Going question?

[Osfcdazza]

excuse my ignorance but I would like to ask what signs people look for that show whether a horse loves or hates the going?I understand the more low free flowing action suits firmer whilst the more bend in the knee action and thudding of the forelegs would suggest a softer surface would suit but what else can I look for?Similarly does anyone has info regarding how to predict whether a horse needs to step up or down in trip?Thanks

[cpo]

Re: Going question? I personally look at the horses pedigree and what their ground preferences were. It's not exact but you can look at a horses pedigree and have an idea on whether or not they will go on soft ground for example. Take a horse sired by Pivotal... you would expect this horse to handle soft ground. As for certain trips, you can again look at the pedigree and see what they would most likely be best at. Of course you get exceptions but if you have a horse that has no stamina influences in the pedigree then its unlikely they are going to get 1m4f+. As for the horses action, this is something I have never really looked at so I couldn't comment on it. You will often see trainers such as Mark Prescott campaign a horse at the wrong distance and then step them up markedly in trip and rack up a 4 or 5 timer with them.