> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://zed.gambitpro.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://zed.gambitpro.com/owning-horses/11-track-surfaces-and-conditions.md).

# Track Surfaces and Conditions

Every race has a surface and a condition, and both shape the outcome.

## Surface

All Season One tracks are synthetic, in four variants:

| Surface       | Flavour             | Favours                              |
| ------------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Polytrack     | Balanced, forgiving | All-rounders; slight edge to closers |
| Tapeta        | Fast, firm          | Front-runners; pure-speed horses     |
| Cushion       | Grippy, demanding   | Stamina horses; grinders             |
| Prefabricated | Hard, uniform       | Raw speed specialists                |

Horses have hidden affinity scores for each surface (see [Understanding Your Horses](/owning-horses/10-understanding-your-horses.md)).

## Condition

Each race also rolls one of four conditions, which re-weights horse stats for that race only:

| Condition | Emphasis           | Who It Helps                 |
| --------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------- |
| Fast      | Speed-dominant     | Fast, light horses           |
| Standard  | Balanced           | All horses weighted normally |
| Yielding  | Agility-favouring  | Nimble horses                |
| Heavy     | Endurance-dominant | Stamina grinders             |

## How to Use This Info

When you're picking a horse:

1. Look at the race card's surface + condition combo.
2. Check the horse's Surface Record for the relevant surface.
3. Cross-reference its form guide — has it been racing well lately?
4. Consider its bloodline lean if it has limited history.

Over time, certain horse–surface–condition combos become reliable bets.


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