Santa Anita Park in California has a synthetic surface. The winter-spring meeting that ended on Sunday had several disruptions. There were drainage problems and spells of rain were followed by meeting cancellations.

Questions were raised abut the future of the polytrack. There were knowledgeable racing figures who pleaded for a return to conventional dirt. Bob Baffert, one of the biggest names in the training department, was a fervent advocate. Baffert said that the synthetic track does not bring out the best in horses and robs the sport of its vitality and energy.

The Breeders’ Cup races in 2008 and 2009 are scheduled to be run at Santa Anita. Over the weekend, the horsemen and the track management held a meeting to iron out the issues and decide whether any changes are warranted.

No formal announcement has been made. However, a consensus has emerged. Horsemen have revealed that Frank Stronach, owner of Santa Anita, has assured them that no alterations are to be made until the end of the 2009 campaign. The 2008-2009 Breeders’ Cup events will be held on the synthetic track and it should be pointed out that local legislation has been passed to conduct racing on a polytrack for reasons of equine welfare.

Drew Couto, President of the California Horseowners Association, issued an upbeat statement. “We’ll continue the same course for the next two years. At the end of the Breeders’ Cup in 2009. we will have an evaluation about the polytrack’s future. The synthetic surface is a ‘work in progress’  and it is not fair to judge now.”

“The fields are full, the handle (the betting) has been bigger, the purses (prize money) have been better and there have been more stall applications. The important thing is that, for the Europeans, it will be a level-playing field,”  Couto concluded.

Rafael Bejarano won the jockey title at Santa Anita. The training champion was Mike Mitchell. Bejarano and Mitchell combined to win the Grade II (turf) San Juan Capistrano on Sunday with Big Booster. Bejarano came off the pace with Big Booster, a seven year-old, and won by a little over two lengths. Big Booster was switching from the polytrack to turf and was being ridden by Bejarano for the first time. Big Booster returned $16.00 and clocked 2 minutes 45.50 seconds for the 2800-metre journey. On The Acorn, who won the Capistrano in 2007, ran fourth in the seven-horse field.

Mike Mitchell ended the Santa Anita meeting with 33 wins. Bejarano rode four winners on Sunday and had 67 victories as the leading jockey.

Jockey Bejarano expressed his feelings. “I am very happy. I made it despite missing three weeks because of injury. There was a lot of speed in the Capistrano. I just had to follow instructions. He (Big Booster) ran great. It is really an honour to be champion jockey here.”

Jockey Edgar Prado and trainer Carl Nafzger will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. Jockey Milo Valenzuela is another inductee. Three horses, Ancient Title, Manila and Inside Information, also get in.

The induction ceremony will take place on August 4 at Saratoga Springs at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion.

A field of 20 is expected to go to the post in the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs on May 3. War Pass, the 2007 Juvenile champion, is out. Behindatthebar, victorious in last Saturday’s Coolmore Lexington at Keeneland, will head to Baltimore for the Preakness at Pimlico on May 17. The Preakness is over 1 3/16 miles. Is it 1900 metres?

Hollywood Park will open on Wednesday. It is the 70th anniversary meeting. The opening day feature is the $100,000 Wilshire Handicap, a Grade III race for fillies and mares on the grass.

We are now moving to news from England. Luca Cumani’s Curtain Call will make his sophomore debut on Wednesday at Nottingham. Curtain Call, a Sadler’s Wells colt, faces three rivals. Curtain Call was trained in Ireland last year. Curtain Call ran second to New Approach at the Curragh last August and later won the Grade II Beresford Stakes.

Trainer Cumani said, “he came to us in December. He has done very well over the winter. Given his breeding, you would have to say he’d like soft ground.”

Trainer Jim Bolger has confirmed that New Approach, the unbeaten colt, will not go in the Epsom Derby. Bookmakers were quick to shuffle the order and Twice Over, winner of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket last Thursday, was put at the head of the market despite the reluctance of Sir Henry Cecil to commit to the Epsom Classic.

New Approach has been removed from the Derby list. Jim Bolger talked about how he made the decision. “New Approach will race in Princess Haya’s colors. Sheikh Mohammed has left the decision-making to me. I’m not shying away from Epsom. He will handle the track and the trip. I have not won the Irish 2000 Guineas and I want very much to win it. Epsom will come when the time is right. All along, I had not said that Epsom was a target.”

It has been revealed that New Approach is averse to walking through archways and can take a strong hold going to the start. The problems are being addressed.

Reacting to Twice Over’s 5-1 odds for the Epsom Derby, Sir Cecil has said that a decision is yet to be taken. Cecil said, “there are so many options including the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) and we are looking at all of them. The Paris race is shorter than the Epsom counterpart and may suit us better.”

Fayr Jag had career earnings of 423,000 English pounds. Winner of the Grade I Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot in 2004, Fayr Jag broke his shoulder in a freak accident at Pontefract (a track in England) on Monday and was euthanized. Fayr Jag was blindfolded and led in. He backed out, lurched forward and crashed into the metal part of the stall structure. I was at Ascot in June 2004 when Fayr Jag won the Golden Jubilee and he beat the horse I had wagered on.

Courtesy: Racing Post, NTRA and TV reports