by Larry Stewart  
 
Racing Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens gave a ringing endorsement on Saturday of the completely overhauled synthetic track at Santa Anita Park.

“This is the best track I’ve ever been on,” said Stevens, who estimated he has ridden on 200 to 300 hundred tracks around the world during his career.

Stevens breezed a horse on the surface on Saturday during an early-morning private session that attracted almost no media attention.

Stevens then delivered his glowing report to Santa Anita president Ron Charles; Ian Pearse, the Australian founder of Pro-Ride synthetic surfaces who oversaw the renovation; Richard Tedesco, Santa Anita’s track superintendent; and Ted Malloy, lead track consultant for Santa Anita’s parent company, Magna Entertainment Corp.

“Wow, this is huge,” said Charles, who, along with the others, was standing on the track during the test run. “I’ve never seen Ian [Pearse] this happy.”
 
During a later interview, Stevens repeated his endorsement.
 
“If this track is maintained properly and it remains as it is today, I can truthfully say it’s the best track I’ve ridden on,” said Stevens, who has been riding regularly in the mornings at Del Mar in preparation for a legends race during the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita Park.

Larry Stewart is a California-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent