Mandown wrote:

"Presumably a horse's weight would come into it as well so all we need now is to have each horse's weight and 'footprint' in the PPs. Something for the trackmen, Jerry?"

Very interesting what you have to say. I heard Jerry Bailey, when interviewed after the Dixie this year at Pimlico, say that horses who were very light would travel over a very yielding turf course much better than a very heavy horse because they don't sink as much into the ground.

Wouldn't the same logic apply to speed dirt tracks such as Santa Anita for a speed horse who doesn't face as much resistance and therefore can carry his speed further.

Steve Davidowitz spelled this out quite clearly in his book about running on the wet part of the beach as compared to the dry sandy part of the beach. You tire out much more quickly on the dry protion.