Ian Pearse of Melbourne, Australia, is receiving plenty of attention these days as the man expected to fix Santa Anita’s troubled Cushion Track synthetic surface. Founder and president of Pro-Ride Racing Australia, Pearse this week begins what is expected to be a four- or five-day renovation of the Santa Anita main track in an effort to cure the drainage problems that have plagued the surface whenever rain hits.

Question: How did you become involved with developing synthetic racetracks?

Answer: The whole thing started because I wanted a dressage arena at home. You can get dirt, but we wanted something that you could ride on in the winter. In 1985 I started my first company in equestrian surfaces in Australia, where we did a lot of dressage arenas and show jumping arenas. We’ve always been into the horses, first involved in dressage and then eventing. I do reining now