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Synthetic Surface Gets Thumbs Down in Australia
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by Paulick Report Staff | 06.30.2013 | 2:36pm
Polytrack
Australian taxpayers shelled out $20 million for an artificial surface at Clifford Park in Toowoomba four years ago, and will now be paying $7 million to switch back to grass.
The Racing Queensland board pushed for switch to synthetic in hopes it would be easier to manage during droughts, but now officials say the decision is one of many made by the former Labor-aligned board that is now under investigation.
Current chief executive Adam Carter says officials believe the surface was put in without proper drainage or layering systems, and have discovered that most documentation related to the surface switch was missing.
Fields have dropped 30 percent, and wagering at Clifford has fallen 25 percent in the last two years due to the surface.
“Synthetic tracks don't work overseas and in Toowoomba, where the temperature can go from the low digits to 40C, it couldn't work because it would be gluey in the summer and hard as bitumen in the winter,” said trainer Darryl Gollan.