Depending on the horse and the venue, patterns can emerge about how well they run on particular tracks and under particular conditions. Bettors can use a laptop running a spreadsheet, or even just pencil and paper, to record how horses run at certain tracks and under certain conditions. Depending on race length, track surface, track conditions, and the field, a skilled bettor can rank horses across several categories and better predict how they will run in specific races. A horse that typically does well at a given track, along with similar horses, would rank among the best. The next category might be horses that usually finish in the money but do not win as often. Another might include horses that seldom finish in the money but do well under special conditions, such as a muddy track. A final category could cover horses that are new to a track or otherwise unknown to the bettor. That horse might be good, but with no history to go on, it is left as an uncategorized wild card.