" that horse looks better suited for the turf "

[davew]

I heard Maggie at New York say that about a horse in the paddock - what physical conformation traits make a horse better on turf than dirt?

[Saratoga_Mike]

Some trainers say turf horses typically have big, flat feet.

[nijinski]

What SM said and longer bodied as well .

[Not4Love]

I think it has to be the feet that she is referring too. The only other way, IMO is watching their action when they are on the track.

[tzipi]

Yeah bigger flat feet that grabs the turf better. Usually from back European breeding.

[pandy]

Some horses have high front leg action and that usually bodes well for a switch to turf. Barbaro had high front leg action and would have loved turf.

[the little guy]

Barbaro had high front leg action and would have loved turf.

Ya think?

[cj]

Some horses have high front leg action and that usually bodes well for a switch to turf. Barbaro had high front leg action and would have loved turf.

Come on, that is pretty funny.

[pandy]

Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot he won a few races on turf, I think pretty handily. My point was that he had that high leg action. Of course even if a horse has high leg action and takes to turf it still comes down to whether they're fast or not.

[Robert Fischer]

I heard Maggie at New York say that about a horse in the paddock - what physical conformation traits make a horse better on turf than dirt?
As others have said = turf-hooves and build.
Maggie is also a sharp handicapper. She may notice that a horse is both physically suited for the turf, and maybe would enjoy the pace of a turf race as well.