Many players have played the sport of horse racing and quite a few have grown to be "experts" in it. One sign of a seasoned better is the way they make a bet based not only on the horses themselves but on the conditions of the race. Horse racing is what many may call as a "environment" sport for the weather plays a big factor in the race itself.
As a whole, most tracks adhere to the same standards of racing for any deviation would cause a rift between the two countries and their racing teams. One notable difference in the race is that European tracks are more geared to hold more moisture.
Turfs noted as "firm" in UK may be different from the perception of "firm" in the US. A "firm" track in the UK is usually softer as compared to the US. A "soft" track in Europe may actually be more deep and wet than its overseas counterpart.
Horses that have raced well over turfs that are classified as "firm" in the UK may find the tracks seen as "soft" and more comfortable overseas since the materials used are softer in nature. But somehow the materials in the UK are more lighter and dryness in nature and these can be labeled as "firm" in the US.
Due to the large discrepancy of the actual state of the track and course conditions, a handicapper who is keen on watching the turf can gain a big edge especially when they know that horses are shipped from the UK to the US or vice versa. They would be able to make the bets where needed. This is a step towards understanding the tricks of the sport.
Other tricks that can be picked up on the turf topic is that if the track is classified as "yielding" and one knows that the horse has run in a precious or past races as "firm" in other races has a definite edge for from a strong track to a soft one, horses tend to do a built better and not vice versa. Sometimes bettors cannot understand the bet they make if they lose for they do not fully comprehend the track state or they accept it as being one and the same.
Mere watching how horses perform physically on the track is not at all safe for it is often difficult to manage. The mere fact that players cannot actually tell the difference in the track substance is one major disadvantage if they cannot actually touch the track. This is why those who can correctly gauge a track can gauge the horses performance.
Scoping out the track is the one way that players who are inexperienced in horse racing would be able to get the advantage in their bets.
