As far as I am concerned, turf figures are a much less reliable indicator of ability than dirt figures because of the way turf races tend to develop compared to dirt races. There are WAY more slow paced races on turf. They often end in a 2-3 furlong mad dash sprint and blanket finish. That goes double for European races. That kind of development has an impact on final time and also masks the real difference between rivals that may have finshed close together.

I use turf figures to identify contenders on turf. But I also give extra credit to horses that have denonstrated high acceleration during the latter part of their races and horses that have consistently won or finished close in their races. They often have more in their tank than their figures indicate.

I don't have much experience with TG European turf figures, but IMO, Euprean turf horses (from France and England) tend to be better than their equally graded rivals in the US.



Post Edited (08-20-04 15:57)