Imallin, I disagree with your theory about kickback.

Speed does not mean pace.

Speed is when a horse gets into high gear and turns the heat up a notch or two.

Kickback does not bother good horses.

Horses that need the lead in most cases are there because they a) have no class, b) have no courage or c) were trained improperly as youngsters.

It is, in fact, easier for a horse to come from behind than to set the pace, because they can relax while a horse does the dirty work and breaks the wind (so to speak).

I tend to agree with Andy Beyer (as I usually do, except when he writes about the Arabs!).

Personally, I do not enjoy racing on the Polytrack because, with few exceptions. horses look lousy moving on the crap. Except for Octave and Silent Name, I have not seen too many beautiful movers on the stuff.

What makes a good dirt horse is one that has power, the power to run through the dirt. Turf horses, by and large, skip over the top of the stuff. Exactly what they do on Polytrack is a mystery to me.