GOLDEN GLIMPSESHOLLYWOOD PARK OPENING WEEK SPECIAL
GOLDEN GLIMPSESSURFACE OF FUTURE ON COURSE AS HOLLYPARK OPENS
By ED GOLDEN
The game moves to another part of town Friday night.
Hollywood Park, replete with a Vegas-style motif, as opposed to Santa Anita's classic, understated traditionalism, begins a 66-day run that's a prelude to the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 8.
There are changes, in addition to the $1-million Hollywood Gold Cup on June 29 going from a handicap to a weight-for-age race.
"We will be cutting back to eight-race programs Wednesday through Friday, and that's a positive step," said racing secretary Martin Panza. "Hopefully, it will make the fields bigger. Hopefully, they'll continue to do it at Del Mar, as well. One race track doing it won't make much difference, but Santa Anita did it, and we're doing it."
Perhaps the most significant change has already taken place in the form of an experimental surface on the half-mile training track. Sports grids and stabilizers bind the surface and allow it to absorb water.
"The whole theory behind this new surface is that you don't have to go in and rip and till it, and you can let it sit for a month and it will still be a kind surface," said the 33-year-old Panza, a University of Arizona graduate who is still basking in the Wildcats' stunning surge to the NCAA basketball championship.
"The biggest complaint we get from horsemen is that when you cut the base, you change the surface. So far, this material has allowed us not to do that. Of course, we don't know if it will hold up under the greater wear and tear the main track takes. That's why we're experimenting with it on the training track, so we can take a look at how it's going to hold up. The most important thing is the soundness of the horses. If they're training on it and not getting sore, it's a plus.
"So far, everybody has been positive. Everybody likes it. And in our business, that never happens. But that doesn't mean we're ready to put it on our main track yet. We still need to see how it responds in wet weather and how it handles the heat this summer. We're going to find out more this summer when it's used more."
Even with unanimous support of horsemen, the new surface won't be installed overnight.
"It's not in the plans yet," Panza said. "The trainers are going to have to come to us first and tell us they think it's the right surface, and that they're willing to take the risk, along with the track. We're going to take the financial risk, but we don't want to stand alone in putting this surface on the main track. The horsemen will have to meet with a track committee and support it jointly.
"This material allows us to deal with the buildup of silt and clay. Silt and clay on the main tracks in California range somewhere between 16 to 20 percent. And when it's that high, balls and clods form on the surface. When it gets hot, those balls and clods are like bricks.
"With this material, we can bring the silt and clay content down to five to seven percent. The track is much sandier, but, at the same time, the stabilizer allows it to hold more water, so it keeps the sand moist and the turf grids hold it together, giving it the strength to withstand the constant pounding from the horses' hooves.
"We hope it's the right track for the future, but the most important thing is that we're making the effort, and willing to try something. If this doesn't work, we'll try something else. But it's a step in the right direction, and it's the first time any track in California, for as long as I've been working here (1991) has tried something new."
On the stakes program, which totals $21.7 million for the year: "Some will be pretty good Breeders' Cup previews. Our local horsemen will participate, and hopefully, some from the east coast, just to find out if their horses like the track. The Shoemaker Mile (June 15) will be real strong. Last year, Fastness was by the far the best turf horse in America at a mile-and-an-eighth or less, and he scared some horses away.
"But this year, with Isitingood, who set a world's record, and Atticus, who broke that, and with (Breeders' Cup Mile winner) Da Hoss back in training, the Shoemaker will be very important. Hopefully, some east coast trainers will come out for the Gold Cup, second leg of the MGM Grand Classic, which carries a $4.8 million bonus. They should want to find out if their horses like the track before running in the Breeders' Cup.
"Being a weight-for-age race certainly makes my job tougher, but racing needs to create stars. The handicap division has been predominantly where the stars have come from. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, there's going to be seven or eight weight-for-age races, and that will be it. If there's a top handicap horse, that's where he's going to run. If you have a top horse, a weight-for-age race is to your advantage. Why give away weight if you don't have to?
"Geri's coming back in training and I hear he's doing real well. Tejano Run might come. Sonny Hine was talking about bringing Skip Away, because he'd have to supplement to the Breeders' Cup, so he'd rather find out in June if his horse can handle the track, before he puts up $400,000 to run in the Breeders' Cup."
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