Step 3 —Buy a Horse
Once you have some $DERBY, it’s time to buy your first horse. The primary place to buy horses is on our marketplace.
Click the “Marketplace” tab on the left side of your screen, and you should see a list of horses that looks something like this:
There’s a lot of information here, but let’s start with the basics. Each horse has:
- A letter Grade
- A Fleet Figure (the little number next to the grade)
- Three sets of Preference stars
- The price.
Grade: Each horse has a Grade. D is weakest then C, B, A, S, SS, and finally SSS. The lower the grade of a horse, the lower the entry fees and purse sizes it runs for. Don’t be scared off by low grade horses though, as each grade of horse can be competitive and potentially profitable within certain race types. Grade is a matter of stakes and earning potential.
Note: At launch, the best horses in the game are S+ grade, higher grades have yet to be bred.
Fleet Figure: Every time the horse runs a race, its finish time is used to compute a speed figure. These figures are tuned so horses of different grades running different races are comparable. Two horses that earn 70 in different races are about matched in the quality of those runs. The Fleet Figure shown is a rolling average of the horse’s last three speed figures.
Preferences: The “stars” show what kinds of conditions the horse likes to run in; the more stars, the better. Horses that aren’t suited to the conditions of the race often don’t perform to the best of their potential.
Some important tips before you buy:
- Horses can’t race until age 2, so if you buy a foal you’re going to have to wait up to 8 weeks to race.
- Retired horses can no longer race (only breed). Breeding can be very profitable, and it’s easy to do. However, understanding how to breed a great horse is not nearly as simple.
- Horses automatically retire at age 8, so take into account their age when determining if a price is fair.
For more information on any horse, you can click on their card to go to their Horse Page. There you’ll find complete information on all of their finishes, times, and winnings.
For more information on what makes a good horse in Photo Finish™ LIVE, you can check out an in-depth explanation here: PFL Horse Basics.
You can also buy horses on the Magic Eden marketplace. To buy using Solana on Magic Eden, please follow this guide.