Types Of Track In Horse Racing

Everyone knows the races. From a young age, there have been many people that have few up on the tracks or near them. The earliest memories of the area may have been the thundering of hoofs every afternoon as the horses bear down in the hot kid afternoon sun to gain that elusive goal line.

Many people have regarded the track as…just the track. What many people do not know that the track itself is not just dirt from the earth but a combination of different materials to give the horses the best surfaces to ride upon.

There are different types of track. The most common ones are the dirt top layered with different hard and soft buffer layers underneath. Others use grass - but rarely. Others use a composite type of sand that has been carefully mixed with other layers of whole stones underneath. In effect, each race on each track is unique.

Track types

There are many dirt type track conditions and sometimes these conditions may combine several times.

Wet-Fast - A wet fast surface gives horses a fast time but it is a track that has a level of moisture on top. Any track that has a thin water on it.

Good - This is a drying out dirt covering that gives the horse a slower run time than a fast track would.

Muddy - It is a very wet and deeply soaked wet surface.

Sloppy - Primarily a dirt surface that is covered by a layer of water and sometimes produces puddles. There is sufficient water in the ground to make splashing noises as horses run.

Frozen - A dirt surface that has more moisture that is near frozen or frozen. It is a very hard surface.

Slow - A deep, dried out surface that can produce slow run times.

Heavy - It is a deep wet and heavy surface that is tiring to run on and produces very slow times.

Other track conditions may include grass or turf conditions. The main ingredient here is the dirt layer and the grass layer over the dirt may be removes or changed as per race standards.

Firm - It is a dry turf course with a slight give or depression to it

Good - A relatively firm course that has some moisture and a slight more give or depression.

Soft - A turf course that has a good amount of moisture and has substantial give or depression.

Yielding - It is a very wet course that has deep amounts of water and produces slow run times.

Heavy - A course that has deep pockets of water and is always sluggish in race times. This course gives the slowest run times.

Track conditions vary and it is a great leveler of run times. It can enable slower run horses to gain an advantage of other horses.

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