According to a report, several days' worth of maintenance will be taking place at Indiana Downs to rectify racetrack issues, something that horsepeople of both the standardbred and thoroughbred breed say have been ignored by
track management and the state racing commission for years.
An article on indystar.com explains that the track issues became clear on August 3 when a standardbred broke down and had to be euthanized. The next two days of racing at the oval were subsequently cancelled.
"They're claiming the material is bad and all that, but this has been an issue over the last three years," Indiana Standardbred Association President Jack Kieninger was quoted as saying. "We can document our frustration back that far."
The article quoted Indiana Thoroughbred and Breeders Association Executive Director Eddie Martin as saying "a lot of horses came up sore when the (2010 spring) meet was over," and that "what seems to be the problem there is soft spots in the base that are compacted with loose material.
"If a thoroughbred is going full stride and hits a soft spot, it can be catastrophic."
(With files from indystar.com)