There are some horses who prefer sprinting over route races.
And, of course, the process works the same in the opposite manner. Some horses fare better in routes than sprints.
There also versatile horses who can handle both distances and these are the ones where being tuned in to any changes can sometimes pay off nicely. For a better understanding, take a look at Freedom Prince, who ran in the fourth race at Aqueduct on the Feb. 1 card.