Racing terms
Dead Track
Dead was a track rating used in Australian racing before the current numerical system, describing ground with some give but short of genuinely wet. It was replaced by the ten-point scale in which Good 3 and Good 4 cover much of what was once called dead. The term survives in older form lines and commentary, so it still needs decoding when reading a horse's historic record.
In use
A form line reading 'won on a Dead 4' predates the current Good/Soft/Heavy scale.
