scoped ours unless the horse had either bled visibly or looked to me as if he might have bled - eyes glazed, head down, cough etc. If we had an incident we had a short break.
To address you numbered points:
#1 makes the case for synthetics.
#2 don’t forget a standing start adds about 2 secs.
#3 see above “pace” comments.
#4Well….you said it.
Happy Easter everyone.
April 4th, 2010 at 4:13 am
FunnyCideOver:
Last comment since I’ll be away for a few days now. Then again, since you obviously don’t read other comments, what’s the point anyway. Both Bill O’Gorman and I have mentioned that record times are primarily a function of pace, not class.
Re: Top 5 Europeans - not only is Timeform the only entity that regards Tudor Minstrel a Top 10 horse, but you’re comparing apples to oranges here. The European racing calendar is not comparable to the American one and so-called “major” races are fewer and usually deeper in Europe (not to mention that “major” is a judgement call). Since before 1900, it was common in Europe to retire top stallion prospects early and usually not for medical reasons.
, and top Euro colts have commonly been retired to stud early since before 1900, long before this became common in NA. This is rarely for medical reasons.
April 4th, 2010 at 7:46 am
Malcer, I find it amusing that you defend being slow to the fact that, well, your horses run slow. And retire early at the peril of not proving your longevity and excellence over time. The proof is in the past performances.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Boy o Boy..i didnt know that there are so many experts on this site from all over the world.wonderful!!! i agree 100% with #5 BARRY IRWIN..
FRANK LANCELOTT also made some good points but he was being nice by stating( “30 years ago) I SAY IT WAS GOING ON BEFORE THAT. and do u guys from over there remember the “Elephant Juice. ” .I hear that they have something as good as that…I was tols that “PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES
April 4th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
notsofunnycider, I regretfully have to get off your bandwagon. I finally understand your vision of American Thoroughbred racing….you want American Quarter Horse racing.
I know that I want to see a variety of distances and surfaces on a daily basis. I know that I want to see horses from around the world racing against each other either live or on simulcast.
I know that you don’t get out of your parents basement too often do you? There is a whole wonderful world of racing out there.
April 4th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Rip, we don’t interfere and give our opinions about how European races need to be run, and you shouldn’t be giving your opinion on how ours should be run. I realize you love synthetics as it gives your horses a chance to compete against us, but we’re perfectly happy to beat you the old fashioned way — by earning it instead of it being given to us. Have a great Easter.
April 4th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Speaking of RECORDS & fast horses… >>remember>>> “SWAPS” 25- 19 -2 -2
He Broke 8 Track Records> 5 carring 130 lbs 1 @ 128 lbs 1@ 126 lbs 1@115 lbs
He equaled 2 Track record @ 130 lbs and 1 @ 126 lbs
April 4th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Eugene, I always love it that you chime in at the eleventh hour.! Not that we ever agree, but who cares? God Bless,,,,,!
April 5th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
txs. to Bill O’Gorman replying to my Q on bleeding. I was surprised by O’Gorman position on this, and how he has related that less than 2% of his horses bled during races, if I am reading correctly, although acknlowledges that 70% of racing horses bleed–I’m supposing that % is for Europe.
My USA stable has always been small (minute). I wonder if someone that has trained larger numbers in USA might give some % on experience with bleeding. Suspect the % would be much much higher. Why? I think this needs to be discovered before we’d eliminate lasix in USA.
Despite the perceived evils of lasix–probably grossly overexaggerated–+ you they go into racing with empty bladders, which to the horse is probably a big benefit in terms of comfort–
if horses do bleed–and I am saying they do in the USA for whatever reason–would you still deprive horses of lasix and go to a no-therapeutic med’s policy in that situation?
April 5th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
A horse that bleeds bad enough to affect performance should not be racing - and certainly not breeding. So one of my major problems with lasix is that you have no way to select your breeding stock if every horse runs on it. All thoroughbreds bleed a bit when racing - humans do, too, if they’re not fit to run. A training regime that maximizes fitness and minimizes stress reduces the incidents of severe bleeding. Training in America does neither of these things, so they all “need” lasix. I’ve never raced or trained a bleeder - or at least one severe enough to impact performance. If it bleeds, it needs a rest or a change or both.
April 5th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
By the way - Lasix does far more than empty the bladder. It sucks fluid from everywhere in the body, so the animal is dehydrated when racing. A relaxed, well-trained racehorse will urinate before racing naturally, no lasix needed.
April 5th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
YOUR MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF LASIX.
IT LOWERS THE HORSE’S BLOOD PRESSURE….THATS THE HELP IT GIVES HIM.
you guys are dehydrated….
April 5th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
G Rarick I predict that if you are still training in 15-20 years, you’re gonna look back at these posts in total embarassment and think, “my god I sounded so arrogantly self-righteous in my naiivete” while preaching from afar.
April 6th, 2010 at 12:38 am
#52 Ratherrapid I may have expressed myself poorly - not for the first time I fear!.
What I intended to convey was that out of about 600 horses over 30 years I can only remember a very few that had their career intefered with by bleeding - by that I meant that they were compromised by repeated episodes.
Single visible episodes occurred in various horses, possibly because they were carrying some unsuspected infection at the time , but they were generally not repeated after a short break.
The figure of around 70% was, I think based upon a Ca. study. My point being that if something’s that common then it might almost be described as “normal behaviour”. Obviously the vast majority of those “bleeds” will not have been visible to the naked eye. Unless I had reason to suspect something was fairly seriously amiss there seemed little purpose in scoping when those %s made it more likely than not that the scope would say that there was some blood there after work or a race.
I’ve taken plenty of lasix myself when I was riding - I wouldn’t particularly reccomend the “feel good factor”, but it definitely makes you lighter!
I think I’m right in saying that if Lasix has at last been able to demonstrate to the FDA that it “controls epistaxis in racehorses” then that is a recent developement. That makes me think that trainers like it for other reasons - quite probably because they feel it will either clear the system of something else or at least confuse the test procedures, but I didn’t use it and I don’t know whether that is so.
I don’t think Gina R. sounds any more arrogant than the rest of it - she’s only calling it as she sees it and her #53 more or less confirms my thoughts..
April 7th, 2010 at 11:29 am
A big thank you to everyone for their comments. It is always interesting to hear other people’s opinions.
# 5- Barry, we acknowledge that some of the synthetic surfaces in the USA are not perfect but the jockeys and trainers have nothing but priase for the Tapeta at Meydan. There are many trainers who are in Dubai year round and have been training on Tapeta for over 12 months and they love the surface.
# 8- Rachel asks about inhaling the “Goop” and the contamination of air and ground. This is a very good question except for the fact that it has been asked 100 times before and I have replied 100 times before. Tapeta Farm is on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay, the most heavily regulated piece of water in the world. When before, during and over the last 10 years, we have had to past every environmental test known to man, likewise at GGF, which is right on the San Francisco Bay. Robert Hartman, the General Manager at GGF, has just received an Environmental Award.
When I was training at Tapeta for 10 years, we did a lot of scoping at the barn and never once did we see any “goop” in a horse’s throat. No vet has ever reported to me at any of our tracks, that they have found any Tapeta material in the horse’s throats or eyes. However, all vets have seen dirt down a horse’s trachea on many occasions. If that is not bad enough, its get worse because the kickback from dirt has caused a lot of damage to many horses’ eyes. In addition, Government an approved human Environment Engineer conducted tests with air samplers on a horse’s bridle and the rider’s stirrups and the result was: the Tapeta was below the level of detection, while dirt tracks are high in particle matter. This is all on our website if you had done your homework first. I am surprised about your lack of knowledge but at least you have given me the opportunity to give 2 more reasons why Tapeta is better than dirt.
# 11- Polo says, “Ambient temperature makes speed on the track and the horse’s system is more efficient in hot weather” I have never seen a scientific paper to justify those claims. It is well known the horse has a wide temperature range for top performance.
# 14- I Davis- There is no plastic in Tapeta and you are also talking rubbish about “gunk” Have you physically seen the Tapeta at Meydan? Have you spoken to any trainers who have trained on it for the last 12 months?
# 15 Funny Cide Over- Printed out the vets list.
Timely Jazz was euthanized but the trainer did not blame the track, he had conformation problems which predisposed him to injury and in fact he loved training on the Tapeta track.
Invula- passed fit to race
Jalil- passed fit to race
Nil Blanc- passed fit
Tawaasol- full reovery expected
This is the pot calling the kettle black. Now go and look at the vet’s list of 2 of America’s most famous dirt tracks and you will see it is over 100 horses. Funny Cide Over- you are hiding behind your pen name. What is your real name and what are your achievements in life? Judging by your blogs, you are obviously a world expert, well at least in your own mind!!!
# 19- River City Smitty- The handle 2010 DWC was up 23%.
# 25 FunnyCideOver- I am quoting Bill Oppenheim in the TDN-
“DWC has a huge international cast, with 100 runners bred and or trained in 17 different countries, in 7 races running for $26 million. How elements of American racing can carry on with the reactionary, isolationist, assumption that the rest of the world doesn’t really matter is frankly beyond me. This event is a mega-accomplishment.”
# 29- FunnyCideOver- There are 20 trainers who have trained and raced on Tapeta for the last 12 months in Dubai and 20 trainers loved the surface. Game,set and match.
# 32 Malcer- We all love the fabulous dirt horses of the past. The modern trainers don’t like using all this medication because they get into trouble from the owners for producing big vet bills. The modern American racehorse is not the same as he was 30 years ago. He is 3rd generation medication. When I trained, I used legal therapeutic medication, only because you have to do to compete in the USA. If the modern American dirt horse is so good, he should be in Dubai where there is fantastic prize money, his expenses are paid and dirt horses perform well on Tapeta.
# 35- RatherRapid- you are quite correct. Hard tracks cause more bleeders, but the UK races are not 4 seconds slower than the USA. The clocks start from a standing start and many of the courses have an uphill finish.
# 37 Bill O’Gorman- A brilliant trainer, very articulate and is always worth reading.
I have really enjoyed this project and I would like to thank all those who support Tapeta.