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Strategy | The Gold Saucer | Chocobo Square

Chocobo Square is home to Chocobo Racing, a central attraction at the Gold Saucer. As with the games in Wonder Square, players can earn GP (Gold Points) by either betting on or racing chocobos. There are also a number of rare prizes that can be won here, some of which are not available anywhere else.

  Betting on Chocobos
  Racing Your Own Chocobos
  Prizes, GP, and Odds
  Other Useful Information


Betting on Chocobos

At Chocobo Square's Bookmaker's Office, players may make bets on various races. At first, only C-Class and B-Class races can be bet on, but once you begin racing your own chocobos, you may also bet on A-Class races. Betting on S-Class races can be done only after racing your own chocobo to that class.

A bet is made by choosing a combination of two numbers. Each number represents a chocobo, and the two numbers that you choose are the two chocobos you believe will come in first and second place (the order of the numbers does not matter). As there are six chocobos in each race, this gives you fifteen possible first and second place combinations to choose from. Speed and stamina stats are given for each chocobo during the betting process, so you can make the best decision you can.

The registration fee for each race is 200 gil. C-Class tickets are 100 gil each, B-Class 200 gil, A-Class 300 gil, and S-Class 500 gil. A maximum of three tickets may be purchased for each race.

Betting Techniques

  • Boxes - Selecting three combinations of three different chocobos. For instance, choosing "2-4", "2-6", and "4-6".
  • Limited Wheel - Selecting a single chocobo and using it in all three of your chosen combinations. For instance, choosing "1-5", "3-5", and "4-5".

You do not need to use either of these techniques when betting on chocobos, but they can be handy when it comes to making the right decision.

Racing Your Own Chocobos

Thanks to certain story events, the player can return to Chocobo Square late on Disk Two and begin racing their own chocobos. To do this, you first need to capture a chocobo and send it to the Chocobo Farm. There, you can evaluate its quality and decide whether or not to keep it. Once you keep a chocobo and house it in a stable, it becomes available for racing. You will not need to take the chocobo with you when you go to the Gold Saucer, as it can be selected for racing at Chocobo Square, along with any other chocobo you own.

Speak to Ester and she will ask you if you'd like to race, which chocobo you'd like to use, and whether you'd like the long course or the short one. You will then be entered into the race in the "1" slot; as a result, all combinations that include the number "1" will be automatically selected. If you win the race, you will get the prize behind the block with the number of the chocobo that finished in second place. If you don't win—even if you place second—you will not receive anything.

There is no fee to enter a chocobo into a race.

Controls - Chocobos may be controlled either manually or automatically. The amount of control you have over a chocobo is largely dependant on the chocobo's intelligence and personality, which are determined by the type and number of greens you feed it. In addition, boosts of speed may be given to chocobos at any time during the race. How long these boosts can last is determined by stamina: the higher it is, the longer the chocobos can run. If the stamina meter completely runs out before the end of the race, the chocobo will lose all energy and slow down to a crawl.

Classes - Chocobos race in four classes. In order from lowest to highest, they are: C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class. The tickets for the higher classes cost more, and the prizes are better. When racing your own chocobo, it will be promoted to the next class only after winning three races in its current one. Keep in mind that all of your chocobos, regardless of stats or color, will begin as C-Class.

Stats - The three important stats for a chocobo are speed, stamina, and intelligence. These can be boosted by feeding the right greens to your chocobo at the Chocobo Farm. In general, Sylkis Greens are recommended, as they can boost all three of these stats simultaneously; these greens can be purchased from the Chocobo Sage on the Northern Continent. It is also recommended that you feed your chocobo as many of these greens as you have available, as it will improve the chocobo's personality, allowing you to control it a lot easier. Note that each individual chocobo has its limitations, and can only have each stat raised so much.

For more information about raising chocobos, see the Chocobo Breeding Guide.

Prizes, GP Equivalent, and Odds

There are three possible prizes for each race. Upon the end of a race, the prize for each block will be revealed. If you have won, you will have the choice of receiving this prize or its equivalent in GP.

The odds for each prize, as they are listed before the race, are as follows:

  • I - 7/15
  • II - 1/3 (or 5/15)
  • III - 1/5 (or 3/15)
Common Prizes:

Potion (5 GP)
Phoenix Down (10 GP)
Hyper (10 GP)
Tranquilizer (10 GP)
Hi-Potion (15 GP)
Hero Drink (15 GP)
Fire Fang (20 GP)
Bolt Plume (20 GP)
Antarctic Wind (20 GP)
Ether (30 GP)
Fire Veil (50 GP)
Swift Bolt (50 GP)
Ice Crystal (50 GP)
Turbo Ether (150 GP)
Elixir (200 GP)
Megalixir (300 GP)
A-Class and S-Class Only:

Sneak Attack (materia) (300 GP)
Counter (materia) (300 GP)
Cat's Bell (500 GP)
Sprint Shoes (500 GP)

S-Class Only:

Enemy Away (materia) (300 GP)
Precious Watch (300 GP)
Chocobracelet (400 GP)
Magic Counter (materia) (500 GP)

Other Useful Information

Teioh - With his jockey Joe, Teioh is one of the toughest chocobos to beat in any race he appears in. No matter how fast your chocobo is or how much stamina it has, Teioh will always be faster and hardier (though it is possible to win against him). This chocobo sometimes appears in the lower class races, and regularly turns up in the S-Class ones.

Chocobo Racing Gift - Win three S-Class races (for a total of twelve in all classes) with the same chocobo, and Ester will give you this gift, which consists of one each of the following: Sprint Shoes, Cat's Bell, Precious Watch, Chocobracelet, and Counter. Note that you will receive this gift only with the first chocobo you have that wins twelve races.

Tifa and Cid - If either of these characters is in your party while you're asking Ester to race, they may ask to take your (Cloud's) place during the race. You can then choose whether or not to let them be the jockey for that race.


Written by Reeve, September 2005.


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