As the quote from the moisture content study shows, there were MEASURABLE DIFFERENCES in energy return in the middle of that 6 to 9 range-- it decreased at 8% moisture and progressively increased starting at 8.5%. It is also worth remembering that a fast track in NY can have anywhere from 4 to 12 % water in it, meaning some FAST tracks fall OUTSIDE the 6 to 9 range. You are right that "how much", in our terms (track "speed") is currently unanswerable, and may always be, due to the interlocking variables.

The compaction issue is tricky, as I said in a post yesterday. The sample size problem, the fact the horses change lanes, the track changing throughout the day (and presumably the compaction becoming more pronounced)-- all in all there is not a lot we can do about this, even in terms of knowing how significant the issue is.



TGJB