turf chute | Horse Racing Free Tips

On a stunningly beautiful Monday morning, Santa Anita's all-new turf chute, which parallels the track's seven furlong main track chute, was put to the test as a pair of horses broke from the starting gate at a 6 ½ furlong setting and transitioned across the main track and back to the turf course “proper” with aplomb.

Trainer Vladimir Cerin's Lady Noguez, ridden by Umberto Rispoli and Neil Drysdale's Cosmo, with Flavien Prat up, were allowed to run up the backstretch prior to being pulled up as they headed to the far turn.

“What a beautiful addition,” said Prat. “This new chute is fantastic and it's in a great place. Both of the horses handled the dirt crossing with no problem at all and I can't wait to start riding races over this in the afternoons.”

Rispoli was likewise ecstatic regarding the promise of Santa Anita's newest addition.

“It's perfect, there's a slight bend to the right coming out of the gate and then you've got a nice run to the dirt crossing,” he said. “This gives us a lot of options with the kinds of races we can run and I think everybody is going to want to get their horses on it. They've done a great job getting this ready for opening day and I really think it's going to provide some great racing.”

Designed by track consultant Dennis Moore and “green lighted” by Santa Anita's Chief Operating Officer, Aidan Butler, the turf chute project was undertaken on Aug. 17 and involved removal of blacktop and extensive excavation in order to get the running surface elevated and compacted to the level of the main track, which it intersects at approximately the three quarter pole.

“This is a great step forward,” said Moore. “I wanted everything to go just like it did this morning. Those two horses crossed the dirt here with no problem.”

“It's really, really cool to see all of this hard work come together,” said Butler, who will be jetting to Gulfstream Park tomorrow morning to oversee racing operations there. “It looks terrific and this new chute really solidifies our turf offerings here at Santa Anita. It was designed to stand the test of time and here's hoping it's here for many years to come.”

Retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who is now involved in racehorse ownership and is one of America's most highly respected racing analysts on Fox Sports 1, was also on-hand for this morning's demonstration.

“This provides a totally new component to our turf arsenal,” said Stevens. “I actually got a little choked up watching those horses cross the dirt because it reminds me of the downhill crossing and all the races I rode here. I think it's gonna be a big hit. I know I'd sure like to ride it.”

Two other jockeys of note, Hall of Famer Mike Smith and budding star Drayden Van Dyke, joined Stevens on the inside rail.

“It looks really good,” said Smith. “Same as with the downhill, I think Jay (Slender) will load 'em from the outside in, with that little bend to the right.”

“I think everybody was interested in how those horses would handle crossing the dirt, and they did it with no problem,” said Van Dyke. “This is great news for everybody.”

The turf chute, which is 80 feet wide and approximately 800 feet long, will accommodate sprint races at distances of six and 6 ½ furlongs, while Santa Anita's traditional Camino Real Hillside Course will continue to be available to horses running distances of a mile and a quarter and up.

To view this morning's turf chute demonstration, please click here.

While the public will not be admitted for live racing due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, fans are encouraged to follow Santa Anita's live racing via XpressBet.com and 1stBet.com. For more information regarding Santa Anita's upcoming Winter/Spring Meet, including post times, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post ‘It’s Gonna Be A Big Hit’: Santa Anita’s New Turf Chute Gets Rave Reviews appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In a move that will ensure the most expansive turf racing program in the Western U.S., Santa Anita Park is in the process of adding a brand new turf course chute, which will enable the track to offer fans and horsemen a wide array of turf sprints that heretofore had not been available.

Under the direction of track consultant Dennis Moore, the new chute, which will run parallel to the seven furlong main track chute, will cross the dirt oval and join up with the turf oval at approximately the five furlong pole and be available for usage beginning opening day of Santa Anita's traditional Winter/Spring Meeting on Dec. 26.

The new turf chute, which is 80 feet wide and approximately 800 feet long, will comfortably accommodate sprint races at distances of 6 ½, six, 5 ½ and five furlongs on “the flat,” while Santa Anita's traditional Camino Real Hillside Course will continue to be available to horses running distances of a mile and a quarter and up.

“Turf racing has always been popular and it's even more so now,” said Santa Anita's Aidan Butler, who serves as Executive Director of California Racing Operations for The Stronach Group. “This new turf chute gives our Racing Office great deal more programmability. By that I mean that we'll have significantly more options and the turf will now be more available to horses of various classifications.

“Safety is of course our absolute top priority and that's one of the most exciting aspects of this project. We're confident this is going to be well received by everyone, including our fans, who've grown to love the spectacle of watching horses run over the Santa Anita turf—there's nothing like it in North American racing.”

With good turf racing a huge priority, Santa Anita will now be in a position to offer a greater variety of turf events than ever before and it is expected these new turf sprints will provide players with consistently large fields and enticing gambling opportunities while enabling Moore's maintenance crews to better maintain the condition of the turf.

“With a longer, truer run into the far turn, horses tend to sort themselves out and you don't have so much wear and tear on the course as you do with a shorter run,” said Moore. “We got to work on this project on Aug. 17 and it's going very well. We're going to have a very smooth transition for horses running six and 6 ½ furlongs when they cross the main track. First of all, it's early in the race and they'll be running in a straight line. We're in the process of bringing in enough fill (dirt) to elevate the chute and get it pretty much on the same level as the main track crossing.”

Moore also noted that the new chute will be comprised of the same Bandera Bermuda hybrid turf that's currently utilized on the turf oval and hillside.

With the exception of a slight alteration to the outside rail which enabled the track to begin running five furlong turf sprints in September, 2018, this turf chute project represents the first significant alteration to Santa Anita's world famous Camino Real Course, which was unveiled on Dec. 26, 1953.

Live racing will return to Santa Anita on Saturday, September 19, opening day of the track's 18-day Autumn Meeting.

The post Santa Anita Adding New Turf Chute, Will Be Able To Run New Distances During December Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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