14-12-1-1 lifetime on synthetic tracks

[The Indomitable DrugS]

That's the lifetime record for the 4-year-old gelding Helicopter - who goes in tonights 8th race at Presque Isle... a starter alw race at the distance of two miles.

Helicopter has run 7 times at 9 furlongs or further on synthetic - and won all 7of those races.

What's most amusing is that Helicopter was once a 0-for-18 maiden... all 18 defeats on dirt in Florida.

[Port Conway Lane]

Looks to me as though it's as much a distance issue as a surface one. He's unbeaten on Illinois dirt at a route and has three seconds out of four tries in florida dirt routes.
Mario Donato got the short end of the stick on that last claim.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Those 3 seconds in four Florida dirt routes were all cheap maiden claimer routes though.

And a few of his synthetic wins have been at 7 furlongs. I'd say it's a combo of surface, trainer, and distance.

[philcski]

This horse has run well at KEE several times.

Synthetics really do a good job of identifying talent, don't they?

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by philcski

This horse has run well at KEE several times.

Synthetics really do a good job of identifying talent, don't they?

No more so than biased speed dirt tracks (or biased turf courses). Think any of the beneficiaries of what's happened this summer @ SAR will repeat their performances over fair surfaces?

As for Helicopter: he's won at AP, WO, and KEE. And while he was running more cheaply in Florida, his races were pretty much always competitive. He's not the best horse around but he tries.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

No more so than biased speed dirt tracks (or biased turf courses). Think any of the beneficiaries of what's happened this summer @ SAR will repeat their performances over fair surfaces?

As for Helicopter: he's won at AP, WO, and KEE. And while he was running more cheaply in Florida, his races were pretty much always competitive. He's not the best horse around but he tries.

Hey, I've made money on the horse. He's certainly admirable and does win a lot.

I should have been more clear- synthetics don't identify DIRT talent. It is a third surface, and when we look back in 10 years at this era, must be analyzed/recognized as such.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

And while he was running more cheaply in Florida, his races were pretty much always competitive.

They were sometimes competitive - but it took him 19 tries against lowly maiden claimers before he finally won a race...as a 3/5 favorite no less.




On synthetic - he's 14-12-1-1 and made over 162K. Pretty good for a horse who was 0-for-18 in the state of Florida... with a 5th beaten 8+ lengths in a bottom level maiden claimer in his final Sunshine State try.