You might have heard the news. We got the polytrack now at Arlington Park. It's groovy. People came from miles around the tri-county area just to see it. But, from my point of view, the best part is ... NEW HEAVY EQUIPMENT! Check it out!
Look at those monster balloon tires! Awesome!
The polytrack fluffer upper drag thingie is made from giant pasta cutters! Honest!
Turns out with poly the horse droppings can no longer remain on the track surface. This required a whole new vehicle equipped to run around after races and pick it up, not to mention two new high paying Illinois racing jobs, a driver and a shovel man. This nifty little rig was quickly dubbed "The Poop-Mobile" by apron wags. (Due to its vague resemblance to a more famous-mobile.) What a dream job ... only Goose Chaser Guy at Hawthorne has more status in the local horse racing community. It's like the little tractor that drags baseball infields, or zambonis at hockey rinks - everyone wants a drive!
And here it is, the goop itself - polytrack! Up close it looks like 30 year old blow-in insulation you might find in your attic, and it smells like old tires. But horses love it, they say.
