How To Read Track Conditions

Track conditions play a crucial role in horse racing form analysis. Understanding them can give you insight into how a horse might perform based on surface firmness or softness. Here’s how track conditions are classified in Australia, internationally, and in New Zealand.

Australian Racing

Australian racetracks are rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 represents a very hard, dry surface and 10 indicates an extremely wet, heavy track. Tracks rated around 3 or 4 are often considered ideal, offering just enough give to reduce stress on the horse’s legs.

As of December 1, 2014, Australia adopted the following classifications:

Rating	Num	Old Rating	Description
Firm	1	Fast	Dry, hard track
Firm	2	Good	Firm surface with reasonable grass cover
Good	3	Good	Well-covered track with some cushioning
Good	4	Dead	Track with noticeable give
Soft	5	Dead	Slightly rain-affected, some give underfoot
Soft	6	Slow	Moist track, but not overly damaged
Soft	7	Slow	More affected by rain and likely to chop up
Heavy	8	Heavy	Deep, rain-affected track
Heavy	9	Heavy	Saturated surface, squelchy underfoot
Heavy	10	Heavy	Maximum wetness, nearing saturation
Synthetic	-	Synthetic	Artificial track surface usable in any weather

International Racing

Track ratings around the world can differ significantly. When international form is assessed, conditions are usually described using general categories like Firm, Good, Soft, Heavy, and Synthetic — with or without numerical grades, depending on the country.

In the UK, synthetic tracks receive specific classifications beyond just “Synthetic,” including terms like Fast, Standard to Fast, Standard, Standard to Slow, and Slow — but for simplicity, these are often grouped under the single term Synthetic in most guides.

Here’s a breakdown for UK track conditions:

Rating	Comment
Firm	Extremely hard and fast; rarely seen.
Firm	Dry and firm surface.
Good	Dry track, sometimes with a little give.
Soft	Moist track, offering significant give.
Heavy	Very wet, rain-affected surface that slows horses down.
Standard (Synthetic)	Common rating for synthetic tracks.

New Zealand Racing

New Zealand uses a similar system to Australia, with numerical ratings determined by a penetrometer reading. The terminology has been adjusted to closely align with the Australian model, helping standardize the form analysis experience across both countries.