Betting Synthetic Surfaces: Conquering Racing's Newest Frontier

This is a welcome addition to any racing library. My wife and I had the good fortune of meeting Bill Finley at a fast food restaurant in Saratoga prior to the races more than several summers ago. He was very cordial, and we shared mutual opinion on a Nick Zito trained turf frontrunner expected to go at very enticing odds that afternoon. As I recall, Saratoga had experienced an unusually dry and hot August and the turf courses were beginning to be extremely speed favoring. I believe the longshot held on to finish a close second. I saw Bill after the race as he was leaving the "Press Box", he having used the horse in an exacta, while I cashed on the place portion of my win/place bet. He was a very thorough a handicapper then. He is very thorough now in his research and easy to comprehend "Betting Synthetic Surfaces". Besides being a good writer and handicapper, he is also a real nice guy! ....."PTWoodman"

Best book written to date for dealing with synthetic surfaces. The book is good at exposing myths and gives good statistical examples in support of its premises. Very honest in introducing the limits of statistics due to the limited number of races run over these surfaces relative to dirt and makes well founded assumptions based on most current data. Good approach to introducing the nuances of various and varied surfaces. A great primer, it is also a good book for anyone having wagered on these surfaces since their introduction. I recommend this book to anyone curious about synthetics who wants either general knowledge or to refine their handicapping.

Several years ago it seemed that synthetic racing surfaces were going to be a niche product in North America; mostly found at tracks which race through the frigid winter months. But the evolution of the revolution has catapulted these surfaces into locations - and climates - throughout North America, which has made a puzzle for handicappers seem even more puzzling. This is where Bill Finley's outstanding analysis becomes the winning ticket. In the first book out of the starting gate to explore the angles from the current data available, Finley takes the macabre out of the subject. "The modern horseplayer now has to learn the ins and outs of synthetic surfaces, which has some people horrified," he writes. Through research from thousands of races, Finley delves into the brand differences of surfaces & track biases, running styles, pedigrees & sire lines, the "bounce" & training factors and racers making surface switches. "As it turns out, most synthetic surfaces are anything but slow, deep, and tiring," he says. "The bottom line is that synthetic surfaces are not that different from conventional dirt tracks." Finley has a solid exploration into this new subject which gives any railbird a chance of finding success in this sweeping change of a landscape that is here to stay.