Poly starting to settle
Woodbine's Polytrack appears to be settling into a more consistent surface - at least as far as running times are concerned. The slow horses are running slow and the better ones...well, faster.
The first three days of this racing week showed that horses who go slow on the pace will win and a hot pace will set things up for a stretch runner.
Andy Beyer's column on Keeneland's Polytrack (Daily Racing Form, Friday Oct. 20) is dead on - some races at Woodbine are also being run a lot like a grass race: field bunched up early, a lot of guzzling and rating going on and a sprint to the finish.
Handicappers and those of us who pick for newspapers or the DRF are having a heck of a time picking a lot of winners.
As far as tomorrow's turf extravangaza - the Nearctic, E.P. Taylor and $2 million Pattison Canadian Interntional, turf conditions will be the story. More rain is expected tonight and tomorrow and on Thursday, the International horses galloped and worked on the course and they were sinking several inches into the ground.
Red hot trainer CHRISTOPHE CLEMENT has horses in all 3 races - the unproven turfer In Summation in the Nearctic, a much fitter Naissance Royale in the Taylor and last year's International winner Relaxed Gesture in the big race.
Sunny's Halo's Kentucky Derby-winning trophy will soon be where it belongs - in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame director Lou Cauz and the Hall will host a reception on Oct. 25 to present the trophy to the collection after it was donated by Patti Cross, Earl Daynes and Joe Trdak.
Eugene Melnyk's homebred filly SEALY HILL was about as impressive a 2-year-old winner seen this year at Woodbine as any other runner. Yesterday, the Point Given - Boston Twist Ontario-bred won her second career start by 7 lengths and her running time for 7 furlongs of 1:23 1/5 will certainly yield a sizy Beyer Figure.
Top trainer Robert Tiller just got back from a shopping trip in Kentucky, buying 12 yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton October sale for $285,000.
Catch DRF writer and author DAN ILLMAN in an International seminar at Woodbine Sunday at 11 a.m. Prizes and coffee and danish are on tap.
The first three days of this racing week showed that horses who go slow on the pace will win and a hot pace will set things up for a stretch runner.
Andy Beyer's column on Keeneland's Polytrack (Daily Racing Form, Friday Oct. 20) is dead on - some races at Woodbine are also being run a lot like a grass race: field bunched up early, a lot of guzzling and rating going on and a sprint to the finish.
Handicappers and those of us who pick for newspapers or the DRF are having a heck of a time picking a lot of winners.
As far as tomorrow's turf extravangaza - the Nearctic, E.P. Taylor and $2 million Pattison Canadian Interntional, turf conditions will be the story. More rain is expected tonight and tomorrow and on Thursday, the International horses galloped and worked on the course and they were sinking several inches into the ground.
Red hot trainer CHRISTOPHE CLEMENT has horses in all 3 races - the unproven turfer In Summation in the Nearctic, a much fitter Naissance Royale in the Taylor and last year's International winner Relaxed Gesture in the big race.
Sunny's Halo's Kentucky Derby-winning trophy will soon be where it belongs - in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame director Lou Cauz and the Hall will host a reception on Oct. 25 to present the trophy to the collection after it was donated by Patti Cross, Earl Daynes and Joe Trdak.
Eugene Melnyk's homebred filly SEALY HILL was about as impressive a 2-year-old winner seen this year at Woodbine as any other runner. Yesterday, the Point Given - Boston Twist Ontario-bred won her second career start by 7 lengths and her running time for 7 furlongs of 1:23 1/5 will certainly yield a sizy Beyer Figure.
Top trainer Robert Tiller just got back from a shopping trip in Kentucky, buying 12 yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton October sale for $285,000.
Catch DRF writer and author DAN ILLMAN in an International seminar at Woodbine Sunday at 11 a.m. Prizes and coffee and danish are on tap.
posted by Jen Morrison @ 7:03 AM
2 Comments:
At 11:38 AM,
Anonymous said…
since u watch the races on polytrack, maybe u'd venture a guess as to "why" the race strategies differ on that surface. i've seen a lot of comment that they do, BUT, nothing to indicate reasons.
At 11:51 AM,
Jen Morrison said…
Jockeys often tend to overhandicap races for polytrack - at least they did at Woodbine in the first few weeks. At first, the jockeys tried to ride their similar styles but when they saw speed didn't work early on, they started to rate their horses.
Then the races were made a lot like they are at Keeneland now, slow early, sprint late, but since horses have been winning on the lead at Woodbine, things are starting to even out...but jockeys can influence biases or how races are run just by their tactics.
Jen
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