Are there any guides on how to handicap poly?

[Zippy Chippy]

Originally Posted by PSH

big disadvantage sometimes like at Del Mar last summer or Santa Anita for the most part this winter.... Have to watch each track individually, i generally won't pick a front-runner at SA or Del Mar unless it is wet at SA

PSH

It's my understanding that Del Mar and SA have been pretty unique. Del Mar is just a weird surface, and SA had its drainage issues and the installation of a new track. I'm hoping the Pinnacle surface will be more like Hollywood Park instead of these "less consistent" tracks.

[miraja2]

In my opinion there is no one way to go about it because all of these tracks play a little differently. Early in your meet, you could try to use some basic poly rules (the one Scav gave out isn't a bad example) but you really have to wait and see how that particular track plays. The new track here (Arlington) played relatively fair most of the time, but the one at Del Mar was obviously a very different story.

[Thunder Gulch]

Read a week's worth of charts before you start and develop a track profile for wherever you are. That goes for any track, not just poly. Synthetic surfaces are truly a "3rd surface" and I can't believe how many people simply refuse to stop trying to translate dirt or turf form to synthetics.

[hockey2315]

Finley has a book on it but I wouldn't recommend anything he wrote. I think it's very important to look for synthetic form/experience or at least workouts at that track. I personally won't be a first timer at Keeneland who hasn't had at least one workout there and I won't bet older horses that have never tried polytrack before (with some exceptions).