"Though Avioli says there's really nothing off the table, the series has no plans to return to a track with synthetic surfaces. While the 2008 and 2009 events were catastrophe-free on the synthetic surface at Santa Anita, it also scared away some American trainers who aren't exactly fans of the mixture of sand and rubber."

"Europeans would have loved to return every year to Santa Anita, with a synthetic surface, given our fantastic record over the last couple of years. It is always wonderful for horsemen to go to a warm climate and our horses seem to thrive out there as well. It is disappointing, from a European perspective, to be returning to a dirt surface but we still love Santa Anita and I’m sure we’ll be keen to return there in future years. Remember what a fantastic record we have on their turf course as well!"

"SocialSphere, Inc., a data-based strategist employed by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), has its own set of Potemkin numbers. The company contends that 50 million of the proletariat connects with the Sport of Kings in one way or another and that seven million people went to the racetracks and bet during the last 30 days." [Re: marketing, comparison to.]