Kentucky trainers praise Pro-Ride

By BYRON KING

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Time will tell if Santa Anita's Cushion Track surface will have its drainage problems alleviated by the addition of binding materials and fibers from the synthetic Pro-Ride surface in upcoming weeks. But trainers in Kentucky familiar with the Pro-Ride surface say they have been pleased training horses over it.

Trainers Ian Wilkes, Niall O'Callaghan, and Tom Drury - who train at Skylight Training Center, about 30 minutes outside Louisville in Oldham County - said Friday they have experienced no problems with the Pro-Ride surface since it replaced the training facility's old dirt surface in August. They said that Pro-Ride has withstood a wide range of weather, from summer heat to sub-freezing temperatures at times this winter.

"Whether it's been 8 degrees or 98 degrees, it's been consistent," Drury said.

Perhaps most important, as the surface relates to Santa Anita, Skylight Training Center has not had any drainage issues, the trainers said. In December, when more than 7o1/2 inches of precipitation fell in the Louisville area, nearly four inches above normal, the track drained well, Drury said.

"I was worried about runoff spots since we've have some pretty good downpours," he said. "But even after it has poured, we've been able to put one on the fence [to breeze], just as we have when it has not rained for weeks at a time."

Still, both Drury and Wilkes cautioned that it is too early to tell how Pro-Ride will hold up at Skylight over an extended period of time, which will be the true test of its effectiveness. "It's wonderful, but it's only been in since August," said Wilkes. "It's hasn't been through the winter."

Because the Pro-Ride materials are being added to the Cushion Track at Santa Anita, not installed from scratch as at Skylight, the Santa Anita surface may take on a different look and composition than the Skylight surface.

Beyond having a darker color than other synthetic surfaces, the chief difference between Pro-Ride and other synthetic surfaces is that it uses polyurethane as a compound in the surface, not wax as a coating.

"This track is fast but safe," O'Callaghan said. "It's spongy. There are no hoof marks after a horse goes by."

Besides Drury, O'Callaghan, and Wilkes, trainers Carl Nafzger and Donnie Grego also train at Skylight.