Showing posts with label horse racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horse racing. Show all posts
We have undergone some major changes in the past few months and training will resume in less than 48 hours on April 1, 2016.  Racing will resume on May 1, 2106 (30 days) with thousands of dollars up for grabs.  If you have never played, come give the most exciting and enjoyable horse racing game on the market a try.  If you have already played, come back and see all the things that have improved.  We will see YOU at the track.

Core Changes

  • Purses are now fixed and do not change based on the number of entrants or fee paid.
  • Minimum number of horses has been raised from 3 to 5. This number is now the multiple of entry fees that the purse will be based off of. So a minimum number of 5 horses means the purse will be 5x the entry fee. Contests that fail to meet the required minimum will be invalidated and any entries refunded.
  • Should a race (and hopefully most will) exceed the minimum number of entrants we will offer players a rebate on their entry fee. A page with these details will be released in the upcoming days.
  • The race fees have been reduced by 1% total. We removed the house take from the calculations while the jockey fee has been adjusted up to compensate.
  • Super Sprint division has been eliminated.
  • Nominations will now be done each and every season rather than for the lifetime of the horse. The fees have been reduced accordingly. We are working on finalizing a plan for discounting horses previously nominated.
  • Reduced the number of weather conditions from 4 to 2. 
  • The number of training runs per day has been reduced from 3 to 2. This is in response to the reduced number of combinations and in an effort to keep the database manageable.


New Features

  • Divisional Racing has been implemented into the regular schedule. This is handicapped racing based on the number of wins and is in place for senior horses.
  • Added maidens have been introduced in the mix. Grade 1 will feature $20 added while Grade 3 will have $6.
  • Qualifiers will feature purses with split added and bonus. This is now clearly identified. Each G1 qualifier will have $25 in added cash and $25 of BC. Grade 3 will have $25 in bonus credits and no added cash. The finals are TBD but each will be comprised (in part at least) of cash.


Other Changes

  • Premium access, for those that had it, has been extended 4 months from the previous expiration date (meaning no lost time).
  • Removed one of the classic distances to bring each division to an equal 3.
  • Annual non-championship stakes races have been pulled in favor of returning cash prizes to the championship series and maidens.
  • The added races, such as the juvenile maiden added, will show up under stakes rather than championship.

Viewer Updates / Progress
We are continuing to make progress on our new viewer.  This is indeed a massive project but you can see our most recent progress updates here.

A more immersive and complete stand alone viewer experience


New AI for the horses and jockeys

We are in the middle of some exciting times here at Sport of Kings.  Our virtual horses are seeing their values sky rocket and many of our owners have already gotten their hands into breeding and training the yearlings for the next season which begins January 2015.

virtual horse racing bonus


Season 3 will see the introduction of the new format for our Elite Series (Grade 1) championships!  We will be introducing the very popular qualifier series that culminates in a final invitational championship at the end of the season!  The series will be rolled out in phases that are detailed below:



The prizes will be structured:
  • Quals - $15 entry with $40 added cash
  • Finals - $150 added cash

Season 3
  • 2yr old championship series is converted to the new format
  • The two year olds will cease to have a monthly championship.

3yr,4yr+ will continue as normal for season 3 with their monthly championships.Season 4
  • 2yr olds keep the new format
  • 3yr old championship series is converted to the new format
  • The three year olds will cease to have a monthly championship.

4yr+ will continue as normal for season 4 with their monthly championships.Season 5
  • 2yr and 3yr olds keep the new format
  • 4yr+ old championship series is converted to the new format
  • The 4+ year olds will cease to have a monthly championship.

At this point all monthly championships will be replaced with the new format.Each season we will evaluate the number of entries and nominations and adjust our prizes accordingly.



The grade 3 series (previously known as the Blackman Stud Championship Series) will be renamed to the Tenderfoot Series.  The purses for this series along with some aggressive new owners are what has driven the value of the grade 3 horses through the roof during the 2nd season.  We have seen a number of grade 3 horses sell for $150 or more which is remarkable considering they can be purchased from the sales ring at a mere $4.

At the 3/4 season mark the Grade 3 Championship series has seen 83 qualifiers be run for nearly $8,000 in purse money!  There has never been a better time to get involved in virtual horse racing with the prize pools growing and the community still learning together.



Other Changes

  • Championship races will now close 18 hours in advance - second instances will be created on demand (with bonus credits if applicable)
  • All other races will now close 30 minutes in advance.
  • Races will have the minimum number of unique stables raised from 2 to 3.
  • We will be reducing the genetic certification price to $25.
  • Triple Crown Races will now follow the championship payout schedule.
Our player base has gotten our inaugural season off to a flying start with over 300 races in the first 20 days and counting.  The grade 3 monthly championships just concluded and saw 6 different owners send their horses to victory!


May 31st will see the first Grade 1 championships that have nearly $1000 in purse money up for grabs.  Many of the prep races have yielded some very competitive results and you can expect more than a  few unexpected winners coming out of the first championships.  Anfield Road is off to a site leading 21 maiden wins with over $400 in earnings leading into this weekend.

With over 24,000 registered users we are consistently growing and improving and there has never been a better time to get in on the action!
I wanted to chronicle my experience as I joined a new online virtual horse racing game.  I had been playing various other games that allowed you to own, train, and race your virtual horses and compete against other stables for prizes, but, was not happy with some of fees and charges that were overly burdensome.  Sport of Kings has taken all the best features of many of the existing virtual horse racing games and combined them into a wonderful experience.

The interface is easy to use, the developers are easy to get in touch with and very receptive to suggestions and addressing problems.  The game itself is a complex simulation that really puts the trainer in charge of a horses destiny.  As a horse trainer and stable owner you are responsible for identifying a horses likes and dislikes, including how long of a race to run and what surface best fits the horses running style.  There are three distinct levels of virtual racing that can essentially be classified as beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  These levels offer differing levels of prize money and competition and as a virtual stable you are able to compete in all three independently or simultaneously if you choose.

The community is a growing one and the site is currently completely free to play.  The developers have announced their intention to deploy a second model that will allow stables to compete for real stakes in the near future.  Online virtual horse racing is a burgeoning industry and these guys have produced a superior product that I will continue to thoroughly enjoy.