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[Mr.XXX]

Originally Posted by mountainman

After profiling pid's inaugural season for HP magazine, I (literally) never looked back. Meaning that I haven't watched 5 of their races in the last 10 years.

Synthetic racing just doesn't interest me, and , in fact, my oft-stated criticisms of the stuff probably cost me a friend in Michael Dickinson, Tapeta's designer.

I have, however, sometimes wondered if several strong and somewhat off-beat trends I chronicled in that piece have held up over the years.

Amazingly, no front-runner opening more than a length at first call, for instance, held on to win at any sprint distance. My interpretation was that only strong and methodical speeds-the kind that thrive on competition and rarely steal off to loose leads- could win on Tapeta, whereas, quick speeds simply lacked the stamina to win over that synthetic blend.

Something else gradually emerged and sparked an epiphany when I tabulated the impact values and ROI's for various feeder tracks. Shippers from certain small tracks overachieved, while numerous chalks from classier circuits repeatedly ran up the track. The difference was med rules. Horses already racing on Banamine proved lousy bets, but runners not previously administered the medication produced a high ROI.

Sir, the link in your sig doesn't work / has changed, it's now instead(racingnews part deleted):

https://www.moreatmountaineer.com/ra...ns-perspective