Horses preferring longer/shorter straights
 

Have any of you guys had any thoughts on those nags with a preference for the longer or shorter straights?

I know that Mooney Valley tends to be a "horses for courses" venue, where a nag with a short sprint over 200m usually gets the nod over one preferring the longer, say flemington stretch.

Conversely, many horses in Sydney prefer the Randwick/Rosehill run home from the Canterbury/Warwick Farm sprints.

What of those coming from Newcastle or Kembla(400m starights) into a midweek and Canterbury or Warwick Farm(300m or less)

any thoughts??

dont know if, in the majority of cases, it is the horses preference for a certain type of track, rather the ability of the pygmy to ride well at tricky (usually tight) tracks.

most 1/2 decent nags have the ability to produce a good finish if fit & in the right grade, so if the pygmy does his job, rides to suit the track & has the nag positioned ready to win only bad luck &/or better opposition should be a problem.

Good Examples, of horses for courses...Dandy Kid and Bomber Bill at the Valley

From my observations on the tighter tracks with short runs to home, the bolters are often allowed to take up the front positions while the fancied horses sit back before making their runs.
If they leave their runs too late or strike trouble, the donkeys that have been allowed to lead around the turn, often hang on in a short straight whereas on the bigger tracks this is less likely to happen.