Polytrack temperature relationship
 

I heard the first hour Wednesday on ATR, where Steve shared the observation that a cool or damp polytrack surface seems to play more "fair" where speed horses have a chance on par with other surfaces, and that on the contrary, a hotter polytrack surface gives a better chance to off the pace runners and closers and punishes speed horses.

I found that very interesting, and I further wondered whether the recent practice of watering the polytrack has cushioned that relationship to where the effect of the hot weather would be delayed or alleviated through watering, or whether the "hot poly" course is still punishing to speed.

I would think watering the poly would have no effect on temperature as though the water may be cool when filling the truck it surely warms up while in the tank and likely equals the poly track temp immediately or very shortly after being applied.

I do think watering, especially heavy rainfalls, compacts the surface and that is favorable to speed types.

Considering the former bet stone closers, on poly today at AP.

That is the opinion up here from Arlington cappers. The other thing I heard a couple weeks ago was that the cooler/damp polytrack plays better to turf horses and the hotter one (looser track) does not. I don't know if it has any merit but gonna follow it for a while.

I know nothing about the properties of polytrack. I've heard synthetic surfaces in general referred to as being on par with "chopped up rubber tires".

In general, the science of thermodynamics dictates that an object having a property known as "specific heat" would cool at about the same rate as it heats at under the same conditions. So if it takes an hour for the surface to rise 10 degrees in direct sunlight, it would take an hour for that surface to cool those same 10 degrees, by air. Obviously cool water would cool the surface faster than that. But once that hose is shut off, if it's 3pm on a hot summer day, the heat is going to rise quickly again, especially when the water evaporates.

The temperature is much hotter on the polytrack especially when the sun is baking it as a big part of its composition is oil.

Reminds of the days when at many televised MLB games or CFB Saturdays they would have a thermometer on the field to show the temperature at game time. (Astro turf fields) I even vaguely remember hearing a story about some baseball players wearing things in their shoes to help fight the heat coming through. It can't be pleasant to run on for any extended period of time.