from the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Hollywood Park, capitalizing on the first summer break in training since Cushion Track was installed in 2006, is renovating its synthetic Cushion Track surface, including removal of its nine-inch top layer.

Track superintendent Dennis Moore said his crew is pressure-washing the "membrane," the geotextile cover separating the porous base from the top layer to make sure it is free to drain properly.

"We will mix the material to where we will have the fresher material mixed back into the top, there was a lot of fresh material right over the membrane," Moore said in a release. "Then we will put everything back down. It will make quite a bit of difference, add much more life to the track."

Horses are allowed back in the stable area Sept. 3, and Moore hopes they can train the next day.

Cushion Track consists of synthetic fiber, elastic fiber and granulated rubber-- all coated with wax and mixed with silica.

Hollywood Park the first Southern California track to install a synthetic surface. It was met with rave reviews but had been criticized the past year by some horsemen who felt the synthetic materials weren't holding up.

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