New symbol in past performances for turf races moved to synthetic

Daily Racing Form past performances include a new symbol, a diamond with an X, which denotes when a race has been taken off the turf and moved to a synthetic surface such as Tapeta or Polytrack. In DRF Formulator PPs, the symbol will appear in blue, to correspond with the color-coded symbol for races run on synthetic surfaces. The new symbol is distinguished from the one for a race taken off the grass and moved to a dirt surface, a circle with an X.

Since it has been widely acknowledged that synthetic surfaces often play like grass, “diamond X races” theoretically should more consistently maintain the original entries. The handicapper now will be able to use that information to better determine the integrity of an off-the-turf race after scratches. Races moved from turf to dirt often result in greatly reduced field size and are usually dominated by horses entered as main track only.

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