USA: Santa Anita's dirt switch unanimously approved

Santa Anita: Pro-Ride surface could be replaced as early as next month

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)  Santa Anita's dirt switch unanimously approved
 By Jon Lees 10:44AM 10 NOV 2010 USA: Santa Anita racecourse's brief lifeas a synthetic track was officially ended on Wednesday when the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) unanimously approved an exemption that will allow the reinstallation of a dirt racing surface on its main track.

Despite hosting two Breeders' Cups on the Pro-Ride surface, on which European-trained horses enjoyed unprecedented success, persistent drainage problems and dissatisfaction among local horsemen prompted Santa Anita's owners to replace it and revert to dirt.

Santa Anita installed a synthetic track in 2007 under requirements for all California tracks that race for more than four weeks a year designed to cut injury rates but, following the granting of a waiver by CHRB which was endorsed by California trainers, racing on dirt could resume from early December.

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