Poly vs. Dirt Kickback

[DerbyCat]

Knowing that many of the Derby horses are training at Keeneland and have had several races on the poly surface, will the kickback from a dirt track possibly affect some horses on May 5th negatively? If so, who might it cause problems for?

Is there much of a difference between the two surfaces for a horse having it kicked into his face? This is an angle that has me curious.... looking forward to your thoughts.

[The Bid]

If you can handle the kickback on the poly you can surely handle dirt kickback. The poly kicks back about 2 miles

[whodey17]

In my opinion, poly kickback is less severe when it hits the horse than dirt kickback. But at this stage of the game, a horse better be able to handle any type of kickback.

[Shannon]

I believe that the kickback is usually much, much worse on dirt, which is a reason why closers do better on poly than on dirt, and why grass horses tend to prefer poly over dirt.

[sumitas]

I would favor a horse in the first group of runners in the KD.

[slotdirt]

I think sumitas hit the nail on the head.

[2 Dollar Bill]

Unless your the lead dog, everyone else is looking at your *** !