A two-day examination of the dirt surface at Arlington Park revealed nothing that would lead officials to believe the track is unsafe.

Because of the 17 breakdowns thus far at the meet, the Illinois Racing Board authorized the hiring of Charles E. Coon & Sons, an independent copmpany that designs, constructs, and maintains racing and training tracks for Standardbreds and Thoroughbreds.

In a July 15 letter addressed to IRB executive director Marc Laino, Gregory Coon confirmed he had conducted a two-day inspection of the track surface that included measurement of the depth of the cushion and evaluation of the stability and firmness of the pad. The analysis was performed under both wet and dry track conditions and at various positions on the track.

Coon found that the surface was “remarkably consistent and uniform.” He observed no aspect of the track that he would consider unsafe, and remarked positively upon the knowledge and abilities of the Arlington track superintendent. The results confirm the analysis previously performed by an outside expert obtained by Arlington Park