TURF TO DIRT

Fires when today's surface is dirt and the most recent start was on turf. A horse that has been racing on turf may need an adjustment period to handle the firmer, faster footing of a dirt track. Some horses manage the switch easily, but others show a marked performance decline — particularly if they are lightly raced on dirt or if their pedigree strongly favors turf. TURF_TO_DIRT_PEDIGREE (a positive) can partially counteract this flag when the pedigree supports a strong dirt performance.