Posted on 5/30/2007 3:26:25 PM

Horse Betting - SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

By Brian Mulligan

Sense and Sensibility was an English-based, award-winning movie adapted from the novel of the same name by Jane Austin and it appears FINALLY that some sense has come to the powers that be in California.

With the options including Tapeta Track, Pro-Ride, a training center phenomenon Down Under and Polytrack, the brain trust at Santa Anita decided to install Cushion Track this summer so it will be ready for the Oak Tree meet.

This was kind of an easy decision to make but with the options, and with the unknown of how to maintain these synthetic surfaces, it could have gone either way.

What it will do in essence is give the bettors and the horseman some semblance of consistency. They don’t have to just stable at one track where it is kinder to their horses, but can get the same surface in principle at both, and that should be better for the entire product.

The jury is still out on the synthetic rage, but at this point it’s like stopping a tank. It’s here, figure it out, adapt, study and move on. That’s about all you can do.

And if the new surfaces produce what the big shots say, and the fields can get bigger with the horses safer, it could be bigger paydays for the better than average handicapping bear.

It’s not cheap putting this stuff in. It will cost about $8 million, but the maintenance costs go way down once a structure has been patterned. It will be installed by an English firm that will use a slightly different and complicated process to help the surface cope with the cool temperatures of the winter during the main meet, and the scorching heat at Oak Tree in the late summer.

 

Cushion Track is made of silica sand, synthetic fibers, elastic fiber and granulated rubber. Viewing the surface last year on Breeders’ Cup Day was a personal experience. When you get close to the surface, you can see the rubber substances mixed in the sand and it has been said that there is a literal bounce to the surface when one walks on it.

It has been compared to the inside of a basketball shoe that is cut open and that is a good assessment.

Magna, who owns Santa Anita, Golden Gate and other tracks, has one executive that really knows what he is doing and that’s Ron Charles, the President of Anita.

He is a successful international businessman, is one of the sharpest owners on the circuit, and is a great guy to boot. Besides honoring long time shoe-shine guru Eddie Logan last meet with a race named for him, Ron got some legendary Dodgers to the track for some promo work.

Years ago, I worked with Ron on a radio program from Las Vegas that encompassed all sports and I learned a lot about a lot of things during that time.

To accentuate just how on top of this thing Charles is, here is his assessment as told to Art Wilson of the San Gabriel Tribune, Charles: “The most important part is that, since most of the racing is done at Hollywood and Santa Anita, these horses, even though they are transported back and forth, are going to be coming onto an identical surface. Horses just have a confidence level when they know the surface they are on. They are not going to have to worry about taking some awkward steps.”

Spoken like a gentleman that knows the game inside and out, and here’s hoping this changing of the guard will vault racing back to the limelight.

Keep checking the Locker Room all through the Triple Crown season, as we will cover the trainers, horses and jockeys in each race. You can get your early Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park bets in now in the BetUS sportsbook in the Future / props section, under Horse Futures: 2007 Belmont Stakes.