| CONDITION |
ABBR. |
DESCRIPTION |
| FROZEN |
fr |
A dirt surface that contains moisture that is frozen - a very hard surface.
|
| FAST |
fst |
Footing that is dry, even and resilient. Horses generally record their
fastest times over dry surfaces, so some genius somewhere decided to label
dry dirt tracks…you guessed it – “fast." |
| WET-FAST |
wf |
A wet-fast surface produces “fast” times, but over a track
with moisture on top. A thin layer of water over a dirt surface that produces
fast times could be labeled “wet-fast.” |
| GOOD |
gd |
A drying-out dirt surface that is producing slower times than a fast
track would. |
| SLOW |
sl |
A racing strip that is wet on both the surface and base. A deep, drying
out dirt surface that is producing slow times. |
| MUDDY |
my |
A condition of a racetrack which is wet but has no standing water. A
wet, deep dirt surface. |
| SLOPPY |
sly |
A racing strip that is saturated with water; with standing water visible
– generally enough to produce splashing when the horses run. |
| HEAVY |
hy |
A deep, wet, heavy dirt surface that is tiring to run on and produces
very slow times. |
| CONDITION |
ABBR. |
DESCRIPTION |
| HARD |
hd |
An extremely dry or frozen course with very little resilience. |
| FIRM |
fm |
A condition of a turf course corresponding to fast on a dirt track.
A firm, resilient surface. |
| GOOD |
gd |
A dirt track that is almost fast or a turf course slightly softer than
firm - ground contains some moisture and has a slight give. |
| SOFT |
sf |
Condition of a turf course with a large amount of moisture. Horses sink
very deeply into it. |
| YIELDING |
yl |
Condition of a turf course with a great deal of moisture. A very wet
turf course that is deep (horses since into it noticeably) and produces
slower times. |
| HEAVY |
hy |
A deep, heavy and often waterlogged turf course that produces very slow
times. Wettest possible condition of a turf course; not usually found
in North America. |
| CONDITION |
ABBR. |
DESCRIPTION |
| POLY FAST |
pf |
All-weather polytrack conditions are ALWAYS fast because they are
synthetic. Footing is dry, even and resilient in most weather conditions.
|
| POLY WET-FAST |
pwf |
A bit of moisture on the surface, but still an even and resilient condition
which results in fast times. |
| CONDITION |
ABBR. |
DESCRIPTION |
| SEALED |
abbreviated with a "-s" after course condition |
A sealed track is a dirt track that has been floated (packed down)
and not subsequently harrowed. Dry tracks are sealed so that water runs
off the track, reducing the amount of precipitation absorbed into the
surface. Wet tracks are sealed to provide a safe and even racing surface.
|
| CUPPY |
|
A racing surface which breaks away under a horse's foot |