Racetrack surface

Question
How knowledgeable are most trainers in the subtle daily or weekly changes in a track surface and do they try to schedule a horse's race so the running style matches the surface speed or wetness? Thanks!

Answer
Ken,

Most good trainers are very aware of track surface changes on a daily basis, however it would be very difficult to try and schedule a horse's races around those changes.
At most tracks, a trainer enters his horse at least 2 days before the actual date of the race, and sometimes entry day may be as much as 4-5 days before race day, so a trainer would have difficulty guessing exactly what the surface will be like by the day of the race.
There are exceptions, however.  A trainer with a horse who runs poorly in the mud likely wouldn't enter during a period of heavy rains forcasted to last for several days, while a trainer with a superior mudder would be delighted to do so.
Another exception to this would be turf horses.  Some turf horses are very poor runners on the dirt.  A trainer with this type of runner might be reluctant to enter his horse on the turf if the forcast is for heavy rain, since the race would likely come off the turf, leaving his horse at a huge disadvantage.  Conversely, a trainer with a good mudder or dirt horse will often enter his horse into a turf race under those same weather conditions, hoping that it will come off the grass, giving his horse a huge advantage.

Stephanie Frost
www.alchemybloodstock.com