Plonk's article on synthetic surfaces

[Star of the North]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Yep.

I think once horses establish form on synthetic surfaces - they're every bit as formful as any other surface...

Synthetic racing is mostly about how strong you can finish.

Couldn't agree more -- at least as it relates to performance over the Santa Anita surface at the BC last year.

The one thing that ZENYATTA and MIDNIGHT LUTE had in common was that they both had really strong conformation behind, each having noticeable length to the tibia. The result was strong pushoff behind when in full stride. The dynamic of the poly surface seems to reward a more even distribution of energy -- runners with the better balanced conformation appear to produce the type of finish that matches the optimal energy distribution that the surface appears to favor.