There are many aspects to Zed Run but at its heart it’s a digital horse race game. The fun part of it is racing and always will be. So after you jump through the hoops and buy a horse it’s time to run it! The Zed menu makes it easy to navigate and get going real quick. Let’s take a look at the different types of races they have on there. Our very own Wolf Of Oaklawn will give his notes along the way.
When you click on the Racing tab click Events now depending on your horse’s experience level you’ll either start in a class already or work your way up through the Griffin/Discovery process.
Griffin Race (Wolf Track: Sadly these do not involve the mythical bird lion beast of yore.)
A Griffin Race is a Zed horses first race. In North American horse racing we call them Maiden Races and the same logic applies. In Zed all types of horses that will later be in a variety of classes all compete together in Griffin races.
Discovery Races
A Griffin Race is the first leg of the Discovery process. There have been recent changes to it but basically, you compete in ten races to earn a score and get your class assignment. This is a great time to experiment with different distances. (Wolf Track: This is your first opportunity to aggregate data points and figure out what your horse does best. Instead of trying every single distance in your 10 discovery races, maybe reference whatever pedigree analytics are at your disposal or by looking at the family on Hawku.com to make an educated guess.)
Paid Races
The name explains it all. You pay a fee to get in and then the prize pool is split between win, place, and show (1st/2nd/3rd). The prize pool is split 60/25/15. Zed used to take a small rake but now it’s split evenly down the line. Races are based on US dollar amount but in wrapped Ethereum. (Wolf Track: Unless you have a top tier, high win %, and high podium % horse, sit these out until you either find or bred that top tier horse.)
Tournaments
Free races are a part of a daily tournament structure. Click on tournament rules to get scoring details for each format. You need to race at least five races in a specific distance funnel to qualify in a tournament quarterfinal. Races from all funnels will count towards your score but you can only qualify in one funnel per tournament. Free races will count towards your stats and class standing but you only get paid upon reaching the quarterfinals and finishing in the top three there no matter the format. (Wolf Track: Know what the horses in your stable do best, and what you can manipulate to affect their performance. For example, does your horse tend to win or podium after reducing distance in its next race? Then plan ahead and put it in a situation where when the tournament starts your horse is primed to win. Especially if you know you won’t make the cut of a daily tournament, start planning ahead for the format of the next tournament or getting your stable all entering the next tournament making a winning move.)
Third-Party Tournaments
There are several people offering third-party Zed Run tournaments now. I think some of the stuff that DanShan and Zombie Racing are doing is particularly interesting. Both are doing their best to create an environment where more horses can be profitable. Even deadbeat trash donkeys! DanShan has double-ups which I especially like. I think Zed could definitely take a page from daily fantasy companies and offer a wider variety of contests from millionaire-maker type events to basic $2 doubles ups. (Wolf Track: I haven’t played. I should.)
Race Analytics Sites
There are several analytics sites to help you get the most out of your stable. Most are free and are made by passionate Zed Heads trying to help grow the game. Their contribution so far is invaluable so please check them out and support if you can. There are several others we’ll cover in the future but these are a good starting point. (Wolf Track: If you’re not getting the view you want to see of your data, build your own. Decide for yourself what’s important and how to analyze it. Hawku, specifically can be a great data dump for all of your horse’s results.)
Great for filtering the market and getting race results with tournament tracking.
Similar to knowyourhorses but goes deeper into family members. Hawku also now allows you to buy horses directly off their site.
As the Wolf put it “the Kelly Blue Book of Zed Run”. See recent sales and where price floors currently are for horses. A great tool for beginners to make sure you’re not overpaying.
Advanced analytics site that will help the serious player gain an edge. Use MJs free software to analyze your stable and build charts to help dial in your success. (Wolf Track: This shit is cool. Can’t wait to figure out how to use this)
