One thing this is evident about this game is that it's a work in progress and if you can't improve or learn something every day, you are not paying attention. Bettors cannot just do their work in their room, go to the track, grab a few beers, be ignorant about scratches, the weather or the environment at the track and expect to win. There are far too many variables that make up a race that need to be scrutinized.

And in the last couple of years, the age of the synthetics have muddled the issue. More that one trainer is on record as saying that the way the races are run have changed and it's not always about the best horse but about how the trip unfolds.

Some horses love the new surfaces, some horses hate them but one trend that has emerged and appears to be valid is that runners with turf breeding or have done well on grass have taken to the Polytrack, Tapeta and Pro Ride surfaces like proverbial ducks to water.

Two of the best trainers in the world, Bobby Frankel and Bob Baffert, have said that the turf runners they train seem to thrive on the synthetic and that the components of what makes up a winner has changed. Speed has become less important and the ability to track and quicken in time has become a key trait that has been successful.

When Turfway Park first opened up the Polytrack it was immediately apparent that turf horses were doing well. As the meet went on, the numbers may have leveled off but only those that have been stuck in the cave with Osama Bin Laden somewhere were unaware of how some of the best turf horses in world loved the synthetic.

The key evidence came on Breeders' Cup Day when the Classic winner Raven's Pass, a former turf only Group 1 winner, posted the 110 Beyer in his synthetic bow. To add insult to injury, the place horse Henrythenavigator, another turf only runner, completed the exacta at 19-1.

When you start handicapping in this game, you begin by isolating the pace and figuring out where each and every entrant is projected to be as the race unfolds. This is the staple of the game, and it all changes when you have a key defection.

But now those that want to turn a profit in this game must work harder to examine turf influences and turf success when dealing with synthetic runners.

If you don't already do it, check the styles of all the horses that scratch from the body of the race that you are betting on and try to identify how the styles that are no longer in play will effect the running of the race.

Similar to sports betting, reading in between the lines is one of the most important things about handicapping horses and the sooner one learns how not to be so stringent, the better.

Tossing a turf horse because he had never raced on the synthetic is a thing in the past and this trend demands that players delve more into grass pedigrees and use an open mind with those going turf to the synthetic or even visa versa.