Vaal Sand Tuesday

South African racing had better be careful with respect to bad publicity. Thinking of those TV magazine programs we have. Could be very damaging...

In the US they have given up the Poly and the reasoning was that there was no room for 3 different surfaces,so they returned to 2 types of racing only.
When you consider how few courses we have nowadays,can we afford to be accommodating 3 types of surfaces.Our racing is already under financial pressure and I would have thought that maintaining more types of surfaces must increase expenses, (equipment at least) as it seems that the requirements are very different.
If our dirt tracks could have been similar to the US all weather tracks,that probably would have been a reasonable alternative , but ours have been a nightmare!
If they had worked they would have been considered as the all weather alternatives in Durban and PE, surely..............Thank God they weren't!

Things don't sound good, I actually prefer the vaal sand to the vaal turf tracks

Bob Brogan wrote: Things don't sound good, I actually prefer the vaal sand to the vaal turf tracks

Bob, the nearest thing to sand in the UK is Southwell's fibresand ...............it will be interesting if they continue with that when re-surfacing cos it seems that Tapeta is now the new flavour!

Bob Brogan wrote: Things don't sound good, I actually prefer the vaal sand to the vaal turf tracks

Me too Bob, especially since they have started messing about with false rails. And not just the Vaal tracks either.

Rob, that is all very well but you seem to forget (somewhat conveniently, as I think it unlikely you are forgetful lol) that numerous turf courses in SA have also had horrendous issues in the same time period, it is a question of upkeep and sadly it seems that has been neglected in the last couple of years. Fairview, Clairwood, Vaal, Scottsville, Greyville. Does it end there?

With the Vaal sand it may just take a little longer to fix but for many punters, not so far back as I keep saying, the Vaal sand meeting was their highlight most weeks. And for many more directly involved, I am sure it is a vital part of the industry. From what was said recently, they have invested in the equipment for the track already but, let us just simply say, not used it wisely. Get rid of the sand and I am pretty sure you will lose more significant numbers from the industry, both punters and those more directly involved, including a large number of horses! And what will another poly track bring, a new Greyville where the grass just looks pretty 95% of the year? Fark that lol imho of course

Time to close that vaal shit hole down, what a dump!!!

Englander wrote:

Bob Brogan wrote: Things don't sound good, I actually prefer the vaal sand to the vaal turf tracks

Me too Bob, especially since they have started messing about with false rails. And not just the Vaal tracks either.

Rob, that is all very well but you seem to forget (somewhat conveniently, as I think it unlikely you are forgetful lol) that numerous turf courses in SA have also had horrendous issues in the same time period, it is a question of upkeep and sadly it seems that has been neglected in the last couple of years. Fairview, Clairwood, Vaal, Scottsville, Greyville. Does it end there?

With the Vaal sand it may just take a little longer to fix but for many punters, not so far back as I keep saying, the Vaal sand meeting was their highlight most weeks. And for many more directly involved, I am sure it is a vital part of the industry. From what was said recently, they have invested in the equipment for the track already but, let us just simply say, not used it wisely. Get rid of the sand and I am pretty sure you will lose more significant numbers from the industry, both punters and those more directly involved, including a large number of horses! And what will another polyen more problematic sand tracks track bring, a new Greyville where the grass just looks pretty 95% of the year? Fark that lol imho of course

So englander , your solution to problem turf tracks , is even more problematic sand tracks!
The sand tracks in SA have been a nightmare over time (a couple of OK meetings doesn't alter the norm.)
I would also point out that the small fieldss on the Greyville poly had NOTHING to do with the surface,but because they squeezed 2 courses into a limited area,suitable for 1.
Generally , the feedback on the surface has been very positive, from trainers and jocks, as has Fairview.
What I will conveniently remember is that our Jocks would clearly prefer not to ride on Sand!!!!......and they should know!

gregbucks wrote: Time to close that vaal shit hole down, what a dump!!!

My feeling is horse and rider come first - If it is PROVEN that conditions are not fit then I would move to grass and to give the sand horses a chance drop MR conditions for grass races. Have MR 60's and MR 70's and the lower grade horses that only perform on sand then can run off their grass ratings which are normally way lower than their sand ones. In the interim either the sand can be brought back up to scratch or closed whatever makes more financial and humane sense.

This is what happens when you close tracks down (gosforth park and newmarket), the grass does not have time to recover at the vaal cause its used too often, it has nothing to do with our grass tracks being hard in winter, 20 years ago we had racing in winter on the grass. The chicken have come home to roost cause of Phumelela's short sighted strategy, well done!!!!

Where did I say that Rob? I simply said that a lot of turf tracks have also recently had major issues, it is not just the Vaal sand. I did not hear you screaming for the turf tracks to be closed. I am saying, and have said a number of times, fix the problem rather than close down yet another track. I would say the same for a turf track.

And the norm as you somewhat strangely put it, is a recent norm that has got progressively worse due to poor maintenance over the past year or two. It was not historically a couple of "ok" meetings. I do not remember the jocks historically having a weekly moan about sand surfaces but, they are now, with the Vaal sand and, by all accounts, rightly so. I have though also heard the likes of Lerena say that he hopes they fix it because racing needs it. Hardly sounds like a jockey fully intent on seeing the track closed as you seem to imply all jockeys spend their days praying for. And simply reading the threads and listening to interviews, I don't get the impression that Poly is as loved as you try to make it out to be. That said, as I have said many times, it definitely has a place.

Anyway, enough of this "circling", if the sand track can be returned to its "former glory" then, for me, and I suspect many others, that would be extremely preferable. Not sure why anyone would want otherwise. If the problems can't be rectified in a costly manner and the track made "safe" then it has to go... and I suspect that is sadly on the agenda anyway.

...and you know what Englander... just last week I said that I will not play more than R250.00 at this sand track and guess what, I dumped another R1600.00 yesterday.
You would think that after all the debacle with regards to the track, that there would be improvement.

Deeno, now is not a good time to be risking fair chunks on the course, it clearly is not up to scratch currently. I do not think it quite the lottery that some do but, at the same time, I would have had a fair bit more on Yukon and Sway a year ago.

All the talk of a heavy track though just reiterates the need for them to start giving different "goings", it is evidently not always "standard" and as LG said, some will not act on it when it is heavy. Should be in the form guides same as "wet" is in the turf form guides.