Quote:
Originally Posted by Dupree_03
should one expect all the artifical surfaces to react this way? they seem different so far.
|
No; One should NOT expect all artificial surfaces to react this way. We're simply bouncing ideas off each other, trying to find direction on coping with Keeneland in particular and other artificial surfaces in general.
One should also not assume that any of these surfaces will remain the same over time. I handicapped a lot of Equitrak at Remington Park in the late 80's and early 90's. It was an earlier experiment along the same lines. It did not achieve the same popularity, partially because the DeBartolo family didn't have as deep pockets or connections as the current sponsors. Equitrak was also from England, with a composition that sounds a lot like Polytrak. I don't believe it had the extensive drainage system that they are using for Poly.
Anyway, Equitrak was touted much the same, and had many of the same problems they appear to be running into with Polytrak. Hopefully they can solve them this time around. Some of those problems were there right from the start, but many of them emerged over time. We have more extreme variations of temperature than England and we have longer meets and more races. Equitrak degraded over time and required frequent maintenance and replacement, proving not to be the maintenance free or injury free surface they envisioned. It was eventually replaced with a traditional dirt track and no one hated to see it go.
Dick