Bias

The Lone Star lawn could be the most speed biased turf course in America.

Most turf courses favor late-running types. And for years that had been the case at Lone Star, with front-runners winning only about 20 percent or so of the turf races and late runners accounting for more than 50 percent of the wins and stalkers claiming the remainder. But that’s changed this year. And it has changed so dramatically that Lone Star’s course appears to be the most biased around.

Of the last 22 turf races, 14 have been won by a horse either on the early lead or within two lengths of it after the opening half-mile (or three-eighths in those abbreviated sprints). And eight of those races were won by a horse who took the lead almost immediately. Thursday’s three races were all won by front-runners.