I strongly disagree with Finley’s view on - the results on the Southern Cal circuit do not support Finley view. You cannot lump all synthetic tracks in the same bucket. The cushion track at Hollywood Park plays more like a conventional dirt track.
The mess that was re-worked this past winter at Santa Anita (cushion + pro-ride) clearly performed more like polytrack, where turf horses seemingly ran lights out compare to conventional dirt horses.