Originally Posted by
str
Look's like the Army Mule should run better on turf being is that is where he was meant to start in his 1st race. With multiple works over turf, Clement had this in mind for awhile.
That said, lets address your question.
I see the pedigree. Can't blame you for that.
As for working on turf vs. dirt. The simplest way to describe it as a whole is that it is most times night and day different and the times can show it.
Dirt can be about many different things. From a relax and finish workout to a gun from the start workout. It's why I say that times can be extremely deceiving in the mornings. It's not how fast they worked, but HOW they did what they did.
With turf, it is almost always relax and finish. That shows up in the afternoon as well as we see. So a slower workout is almost anticipated. Now add the dogs to the equation and it will be much slower.
The dogs, are actual hard rubber cones, just like what you see when they divert traffic out of a lane when there is roadwork. Those cones are about every 50-100 feet from each other and you are not allowed inside of them. They are typically placed outside of where a race would run, so roughly a starting gates width from the rail. So, pretty far off the inside. Times will naturally be slower from that but what makes them slower still is the fact that you don't usually see horses work around dogs in company which has horses waaay out in the middle of the track working. In a situation like that, riders must be VERY concerned about the horse seeing something that could possibly spoke them as well as having the horses mind wonder a bit from not working closer to the inside rail. Depends on the horse but you hopefully know what I mean.
So the horse is typically gathered up well with the reins and the bit and is being communicated to with that bit more so with the rider. That will lead often times to a horse paying more attention to the rider than it is running fast. Thus slower times. Add the wide trip with a careful first ride and you get a slower time compared to if someone it sending a horse on the dirt down on the rail and going 3/8's in 34 and change. Hope that makes sense the way I described it. If not let me know.
I remember writing a long time ago how horses in the middle of the track can be distracted by noise and things going on in front of the grandstand while working. This can be especially true on turf, around dogs. Why? Well, typically you cannot work on turf before about 9 AM.
That is because the main track is very busy and too much going on on the turf course is dangerous for the dirt horses as they can spook, duck or whatever from horses on turf not typically seen by horses training in the morning. So, by 9AM , if for instance the track is running that afternoon, the beer truck might be on the apron in front of the grandstand or the food services truck. They are probably unloading kegs of beer or food and all that is noise, and a distraction horses breezing are not used to seeing . Put a horse in the middle of the turf course with that unexpected disruption and they are more apt to duck, spook, or whatever. That possibility leads to the rider staying more wrapped up on the horse and careful not to let the reins out all the way. Riders will also ride " longer" with their stirrups in cases like that for more leverage. The old track adage is " the longer you ride, the longer you ride". Meaning, jack your irons up too high and it is easier to get dropped. Longer irons along with the loss of ground and staying defensive and wrapped up on a horse equals much slower times.
So, when you see dogs up, do not IMO pay any attention to times. The fact that the horse got a bullet is a positive. But, if he was slowest of all, that does not mean it is a negative. Kind of weird to say, but that is the way to look at it.
As for the race itself, the four inside horses seem to have a nice advantage breaking so close to the 1st turn and seemingly having some speed. Unless they duel and kill one another, looks like they have an upper hand going into the race. But the race has plenty of possible winners on paper. Pace will probably make this race at the end of the day. It usually does. It is interesting for sure with young horses coming from several different tracks.
Cool race. GL if you play JBEX !