THE WIZARD GAZES INTO HIS CRYSTAL BALL by The Wizard on Saturday, May 09, 2009

THE ARLINGTON PARK 2009 MEET.

Like it or not, synthetic surfaces are here stay. While that is not exactly a late breaking bulletin, acceptance is key. Because, at a some future date, your favorite track might just make the switch.

Arlington Park main track surface is Polytrack. While many handicappers simply refuse to play this ‘fake dirt’, I have found the surface at Arlington Park to play very fair. In 2008, the Arlington Park surface played quite uniformly with a nice blend of winners with all running styles. And, that could certainly change this year. Thus far at the new meet, the Polytrack surface has played from ‘honest’ to speed-favoring, certainly a far cry when these types of surfaces played more like turf than dirt.

Although the Arlington Park meet is still in its infancy, there are a few trainers that are wielding a very hot hand. Larry Rivelli, Christine Janks and Michael Stidham are off too a fast start at meet, with Rivelli boasting a 50% strike rate as of this writing. All six of Rivelli’s winners have come on the main track, with four of them in route contets. Conversely, Stidham has excelled in sprint events winning with four of his first five starts.

Like it or not, jockeys have a pronounced effect on the outcome of thoroughbred races. Eddie Baird currently sits atop the Arlington Park leader board, with Christopher A. Emigh, Junior Alvarado and Diego Sanchez in hot pursuit. Baird’s strength lies on the dirt, and he is the noted for his prowess with early speed types. Emigh, an extremely strong finisher, appears to be equally proficient on turf or dirt, and is really comfortable with any type of runner. Rene Douglas, who usually finds his name on the top of the list by meet’s end, is one of the best in the Midwest, when it comes to grass.

A new wager will be introduced for the 2009 Arlington Park meet. Arlington Park will present a Place Pick 9 wager that will usually begin with each afternoon's first race. The $1 minimum wager requires a bettor to correctly select either the first-place or second-place finisher in nine consecutive races. Returning once again in 2009 is the High-5 wager, in which you must select the first five finishers (in order) on a designated race. If nobody hits the High-5 wager for a particular race, the entire net pool will carryover to the next scheduled High-5 race.